This sprint between a 99-year-old and 92-year-old is pure tension in slow motion

Orville Rogers and Dixon Hemphill are two incredible athletes, both of whom were born 20 years before the start of World War 2. At the 2017 Masters Indoor Track Championships they raced.

The pair were the only competitors in the 60-meter dash for athletes over the age of 90. The pair were neck-and-neck the entire race, making this surprisingly tense. Experience toppled youth in the end, as the 99-year-old Rogers beat 92-year-old Hemphill in a photo finish.

0.05 seconds — that was the only difference between the two men. It left Hemphill wondering what could have been when he spoke to Runners World.

“I think had I leaned a little bit, I would have won,”

What makes this video so great is the fact it’s so much slower than what we’re used to seeing. You might blink three times when Usain Bolt tears down the track, but watching a sprint unfold over 18 seconds is compelling. Athletes often talk about the world slowing down around them when everything seems like it’s moving so fast, but that wasn’t a problem for Hemphill.

“I took off, and I was a little bit ahead so I thought, ‘This is going well.’”

At an age most people would be happy just being ambulatory, these two runners showed that anything is possible.

“I started years ago visualizing success in whatever race I participate in,” Rogers said. “That’s still my objective: I train hard and I visualize crossing the finish line out in front. And I work at it pretty consistently. It’s very rewarding to be able to accomplish what you set out to do.”

Though you probably haven’t heard his name, Orville Rogers is the Usain Bolt of Masters running. He holds 13 world records for runners in his age group, and trains meticulously to ensure he holds onto his spot and doesn’t let youngsters, like Hemphill, come for the throne.

“When I compete, I am not just running against the people out on the track at that moment, I am running against everyone who has run the event before me. That is gratifying to me.”

All any of us can do is hope that we’re half as able as Rogers are Hemphill if we’re lucky enough to make it to that age.