“Old” athletes redefining age in modern era

By: Tamilore Tokunboh-Salako

Most of us have heard the phrase, “age is just a number.” 

Though most professional athletes enter their athletic prime somewhere between 20 and 30, before undergoing an irreversible decline, athletes today seem to be revolutionizing what it means to be an “aged” athlete. 

Just look at some of the names and accomplishments of those who have defied the expectations of playing at an elite level after 30:​

Michael Phelps won multiple Olympic gold medals at 31; 

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won a record fifth women’s 100 meter world title last year at age 35;

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant still drop 30+ points per game at 35;

Lebron James is one of the greatest NBA players, and a possible MVP candidate, at 38;

Tom Brady won the Superbowl LV MVP at 42;

Albert Pujols, considered one of the best baseball players of all time, still lived up to his nickname “The Machine” by the time he retired last year at 43;

Wayne Gretzy, “The Great One,” retired from hockey at 38;

Alex Ovechkin, at 38, is on pace to break Gretzy’s seemingly unpassable goal record;

Serena Williams, Novak Djokavic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer have all dominated tennis well into their 30s. 

And the list goes on.

​​Despite their seemingly superhuman performances, these athletes, among others, all have something else in common: each has been doubted at some point in their career simply because of their age. 

Common phrases like, “They’re too old” and “Washed” get commonly thrown around when, in truth, with the modern technological advancements, athletes are now performing for longer periods of time than was previously thought possible just over a decade ago. Now, for instance, it’s much more typical to see an athlete retire towards their late thirties rather than their late twenties. This is due to multiple factors like training, recovery and nutrition.

Training
The modern era has seen a completely new approach to training. Whereas back in the day training used to just be about pushing the athlete to near exhaustion, now training is more focused on perfecting the skills between performances while also making sure the athletes have recovery and rest time.

Recovery
Another benefit in the modern day is what we know about the human body. We know more about the best ways to help athletes recover. Sleep is now known to be the best form of recovery for athletes after a hard workout. This is because sleep releases human growth hormone, which is important for muscle growth and maintaining muscle mass. This not only allows an athlete to perform at their best, it also helps them be ready for their next training session or competition.

Nutrition
Good nutrition is also key for a long career. It’s well known that as we age we need to maintain our muscle mass differently. This may require adjustments to protein intake depending on the changing demands of exercise. Personalized diets are also being adopted by athletes which may take into account their genetics, immune function and digestive system to ensure they’re eating the best diet for their body and to enhance recovery.

For centuries, athletes have put their bodies on the line for the entertainment of the audiences that choose to watch them. Thanks to modern practices, medicine, and technology, more and more top-level athletes are able to do what they love to do for longer periods of time and captivate the general public.