Diane Friedman turned 100 earlier this month, but there’s not much holding her back. This Lyndhurst resident is a bona fide track and field star, currently holding several world and U.S. records. She’s also a very good javelin thrower.
Meet Lyndhurst’s Diane Friedman, a 100-year-old track and field star
“My parents didn’t want me to do it,” she recalls, “because it’s not nice to be a girl.”
Surprisingly, Diane didn’t start running competitively until she was in her 70s, and it wasn’t until her 90s that she began breaking multiple world track and field records.
Bruce Sherman, exercise physiologist and assistant coach at Beachwood, has been coaching Diane for the past five years.
“She currently holds three world records in the 100m, 200m and 400m indoor and outdoor sprints,” he explains. “She holds the U.S.
records in the 60 meters and 200 meters, and these records are in the women’s 95-99 age group.”
During their time successfully training together, Bruce and Diane have become great friends.
“I absolutely wouldn’t be here without him,” Diane said. “He’s a great guy.
He’s also a dedicated coach.” In fact, Bruce and Diane kept up their training routine despite COVID’s many challenges.
Bruce says Diane was able to avoid some of the isolation and loneliness that many seniors experienced over the past year by maintaining her training.
“We really didn’t lose a step because we were able to adapt our workouts,” she says.
Bruce credits good genes and a good attitude for Diane’s remarkable feats at her age. She certainly got me running on the track, teaching me proper form and technique.
And, of course, the opportunity could not be passed up to see if she could break another record, the 100-meter record in the women’s over-100 category. And, sure enough, she did (unofficially).
