Oldest sprinter in town

On top of the world

A 100-year-old man has finally become the fastest centenarian on the planet.

Philip Rabinowitz, from South Africa, set a new world record time of 30.86 secs for the 100m after being defeated the previous week by faulty electronic timing equipment.

The pensioner shaved more than five seconds off the previous best mark at Cape Town's Green Point Stadium.

"I don't know how long it is going to be like this," said Rabinowitz after his record run.

"Every time I go, I break my own record. I get younger and younger," he insisted as his pulse was checked by his coach.

Rabinowitz's performances have earned him not one, but two nicknames - Rabinoblitz and Flying Phil.

The athlete, who turned 100 in February, walks four miles a day to keep fit and still works - doing the accounts for his daughter's dog food business.

The previous record of 36.19 seconds was set by Austrian Erwin Jaskulski, who was seven seconds quicker than any centenarian before him.

But Jaskulski reckoned without the lightning speed of Rabinowitz, who went even better the previous week.

Can "Flying Phil" go even faster?

He timed himself at 28 seconds then, but sadly the hi-tech electronic timers gave way before his legs did and failed to ratify the record.

Undeterred, Rabinowitz now has his sights set on competing in November's Senior Olympics in Hawaii, not to mention a 14km surf walk in Sydney, Australia, in September.

He put his succcess down to a daily diet of cane spirit, apples and porridge. And it's not every hundred-year-old who can say they're getting their oats on a regular basis.