Florence Meiler

She started track and field around age 60. After 90, she is still setting world records.

Florence Meiler
Photo source: staticg.sportskeeda.com

Basic data

Florence “Flo” Meiler is an American masters track and field athlete who shows that physical performance can continue to develop later in life. She competes across a wide range of events, including pole vault, triple jump, hurdles, and multi-event competitions.

Age

92 years

Country

United States

Top achievement

World masters athletics record holder, still competing and setting records after the age of 90.

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Story

Florence “Flo” Meiler is an American masters track and field athlete. Her story is especially inspiring because she did not begin her athletics career as a child or young competitor. According to SELF, she entered the world of track and field around the age of 60, after being encouraged by Barbara Jordan from the Vermont Senior Games.

Before that, she had stayed physically active for many years through activities such as tennis and water skiing. Only later did she begin competing in stadium events, gradually developing an unusually broad athletic profile.

That late start is what makes her example so powerful: Florence Meiler is not simply a former athlete who maintained her fitness. She is someone who began a new sport at an age when many people assume intense athletic development is already behind them.

Training

Florence Meiler is known for competing across an exceptionally wide range of events. She has competed in pole vault, high jump, triple jump, long jump, hurdles, sprints, throws, and multi-event competitions.

In a SELF profile, her training was described as including regular track work, strength training, tennis, and running. In 2025, VTDigger described her as a 90-year-old athlete who was still training six days per week.

Her approach shows that training later in life does not have to mean only gentle activity. In her case, it includes technique, strength, speed, coordination, mobility, and regular competition.

Philosophy

Florence Meiler often appears in the media as an example of someone who does not allow age to define the limits of what is possible. Her path shows that physical ability does not only have to be something that declines with age — it can also be developed through consistent practice.

One of the most important themes in her story is curiosity and the willingness to try new things. She began track and field late, yet eventually became one of the most recognizable figures in world masters athletics.

Her example fits the idea of longevity not only as living longer, but as maintaining agency, independence, and the courage to keep taking on new challenges.

Achievements

In 2019, Florence Meiler won seven medals at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland: five gold and two silver medals in her age category. SELF also reported that by that time she had won more than 775 medals across different events.

In 2021, at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, she set a world record in the women’s 86–89 pentathlon with 4,467 points. During the same competition, she also set a world record in the 80-meter hurdles with a time of 26.69 seconds.

In 2025, competing in the W90 category at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships, she set a world record in the pole vault with a height of 1.37 m. USA Track & Field also reported that she jumped 4.50 m in the triple jump, setting a W90 world record and surpassing the previous mark held by Olga Kotelko.

According to VTDigger, during those 2025 championships she won eight gold medals in her age category.

Takeaways

Florence Meiler’s story shows that physical activity does not have to be a continuation of a long athletic career. It can begin late and still lead to remarkable achievements.

The most important lessons from her example:

  • it is never too late to start a new sport,
  • training later in life can include strength, speed, coordination, and technical skill,
  • movement variety helps build well-rounded physical capacity,
  • a sports community and regular competition can strengthen motivation,
  • longevity is not only about avoiding disease, but also about preserving the courage to act.

Florence Meiler is an example of someone who expands what society usually associates with being 80, 90, or older.

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