Athletics: Japanese set world record in 100m in the over-105 age category

KYOTO, Japan (AFP) - A fleet-footed Japanese centenarian raced into the Guinness World Records on Wednesday and declared himself a "medical marvel".

Hidekichi Miyazaki, dubbed Golden Bolt after the fastest man on the planet Usain Bolt, clocked 42.22 seconds in Kyoto to set a 100m world record in the over-105 age category - one for which no mark previously existed - a day after reaching the milestone age.

"I'm not happy with the time," the pint-sized Miyazaki said.

"I started shedding tears during the race because I was going so slowly. Perhaps I'm getting old!"

Indeed, so leisurely was his pace that Bolt could have run his world record of 9.58 four times, or practically completed a 400 metres race - a fact not lost on Miyazaki.

"I'm still a beginner, you know," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'll have to train harder. Training was going splendidly so I had set myself a target of 35 seconds. I can still go faster.

"I will say this: I'm proud of my health," added Miyazaki, the poster boy for Japan's turbo-charged geriatrics in a country with one of the world's highest life expectancies.

"My brain might not be the sharpest but physically I'm tip-top. I've never had any health problems. The doctors are amazed by me. I can definitely keep on running for another two or three years."

Dressed in his trademark red, tight shorts, Miyazaki got off to a wobbly start before finding a gentle rhythm and trotting across the finish line to loud cheers.

He celebrated by striking Bolt's famous "lightning" pose before being presented with a certificate from Guinness officials.

Miyazaki, who holds the 100m world record for centenarians at 29.83 seconds, insisted there was still time for a dream race against Bolt.

"Two or three years ago, Bolt came to Japan and said he wanted to meet me. There was a call about it but I was out and he left without meeting me. I felt deeply sorry."

Miyazaki, who was born in 1910, took up running only in his early 90s.

"I can't think about retiring," said the man whose next competition is next month's Japanese Masters Championships.

"I have to continue for a few more years, to show my gratitude to my fans."