Most 91-year-olds are racing to their recliners. Not Emma Maria Mazzenga.<\/p>\n
The Italian nonagenarian sprinted through a 200-meter dash<\/a> in under a minute last year, crushing the previous world record for her age group. While others were gasping for air, Mazzenga was already sizing up her next race.<\/p>\n Amazed by her speed, doctors investigated what makes this senior sprinter tick. Now, they\u2019ve uncovered the unique physical traits<\/a> that have helped make Mazzenga one of Italy\u2019s most unstoppable athletic wonders.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mazzenga holds five world records for her age group. REUTERS<\/p>\n A body built to move<\/p>\n After blazing through a 200-meter dash in just 51.47 seconds \u2014 nearly 1.5 seconds faster than the previous 90-plus world record \u2014 Mazzenga enrolled in a scientific study to help scientists better understand her powerhouse physiology.<\/p>\n Italian researchers put the speed queen through a battery of tests, including cycling drills, knee exercises and thigh muscle biopsies.\u00a0<\/p>\n They found two key factors fueling her fire.\u00a0<\/p>\n First, Mazzenga\u2019s cardiorespiratory fitness \u2014 how well her heart and lungs pump oxygen to her muscles \u2014 was on par with a\u00a0highly fit woman in her 50s. The energy centers of her cells were also virtually identical to a person decades younger.\u00a0<\/p>\n Second, her muscles were incredibly unique. Mazzenga\u2019s slow-twitch fibers \u2014 built for endurance \u2014 were \u201cremarkably large,\u201d letting her go the distance without burning out.<\/p>\n She also had a \u201cvery high percentage\u201d of fast-twitch fibers, which produce powerful bursts of energy. According to researchers, these are ideal for fast, explosive movements like sprinting.<\/p>\n Researchers found that Mazzenga\u2019s cardiorespiratory fitness matched that of someone half her age. REUTERS<\/p>\n \u201cThis unique combination likely contributed to her exceptional 200m sprint performance, allowing her to maintain both endurance and speed at an advanced age,\u201d said Dr. Marta Colosio<\/a>, a postdoctoral fellow at Marquette University and first author of the study.<\/p>\n Decades in the making<\/p>\n So, how does a 91-year-old end up with the body \u2014 and sprint times \u2014 of someone half her age?<\/p>\n Simple: she\u2019s been putting in the work for decades.<\/p>\n Born in 1933, Mazzenga first hit the track during her university days, competing in the 100, 200, 400 and even the 800-meter races. Her crowning achievement was a fourth-place finish at the national championships in Rome.<\/p>\n But as life went on, she became a wife, mother and chemistry professor, putting her track career on hold for more than two decades.<\/p>\n \u201cI got married in 1963,\u201d Mazzenga told Vogue Italia<\/a>. \u201cI returned to racing in 1986 with my old teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n Mazzenga went viral online after beating the world record in the 200-meter sprint for her age group. REUTERS<\/p>\n At 53, she joined the masters athletics circuit \u2014 competitive races for older runners organized by age group \u2014 and never looked back.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the costs are on me, but I\u2019m happy to do it,\u201d she said. \u201cThe emotion that a race gives me, the adrenaline that each training session gives me, are the pure energy of my days.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That passion is paying off.<\/p>\n \u201cLifelong exercise training can enable extraordinary performance and maintain high functional levels even into the ninth decade of life,\u201d Colosio said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Today, she holds five world records five world records, nine European records and 28 best Italian performances in various categories of Masters sprinting.<\/p>\n Mazzenga first began running during her time at university as a young woman. REUTERS<\/p>\n Mazzenga, who\u2019s been widowed for more than 40 years, credits running not just with keeping her body strong \u2014 but also her mind.<\/p>\n \u201cIt got me through some difficult times, which of course haven\u2019t been lacking in a life as long as mine,\u201c she told Reuters<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Running \u201calso allowed me always to be surrounded by a lot of people, so that I was never alone,\u201c Mazzenga added.<\/p>\n It\u2019s never too late\u00a0<\/p>\n Most people who reach their 90s slow down \u2014 and for good reason.\u00a0<\/p>\n