The championship is for retired athletes.

A 70- year-old man, Tanau Gue, from Cameroon on Friday held spectators spell-bound at the ongoing second African Masters Athletics Championship in Lagos as he held-on to the last lap of 5,000 metres men final.

The old athlete drew hilarious cheers from the crowd as he ran with his fellow national Wamba Tchio, aged 40, in a two-day race of retired athletes, which started on Friday.

The championship was hosted by the Nigeria Athletics Masters at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, to encourage young athletes to live positively.

Gue said after winning second place at the event that “for me, running is a way of life and it has helped me to stay physically fit from childhood.

“My love for the sport is the magic. I live my life on proceeds I get from this sport and from attending various competitions within and outside Africa.

“If the only way to show gratitude to God for making me fit at this age is to run and make people happy, I will continue to do it.’’

The athlete, who had participated in numerous mountain races when he was younger, said he looked forward to the next edition of the African Masters.

(NAN)