School bus driver and sprinter Emma McGowan won gold and silver medals at the 2018 World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships.

School bus driver and sprinter Emma McGowan won gold and silver medals at the 2018 World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships.

School bus driver and sprinter Emma McGowan has once again outrun the competition on the world track stage. 

McGowan, who drives a special-needs bus for Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Schools, won gold in the 400-meter race and silver in the 200 at the 2018 World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships, held Sept. 4 to 16 in Malaga, Spain. She also set an American record for her age division, 50 to 54, with her time of 61.02 seconds in the 400, which is one lap around the track. 

In addition to her work with children as a school bus driver, McGowan is a mother of twins. She said that training is not easy, but she refuses to give up.

“I’m a competitive person in sports, and as long as I can keep running with no major injuries, I’ll keep going,” she said in a press release from Gwinnett County Public Schools.

The World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships are a biennial competition for masters athletes (at least 35 years old) from around the globe.

McGowan has been competing — and winning — on the international stage for years. In 2016, she won gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter races at the World Masters Track and Field Championships in Perth, Australia. In 2015, she took gold in the 100 at the meet in her native France, while also winning silver in the 200 and 400.

Still, she’s not ready to rest on her laurels.

“Being in the top three in the world in my new age group, Women 50, it’s going to push me even more to be the best,” McGowan said.

About the author
Thomas McMahon

Thomas McMahon

Executive Editor

Thomas had covered the pupil transportation industry with School Bus Fleet since 2002. When he's not writing articles about yellow buses, he enjoys running long distances and making a joyful noise with his guitar.

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