Mary L. Bowermaster (July 26, 1917 – March 4, 2011) was a nurse's aide for schools in

Butler County, Ohio Butler County is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 390,357. Its county seat and largest city is Hamilton, Ohio, Ham ...

, until a

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

diagnosis in 1979. After a

mastectomy Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer choose to have ...

and successfully battling the disease, she began a second career in

masters athletics Masters Athletics managed by World Masters Athletics is a class of the sport of athletics (sport), athletics for athletes of 35 years of age and over organized by World Masters Athletics. The events include track and field, road running and cross ...

. Bowermaster, who was born in

Wellsville, Ohio Wellsville is a village in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,113 at the 2020 census. In its heyday, notable industries in Wellsville included shipping via the Ohio River and Pennsylvania Railroad, as well as pottery an ...

, is the current American record holder in the W80

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

, and has pending marks that are superior to the listed record in the W80 and W85

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

. She also holds the current W80 American Indoor records in the 60 metres, long jump and shot put. As part of her recovery from the operation, she began exercising. The following year, she competed in her first Senior Olympics. Five years later she set the W65 world record in the high jump at the (WAVA) World Masters Athletics Championships in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia. A regular competitor at various championship meets, she has set numerous other records as she has progressed through the age divisions. Her story has been covered by

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. Known for his investigative journalism, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade car ...

on ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

'', plus '' 48 Hours'', Charles Kuralt,

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

and

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

. She carried the

Olympic Torch The Olympic flame is a Olympic symbols, symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony s ...

for the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...

as it passed through

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

. She is a member of the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame, the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame, the Ohio Senior Olympics Hall of Fame, the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame, and the USATF Masters Hall of Fame. She was the Greater Cincinnati Women Sports Association Senior Sports Woman of the Year in 1997, and the

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

Masters Track and Field Athlete of the Year five times.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowermaster, Mary 1917 births 2011 deaths American masters athletes Senior Olympic competitors World record setters in athletics (track and field) American female sprinters American female long jumpers Sportspeople from Butler County, Ohio People from Wellsville, Ohio 21st-century American women 20th-century American sportswomen