80-year-old runner is just 5 secs slower than Usain Bolt

An 80-year-old athlete who has overcome heart attacks to hold six British sprinting records can run 100m just five seconds slower - than Usain Bolt.

Silver sprinter Tony Bowman from Guiseley, who had stents fitted after heart surgery, proudly has six out of the eight UK sprinting records for his age group.

The octegenarian can run 100 metres in 15.16 seconds - only 5.58 seconds slower than Jamaican superstar Bolt's world record.

Tony also holds records in the outdoor 400m (84.45 seconds), indoor 200m (33.03 seconds), indoor 60m (9.39 seconds), outdoor 80m hurdles (15.21 seconds) and indoor 60m hurdles (11.03 seconds).

His times in the hurdles are also European records with his 60m time over the jumps just 0.3 seconds off the world record in his age group.

Tony, who lists former sprint hurdler Colin Jackson and distance runner Derek Ibbotson as people he admires, is targeting the outdoor 200m and the indoor 400-m records to complete his set.

He already holds sprint records in other age groups.

Tony, who turned 80 last September, said one of his ambitions is to run the 100 metres when he is aged 100 - and then live another 20 years. A former probation officer, he enjoyed athletics success as a schoolboy before his interest dropped away. But it returned with a vengeance aged 42.

Tony is aiming to compete in the European Masters Indoor Championships in Italy next month and the World Masters Track and Field Championships in Australia in October.