92-year-Old Sprinter’s Muscles Baffle Scientists, Resemble Those In Their 20s

At 92, Italian track star Emma Maria Mazzenga continues to defy time and science. Her body, researchers say, looks decades younger than her age. Her muscles, in particular, show traits more common in someone in their 20s, an extraordinary finding that has captivated scientists across Italy and the United States.

Mazzenga, one of the world’s oldest competitive sprinters, has been breaking records and expectations for decades.

In 2023, she twice shattered the outdoor 200-metre world record for women over 90, racing against herself — the only rival in her age group. The Washington Post reported her achievements, which have sparked global interest not just for their rarity but also for what they reveal about the limits of human endurance.

According to the Washington Post, inside a laboratory at the University of Pavia in northern Italy, researchers recently took a small sample from Mazzenga’s quadriceps. What they found astonished them.

Her slow-twitch muscle fibres, the ones responsible for endurance, looked like those of a 20-year-old. Her fast-twitch fibres, which govern speed and explosive power, resembled those of a woman in her 70s, still far younger than her actual age. Even more surprising, her mitochondria, the energy producers within her cells, functioned as though they belonged to someone several decades younger.

These findings mean her muscles deliver oxygen efficiently, recover faster, and maintain sharp communication between nerves and the brain—qualities that help explain her record-breaking form.

“She’s a perfect subject for studying the upper limits of healthy ageing,” said researchers involved in the study, noting that her muscle composition challenges conventional theories of age-related decline.

Beyond her muscles, tests show that Mazzenga’s heart and lung performance mirror that of someone in their 50s. Scientists believe her exceptional health results from a combination of good genetics and a disciplined, lifelong commitment to movement.

Still, she is not immune to time. Her recent race times are slower than they were a few years ago, and her fast-twitch fibres show mild signs of age. Yet her body appears to compensate through other youthful systems — a biological balancing act that continues to intrigue researchers.

Mazzenga’s journey on the track began at 19, but family responsibilities forced her to stop competing for decades. She returned at 53 and has never looked back.

She trains two to three times a week, usually for about an hour. Each session includes a warm-up jog, stretching, and sprints across her chosen distance. On her rest days, she walks and she has one rule: never spend an entire day indoors.

Even during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Mazzenga refused to quit. She ran laps around a 20-metre corridor inside her home and sometimes slipped out at night to jog quietly around the block.

Her diet is simple: steak, fish, eggs, pasta, or rice. She avoids eating before training but otherwise follows her instincts. For her, mindset matters more than meal plans. “I need action,” she once said after dislocating her shoulder at 79 while diving across a finish line to win.

According to Marta Colosio, one of the scientists studying her, Mazzenga is unique. “We haven’t found another 90-year-old with such muscle function,” she said.

Chris Sundberg of Marquette University in the United States agrees. He believes her combination of active living and genetic advantage allows her muscles to “age slower” than normal, maintaining strength and coordination into her tenth decade.

Despite the attention, Mazzenga doesn’t see herself as extraordinary. She insists she’s simply doing what she loves. “Sport has been my lifesaver,” she says.

Her secret, if she has one, is neither a miracle supplement nor a hidden training formula. It is consistency, joy and the refusal to surrender to stillness.