EIGHTY-FIVE-year-old Guiseley man, Tony Bowman, continues to defy belief as he smashed a British record for 200m by 5.2 seconds on April 10.

The event was held at Longford Park Stadium, in Stretford, Manchester and Bowman claimed the British 200m record (in the 85+ category), by running the leg in 36.67 secs.

The veteran was also only 0.2 seconds off breaking the 100m record for his age.

An incredible feat for a man, who continues to push the boundaries by breaking multiple records.

"I'm extremely proud of myself for breaking the 200m record, but in terms of achievements, it does come down the list a bit", said Bowman.

"Two of my greatest achievements, were breaking the world record for the indoor hurdles, at 80 and winning the professional sprint at Powderhall in Scotland, which was over 110m and had over 125 competitors.

"I was 71 at the time of winning that and I was the oldest to ever have won it by 30 years, which was a fantastic achievement for me personally."

Bowman continues to break boundaries at the age of 85, however, he admits he is not superhuman.

"First of all, I do believe I've got the right genes; however, I've lived an extremely healthy life.

"I've always been interested in athletics since my dad took me to the Olympics in 1948. We had one day there, and it fired me up.

"Since then, I've worked hard, and even now, I train every other day, eat pretty healthily and I cut down on my alcohol.

"I've also had a brilliant upbringing with my mum and dad through wartime and I absolutely love life.

"I'm a lucky guy really. I'm probably one of the luckiest men at my age, in the world."

Amongst the midst of all his achievements, Bowman has had some frightening moments and is thankful to be living on strong.

"I'm an extremely fortunate guy. I love to keep fit, however I have had a few setbacks, a couple of scary moments. I had a heart attack in my 70's and had heart failure two years ago, but I'm lucky to come through it all and no I'm w looking forward to running the 100m at 100 years old."

Bowman isn't resting on his laurels either, as he targets more athletic success in the future.

"I'm hoping to break British records for the 85's in the 100 metre, possibly the 400 metre, although it might be slightly too long of a distance for me.

"I'm also pursuing records in the Decathlon, Pentathlon and Heptathlon, which will take place in Glasgow", said Bowman.

Mr Bowman will next be racing in the new year’s sprint, which he won last year, with the event set to take place in May.

After a recent announcement, a European Masters Championship is also set to take place in Portugal, October, and the 85's 200m British record holder is set to take part in the event.

Bowman will also race in the Midlands Championship in Nuneaton, the Northern Championship in Bury and the British Championships, which is usually held in Birmingham, however, is unlikely to be, due to the Commonwealth Games.

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