At 70 he put in an awesome sprint in the 1500m
Kennedy has competed in many competitions, national and provincial, since the games, and has won 10 gold and one silver medal
PATRICK Kennedy (70) of Allen Grove represented South Africa at the Veterans Olympic Games in Budapest, Hungary earlier in the year.
Kennedy did not win any medals but can rightly claim to be the unofficial sportsman of the games because of his unbelievable sporting conduct in the 1 500m for men 70-74.
He came last in this event but put in an awesome sprint down the final straight. “The stadium erupted with the loudest applause of the entire games,” he said.
He said after the event he was crowded by yellow-shirted girls requesting his vest. To the disappointment of many, he only had one to offer.
The next day he was approached by two charming girls in yellow. Using broken English and sign language, they expressed their disappointment at not receiving a vest and requested some other memento.
Scratching in the kit bag produced nothing worthwhile but to everyone’s delight, he took a photo with one of the girls.
Kennedy has competed in many competitions, national and provincial, since the games, and has won 10 gold and one silver medal. These medals were for sprints, long jump and triple jump.
