Weightlifter Turned Highland Games Champion
Kent Durso began his throwing career at the age of 51, long after a distinguished collegiate Olympic weightlifting career at the University of Notre Dame. Also a standout in baseball and track, Kent began looking for something to do while his daughters competed in Scottish dance competitions. Settling on the heavy events, he began his throwing career around the South and Mid-west as an Open Amateur, competing with men less than half his age. When the Masters category began to catch on, Kent started competing with men a bit closer to his own age-- and set a total of six world records in three age groups.
A four-time Masters World Champion (2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006), Kent still holds two Master’s World Records at the time of this writing: 55-59 light hammer, and 60-64 WOB. He also has numerous top-5 throws in multiple events and age-groups.
Although an injury halted his throwing career, Kent won the US Nationals and Pan American Masters Olympic lifting championships in 2011. Perhaps a return to throwing is in the cards for this Highland Games champion.
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The Scottish Masters Athletics International (SMAI) is organized and operated to foster international sports competition for charitable and cultural purposes. We are the exclusive sanctioning authority and host for the Masters World Championships (MWC) for the traditional Scottish Highland Games athletic competitions called the "Heavy Events."