Donaldson was born on May 26, 1975, and was aged 32 when he upset the pundits and won his fifth national 100m title at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, on Friday night.
It was a great race for Otago because Donaldson won in a time of 10.79sec and edged out training partner Todd Mansfield (22), who was second in 10.80sec. Favourite James Dolphin (Auckland) was third in 10.81sec.
‘‘I'm over the moon,'' Donaldson told the Otago Daily Times from Auckland. ‘‘It was my goal, was special to me, and means the most of all my national titles.
‘‘Everything I had was left on that track. I don't know how many nationals are left in me. It was just a chance to get that last title, maybe the looming retirement and possibility of other things,'' he said.
In his centennial history of New Zealand athletics, Peter Heidenstrom said that Jack Hempton (Southland) was aged 30 when he won the last of his four 100yd titles in 1894.
It was Donaldson's fifth national 100m title. His first was in 1997 and he also won in 1999, 2000, 2007 (first equal with Dolphin) and this year.
‘‘It was special for me because my friends and family were at the ground cheering me on,''
Donaldson said.
‘‘It was very special for me to have my long-term coach Brent Ward on the sidelines.''
Donaldson is one of three athletes who have won five New Zealand senior men's 100yd or 100m titles. The others are George Smith (Auckland) 1898-1904, and Gus Nketia (Auckland) 1991-96.
The most titles were won by 1956 Olympian Morrie Rae (Auckland), who won six between 1954 and 1959.
Donaldson was hampered by a hamstring injury that restricted his training and the heat was only his second race since Christmas. He admitted not running well in his heat and was allocated lane one in the final. It is rare for any sprinter to win from lane one.
The time was not good enough to get Donaldson an Olympics berth for Beijing. But he knew it would be difficult after his injury.
Donaldson was also a member of the Otago senior men's 4x100m relay team that won the gold medal with a time of 41.14sec and pushed Auckland back into second place.
Taieri athletes celebrated the club's 50th jubilee year in style by winning six individual gold medals at the championships.
Taieri athletes were also part of three Otago relay teams that won three gold medals.
The only individual gold medals that went to athletes from other clubs were Hill City sprinters - Donaldson in the men's 100m and Fiona Hely in the women's aged-19 200m in 24.8sec.
It was a successful championship for Otago athletes who won 33 medals - 11 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze.
The women's hammer throw was a Taieri club benefit with Debbie McCaw retaining the title she won last year with a throw of 49.70m from Jessica Charlesworth (Auckland) 49.17m. Clubmate
Anna Harvey won the bonze medal with a throw of 42.87m.
Cory Innes added to the Taieri medal haul when he won his third consecutive senior men's 400m title with a time of 47.47sec. The race was won by Fijian Niko Verekauta in 46.74sec but he was not eligible to take the title.
Andrea Miller retained her women's 100m hurdles title in a time of 13.85sec from Australian's Fiona Cullen 14.10sec and Shannon McCann 15.10sec.
But there was disappointment for her and Innes who both failed to reach the Olympic qualifying standard in their events.
Kieran Fowler added to the Taieri haul when he won two gold medals in the men's aged-19 grade with a personal best discus throw of 50.54m and a 110m hurdles time of 14.93sec.
Fowler also won a bronze medal in the shot put with a throw of 15.10m.
Gemma Radford retained her women's 400m hurdles title.
Probably the most improved athlete in the Otago team was Taieri sprinter Todd Mansfield, who won a silver medal in the men's 100m (10.80sec) after finishing fifth in the event last year. He was third in the 200m.
He was also key man in the winning senior men's 4x100m relay team that won the gold medal in 41.14sec. The other team members were Donaldson, Innes and Daniel O'Shea.
Mansfield was also part of the Otago gold-medal winning 4 x 400m relay team with Donaldson, Innes and O'Shea.
The women's 4x100m relay team of Anna Smythe, Fiona and Nicola Hely and Taieri's Larissa Dyke set a new Otago record of 46.77sec when winning the gold medal.
