MINNEAPOLIS (KRON) — Just weeks shy of her 100th birthday, Mary B. Jackson this week accomplished something most of us will never achieve. Jackson became a gold medalist three times over for swimming in the games many refer to as the Senior Olympics.
The Massachusetts resident, who lives part time in the Bay Area, competed in the National Senior Games now under way in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.
Jackson won her gold medals in the women’s 100+ age group (the divisions are based on the athlete’s age by year’s end) for three backstroke events: the 50-yard, 100-yard, and 200-yard. She clocked in at 1:48, 4:07, and 8:41 minutes respectively.
Her family, who lives in Lafayette, says it is believed that the Olympic star matriarch is the oldest woman to take the gold in her division.
But this week’s medal wins were not Jackson’s first. Her family says her medal count is now up to roughly 25. The Senior Games in Minneapolis was her fourth trip to the national competition. She began competing in the games in 2009 when it was held in the Bay Area at Stanford University. She has since attended each of the Senior Games, which is held every other year.
Last month, Jackson (known as May to family and friends) returned to her home in Weymouth, MA., after spending eight months with her family in the Bay Area. During her stay here, she trained by doing laps at a gym in Walnut Creek.
The Senior Olympics touts itself as the largest multi-sport qualifying competition in the world for men and women 50-years and older. In addition to swimming, the event features about 20 other sports ranging from archery to basketball.
This year the event has drawn some 12,000 competing athletes from around the country. It began on July 3 and goes through Thursday, July 16.
What is Mary Jackson’s secret to life? Her granddaughter, Alexis Bernstein of Lafayette says simply, “She doesn’t think that she’s old.”
Jackson officially turns 100 on August 7.