FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

World Masters Athletics “Day Six” Sees Athletes Take Flight  

ALACHUA COUNTY,  FL – March 28, 2025 – On Friday morning, over 200 athletes took to the air as 45 medals were awarded to 23 different nations in the High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump and Pole Vault.    

Six Championship Records were set.   In the Women’s High Jump, (70-74), (65-69) and (60-64) categories Team USA’s Rita Hanscom, Ireland’s Edel Maguire and Team USA’s Neringa Jakstiene set new marks at 1.23m, 1.34m, and 1.39m. In the Long Jump, Saudi Arabia’s Salem Alahmadi rewrote the record book with a distance of 6.04m.    In the Men’s Pole Vault, Germany’s Dennis Schober (35-44) and Denis Kholev (45-49), of Team USA, raised the bar with heights of 5.10m and 4.80m.  

“It’s always a work in progress,” said Kholev. “Records come and it’s fantastic but when performance is correct, records come.  The atmosphere is so inspirational here.  I brought my parents with me, and this is a great feeling.”

The Women’s 200m finals saw a World Record fall.  Carole Lafayette-Boyd’s run of 35.51 set a new WR in the Women’s (80-85) category.  Four Championship Records were also rewritten.  Sweden’s Helen Hermundstad (50-54) sprinted to a 26.05.  Team USA’s Amanda Roberts (35-39) jetted to a 25.68 along with Easter Grant (40-44) who sprinted to a 24.74.  Milcent Ndoro (35-39), of Kenya, ran a blistering 24.48.    

In Indoor Throw, two more Championship Records were set.   In the Men’s Weight Throw, Team USA’s Ja’Mar Watson (35-39) and Paul Markel (45-49) added C.R.’s at 18.39m and 19.35m.   The Stars and Stripes completed the Golden trifecta in Weight Throw with Peter Knaus (40-44) at 17.30m.  In Women’s Shot Put, three different countries won Gold. Columbia’s Yaneth Tenorio (65-69), Germany’s Jana Muller-Schmidt (60-64) and Ukraine’s Svitlana Sorochuk (55-59) all heard their national anthem’s play.

At West End, Outdoor Throws saw Team USA and Finland duel it out. The two nations claimed Gold in seven of the eight events.  Team USA led the way with four Golds followed by the Finns three. Austria picked up the other Gold in Men’s (80-84) Hammer.  Great Britain, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada also found themselves on the podium.  

As the WMA’s “Day 6” concluded, 58 different countries have medaled.  Team USA leads the way with 328 total, followed by Great Britain’s 58 and Germany’s 43.

Saturday morning, at 8 a.m., The Men’s 10K road race begins followed by the Women’s 10K at 8:10 a.m. At 9 a.m., 16 more Jumping Events will get underway, at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center, starting with the Men’s (35-39) Long Jump, followed by Women’s (55-59) High Jump and Men’s (65-69) Triple Jump.  During that time the Men’s and Women’s 400m semi-finals begin in all categories.  At 3:50 p.m., the finals begin in the Women’s 1500m with the (80+) category hitting the track.  At 5:20 p.m. the Men’s 1500m get underway with the (85+) category.   At West End, at 9 a.m., The Outdoor Throws continue with the Men’s (75-79) Javelin, the Women’s (45-49) Discus, and the Men’s (65-69) Hammer. 

In addition, on Saturday, Bennie and the Band hits the stage, in The Athletes Village, starting at 8 p.m.

Key Event Highlights:

  • Competition Dates: Today thru March 30, 2025
  • Locations: Alachua County Sports and Events Center, Celebration Pointe
  • Volunteer Opportunities: Available throughout the week (sign-up at www.wmaci2025.com)
  • Admissions: Free for spectators
  • Athlete Village: Open daily from 10am – 9pm, with live entertainment vendors and more. Vendor opportunities can be found at https://wmaci2025.com/vendors/
  • Media Information: Local media are invited to attend. Media credentials can be requested through the official event website:  https://wmaci2025.com/media-accreditation/
  • The Media Center will be located at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center and will be open to credentialed media throughout the competition.
  • General Schedule and competition details are available at www.wmaci2025.com

Event Resources:

Download Full Press Release