Douglas Monds caught the attention of many as Oak Bay News’ oldest carrier in 2016.
This year, the 88-year-old steals the spotlight again after bringing home five medals from the World Masters Games in New Zealand. Originally from Auckland, Monds said the trip overseas in April was a three-pronged one: to visit his friends and sister in hospital, and to compete in the worldwide competition.
“I won five medals at the competition, one gold for hammer throw, silver for shot put, discus, weight throw and weight pentathlon,” he said. “I’d hate to come back with nothing.”
Monds has competed in five different World Masters games since 1998. This is his first time winning gold in hammer throw. “You feel kind of pride in yourself, I suppose, that you can still do it,” he said.
Every year Monds enters the BC Senior Games. He holds the Canadian record for poll vault in his age group and holds several more Canadian records in his age group for hammer throw and weight pentathlon. Until he retired in 1994, Monds worked in physical education, and didn’t want to let his fitness slip away after retirement. He took up paper delivery and athletics on his own time, only recently dropping his carrier route due to knee pain. “More or less, jogging did my knees in,” he said. “I can’t walk around very well, so I retired [from delivery].”
Undeterred, Monds intends to continue his athletic career, training to compete in the BC Senior Games in Vernon this coming September. He will no longer participate in poll vaulting but plans to stick with hammer throw, which doesn’t require the same painful movements as running does. The long-time athlete throws the hammer at Oak Bay High’s cage until September.
“The sports keep me going,” he said, “but the knees slow me down.”