92 years of dedication: Remembering Pat Naughton, the man who never stopped competing

Ever year since 1972, Tipperary native Pat Naughton won national masters medals. That included last August in the over-90 category. 

During the coivd-19 lockdown, Pat Naughton continued training while stuck at home. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

There are many lessons you could take from Pat Naughton, who was laid to rest in his native Nenagh on Wednesday at the age of 92, but the biggest is that we don’t stop competing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop competing.

Last August, Naughton won three national masters titles in the over-90 category: running the 100m in 30.68 seconds, jumping 1.62m in the long jump and throwing 6.02m in the shot put. He had no rivals in his age category, Naughton lining up alongside competitors 20 or 30 years his junior. But he nonetheless gave it his all – right to the end.