Aldergroves Harnek Toor, 76, wins eight gold medals at the BC Masters

Aldergrove senior track and field star Harnek Toor added to his impressive medal tally at the BC Masters track and field championships on Saturday 13th August and Sunday 14th August.

Toor, 76, won eight gold medals in the disciplines of hammer throw, weight throw, discus throw, javelin throw, shot put, superweight, long jump and triple jump.

“That was my first outdoor meeting of the season,” Toor told the Langley Advance Times.

The event was organized by the Greyhounds Masters Track and Field Club at South Surrey Athletic Park.

“After missing the World Masters in Tampere [Finland] and the Canadian Masters in Regina, I was thrilled to be there,” Toor noted.

On his way to the podium, Toor fended off longtime Seattle Athletic Club rival George Mathews, who is in the same age group (75-79) in the hammer throw and weight throw.

“Since 2015 we have competed against or with each other in BC, Canadian and North American World Masters Championships,” Toor told the Langley Advance Times.

“In fact, I’m in awe of him, but being two years older than me, I’ve turned out to be a shade better than him this time.”

There were more than 70 participants in categories ranging from 35-plus to 90.

The weather was perfect.

“It was great fun to be there, testing your muscles and cardio efficiency, and hanging out with like-minded people,” Toor noted.

“Activities like this keep me in good physical and mental shape.”

Next up for Toor is the 55+ Senior Games Track and Field Championships, taking place September 14-17, 2022 at Victoria University Centennial Stadium.

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In a previous story in The Langley Advance Times, Toor described how he took part in multiple sports as a young man, including sprinting, handball, soccer and volleyball, and how an article in a local newspaper inspired him to compete again in 2012.

“I happened to read a newspaper about the 55-plus games,” Toor said.

He would love to see other sporty Aldergrove seniors get into the competition and “join this train going forward to make the town proud”.

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