Old is in the mind 83 year old T100 participant wants to keep competing

SINGAPORE – Kogi Oberoi, 83, leads an active lifestyle of someone decades younger, with his love for fitness, cycling and running propelling him to compete in multiple sports events in the last seven years.

Since relocating from London to Singapore in 2015, he has participated in MetaSport events, as well as the inaugural PTO Asian Tour in 2023 and T100 race in 2024, finishing on the podium in his age category for the dualthlon both times.

The Briton said: “When I came to Singapore, I started to look at what I should do, because I had retired about 10 years before that.

“I volunteered for sporting organisations like MetaSport. And then I thought, ‘okay, why not compete?’ So I entered the very first run about seven years ago and got onto the podium. I said, ‘great, I have to carry on.’”

Born in Kenya in 1942, the octogenarian moved to India for his university studies, where he was captain of the gymnastics team.

He relocated to England and worked as an engineer for several decades. The avid cyclist and runner also participated in the London marathon in 1990.

Oberoi then followed his son when the latter moved to Singapore, relocating here with his late wife in 2015.

That also kicked off his fitness journey here and after competing in races and winning medals, he was hooked.

His enjoyment also comes from his interactions with other participants, as he fondly recalls his experience at a recent MetaSport run.

A staff member had recognised him at the start-line and asked how old he was, and “the consequence of that was that most of those people who were in that pen (heard Oberoi’s age)“.

“And when they passed me, they would encourage me and cheer me on,” he added.

At 83, Oberoi will