Irene Obera

Irene Romona Obera (born December 7, 1933, in San Bernardino County, California)[1] is an American track and field athlete, specializing in sprinting events.

Obera attended Chico State College, playing field hockey, softball, and basketball.

“I thought to myself, ‘If she is a champion, I know I can be one, too.’ You might say I was a bit cocky.” Obera ran in her first meet in 1958 and made the national championships in 1959 eventually running against the likes of Wilma Rudolph.

She ran in the 1960 and 1968 Olympic Trials, the latter just a couple of months before her 35th birthday, running the 100 metres in 12.1 in the semifinals [4] She was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" in the June 18, 1962, issue.

[10] On January 18, 2014, she became the oldest woman to break 40 seconds for the 200 metres, running 38.10 in an all comers track meet at the University of California, Berkeley.

[11][12] After setting three world indoor records in the 60m, 200m and 400m, Obera was named USATF "Athlete of the Week" March 19, 2014.