71-year-old woman breaks Canadian masters sprint record
Two masters sprinters from Ontario started their 2025 season with record-breaking performances
Jess Baumung
One of the greatest Canadian masters runners in history, Karla Del Grande kicked off her 2025 season with another national masters record. The 71-year-old sprinter from Toronto set a new women’s 70-74 Canadian record in the 50-metre event at Sunday’s Athletics Ontario Winter Mini-Meet at York University.
Del Grande, who already holds dozens of Canadian age group sprint records indoors and outdoors, covered 50 metres in 7.87 seconds. This achievement makes her the first Canadian woman over 70 to break eight seconds in the masters sprint distance, often raced on indoor tracks. The previous record was held by Saskatchewan’s Carol Lafayette-Boyd, now one of the best masters sprinters in the world over 80.
Last year at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, Del Grande earned the title of the fastest woman over 70 in the world by running a W70+ 100m world record of 14.70 seconds, winning gold for Canada.
Del Grande seems to be getting faster with age, as she will celebrate her 72nd birthday on March 27. She began track and field in 2002 at the age of 49 and has since set numerous Canadian and world records in various sprint events across indoor and outdoor competitions. In 2020, she was honoured as the World Masters Athlete of the Decade.
Del Grande wasn’t the only sprinter to set a Canadian record at the masters Mini Meet. Paula Suchowiecka of Mississauga, Ont., sprinted to a time of 6.54 seconds over the same distance, shattering the women’s 35+ Canadian 50-meter record of 6.88 seconds. Both Suchowiecka and Del Grande train together under masters coach Kerry Smith.
In a recent interview with Canadian Running, Del Grande said she has no plans of slowing down and is inspired by her goal of sharing her passion for the sport and encouraging other older women to take up running and track and field.
