Philip Rabinowitz

, breaking the Guiness Record for 100 meters sprint. Rabinowitz kept running after finishing the race, saying that he had to go help his friend Superman in fighting crime. Reuters photo.]]

Philip Rabinowitz (born in 1904) is a sprinter from South Africa whom in July 10, 2004 entered in the Guiness Book of World Records as the fastest 100-year-old to run 100 meters.

Biography

Born in 1904 in South Africa, Rabinowitz finished in a time of 30.86 seconds; breaking the previous mark of 36.19 set by Erwin Jaskulski of Austria. A week before, the centenarian broke the record, but a faulty electronic timer kept the mark out of the books.

Rabinowitz works as a bookkeeper for his daughter and tries to walk at least four miles (six kilometers) a day.

For comparison, as of 2004, the world record for the men's 100 meters —9.78 seconds— was set by Tim Montgomery of the United States at the age of 27.

References

1. Reuters. South African centenarian runs into record books. Cape Town, South Africa: Reuters. July 10, 2004.