Mangaluru: At 72, Gladys Pais is still chasing medals and finding ways to keep herself motivated — even without a stadium or a regular coach. For the retired teacher-turned-athlete from Bantwal, the hunger for sport has only grown stronger with age.Her latest outing at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, fetched India two medals. Pais won a silver in the women’s triple jump and bronze in the 200-metre hurdles in the 70-75-year category at the championships, held from Aug 22 to Sept 3.The medals, however, mean more to Pais than an addition to her already impressive tally. They mark the fulfilment of a sporting dream she once feared she had missed.“While returning home from school, I would often think that if I had an opportunity to compete individually, I could have achieved something. I carried that regret because I never got the opportunity,” she said.Pais said sporting opportunities, particularly in schools, were limited during her younger days. Pursuing competitive sport became even more difficult while she was working as a teacher.It was only after retirement that she began competing in national and international Masters events.Since then, she has won more than 100 medals at the national level and 13 at Asian competitions. She has also participated in eight international open events, winning 27 medals. Her first international competition was in Thailand, where she won medals in an open event.High jump was once her favourite discipline, but an injury forced her to give it up. She then shifted to hurdles and jumping events, particularly triple jump, apart from competing in long jump and the 400 metres.“There is no stadium nearby. It takes almost two hours to travel to Mangaluru and there, Masters athletes are allowed access only after 6.30pm. So, by the time I’m done, it’s 8 pm, and then I must return home. That’s just not possible for me,” she rued.But where there’s a will, there’s a way, goes the saying.Much of her training happens around her home. A patch of land amid the coconut plantation serves as her long- and triple-jump area. She sets up hurdles herself and uses the road near her house for running.Alongside household chores and gardening, Pais tries to engage in kabaddi and volleyball, two of her favourite sports. She said she would also have taken to cricket had she got the opportunity.While she believes Masters sport now offers athletes several opportunities, Pais said the cost of participating in competitions remains the biggest challenge for many.
