Member Spotlight
Laurence
Quinlivan
For a lot of people outside the sport, Laurence is both a curiosity and a wonder. The average person on the street might not realise the level of competition to be found in the M90 age group. We caught up with Laurence, just recently returned from the Masters World Championships in Korea with 5 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze medal.
- Age group
- M90
- Hometown
- Brisbane
- Events
- Throws, jumps, sprints
Laurence! Glad to see you are back in Brisbane after the World Masters Outdoor Championships in Daegu. How does the heat compare between the two cities?
Running 200m in 38c heat with 87% humidity was no fun.
I have enjoyed seeing the results coming in while you were away. Who provided the fiercest competition?
Two extremes. In the sprints Radnaa Tseren (Mongolia) was in a class of his own. In the throws it was neck and neck with Marko Sluga (Slovenia) excellent sportsmanship rivalry.
The QMA Promotions team have been waiting for you to come back so we could do this interview for the new website. Thank you for letting us see a bit of the history and work that goes into being an athlete at any stage of life. I will ask you the first question I will probably ask everyone: how did you first get into athletics?
At high school in Cairns. I was college champion.
You have had a few careers, years of service and a family. Have you always been able to fit sport and activity around your other commitments?
During my military career sport was part of "work" to maintain peak fitness.
How have you managed this?
When my boys were young my wife would take them to weekend sport when I was refereeing rugby.
Would you say you have actively pursued training habits and fitness over the years, or would you attribute your youthful 90s to luck?
Active till 50. At 60 heart scare and five way heart bypass. Regular walking. Sedentary 10 years caring for immobile wife. Then during a visit to my son in Taiwan I was invited to return for an international Masters Athletic championship.
Are there any moments of your athletic career you are particularly proud of?
At the World Championship in Korea standing on the podium with three other thrilled old codgers (Allan Wood, Morland Smith, and Robert Schickert) when the announcer said "world champions" and they played the National Anthem. Goose bumps!!!
Where has been your favourite place to train? To compete?
QSAC
What does a training week look like for you?
Walking every day. Stretch band exercise when a passenger in my car. Rowing machine or bicycle when watching the TV news.
Have you had any injuries or setbacks you have had to work your way back from? What did these events teach you?
Total loss of left peripheral vision after a stroke two years ago. Taught me to adapt.
Do you have any track and field goals you are working towards this season?
Reach the finish line in the sprints. Learn the throws with the non dominant arm.
Do you have any words of advice for people thinking of taking up masters athletics?
If you don't challenge yourself then you vegetate.
Will you be saving up to attend the just announced 2028 WMA outdoor championships in Breda? The Netherlands are a long way from home.
No I am a realist. Now competing against people younger than myself. So wait until in the next age group for international competition.
Photographs courtesy of the athlete and Jo Harlow.
Without limits or around them
QMA competes in five-year age groups, from 30 to 105+. There is no qualifying time and no upper limit.