Age no barrier for Italy’s 90-year-old sprint queen
After blazing through a 200-meter dash in just 51.47 seconds — nearly 1.5 seconds faster than the previous 90-plus world record — Mazzenga enrolled in a scientific study to help scientists better understand her powerhouse physiology.
Italian researchers put the speed queen through a battery of tests, including cycling drills, knee exercises and thigh muscle biopsies.
They found two key factors fueling her fire.
First, Mazzenga’s cardiorespiratory fitness — how well her heart and lungs pump oxygen to her muscles — was on par with a highly fit woman in her 50s. The energy centers of her cells were also virtually identical to a person decades younger.
Second, her muscles were incredibly unique. Mazzenga’s slow-twitch fibers — built for endurance — were “remarkably large,” letting her go the distance without burning out.
She also had a “very high percentage” of fast-twitch fibers, which produce powerful bursts of energy. According to researchers, these are ideal for fast, explosive movements like sprinting.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/italy-athlete/
Research on this woman:
How Does She Run So Fast? Examining the Muscle Composition of a 91-Year-Old World Record Sprinter
An Italian woman set a new world record in the 90-plus age category for the 200m sprint in May 2024 with a time of 51.47 seconds. This record was nearly 1.5 seconds faster than the previous world record. At age 91, she participated in a study called Trajector-AGE to better understand the physiology of her muscle.
The world record holder performed a cycling test and knee extensor exercises in the lab of Simone Porcelli, MD, PhD, at the University of Pavia in Italy. The goal of the exercise session was to assess power output and muscle fatigue. In addition, the researchers performed a muscle biopsy of the sprinter’s thigh and muscle fibers were analyzed in the lab of Christopher Sundberg, PhD, at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
The research team found that the world record holder’s cardiorespiratory fitness—the ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply the muscles with oxygen during exercise—was comparable to highly fit women in their 50s. Mitochondrial function (the energy centers of the cells) was also indistinguishable from that of women decades younger.
The woman’s slow-twitch (Type I) muscle fibers were remarkably large. Slow-twitch fibers can work for a long time with minimal fatigue. Built for endurance such as walking, jogging and long-distance running, these muscle fibers generate less power than fast-twitch fibers but do not tire as easily. She also had a very high percentage of fast-twitch (Type II) muscle fibers, which generate a lot of power. Fast-twitch fibers are ideal for quick and explosive movements such as sprinting, jumping and lifting heavy weights.
https://www.physiology.org/detail/news/2025/04/25/how-does-she-run-so-fast--examining-the-muscle-composition-of-a-91-year-old-world-record-sprinter?SSO=Y
