Sporting legends who emphatically prove age is only a number

By Meenakshi Rao

Forty may be considered the old age of youth, but 50 onwards is the youth of old age.

In a world where youth is often equated with peak performance and the prime of life, a remarkable group of athletes stands as living proof that true greatness knows no age.

Picture this: Greying hair and weathered faces, yet bodies that move with the agility and precision of youth, fuelled by a lifetime of discipline and passion.

These extraordinary sportspersons, defying the relentless march of time, continue to dazzle fans and opponents alike, rewriting the narrative of what it means to excel in sports.

Their enduring prowess and unyielding spirit not only inspire awe but also challenge the very limits of human potential.

At 44, it is geriatrics for tennis but one Mr Rohan Bopanna has taught us otherwise. So when he crashed out of the Paris Olympics in the first round of the doubles match, there was a lot of go-daddy-go applause for the veteran who spent 22 years on the circuit gathering wrinkles, rankles and, of course, all the metal in his mind and around his neck.

Though Bopanna has announced that this was his last outing in the Indian jersey, he is not anywhere close to retiring. He says a break later, he will be back in some field or the other, promoting the sport he spent his life with.

Bopanna, in tennis, is only second to the colossal Martina Navratilova who, also at age 44, returned to the court, primarily playing doubles.

She went on to win 12 more doubles titles and an additional three mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, all before turning 50.

Had it not been for cancer afflicting her, she may have still been on centre court, instead of the stands from where she applauds performers nowadays — her battle against cancer being the biggest challenge of her life that she overcame — much like the unbeatable player she was all her playing years.

That age is just a number has been confirmed and reconfirmed by the latest Olympian Gold medalist — 51-year-old Yusuf Dikec of Serbia who was on the Paris Olympics podium with a much deserved Gold medal dazzling around his neck even as his partner cried copiously at their achievement.

Dikec, a commissioned armyman from Turkeye, has played in five Olympics thus far, and just got an upgrade from Silver in the last one to Gold in the current.

As age would have it, this is wine maturity, an inspirational performance that defeats the ageing challenge with the same ferocity as it celebrates life itself.

Marathon runners

Forty plus sportspersons are not just Olympians but 80 plus marathon runners too, like U3A member Eileen Noble who was the oldest female runner in this year’s London Marathon, completing her 19th event at the grand old age of 84.

Eileen, a member of the University of Third Age (U3A) took to running with a friend 30 years ago when she was in her 50s. She loves running as it doesn’t cost much. Also, when her husband was ill and then sadly passed away, she found running helped ease the tension and made her feel better, it eased her anxiety too.

Incidentally, U3A is an international movement that aims to educate and stimulate retired and semi-retired people. U3A classes are for fun and are not intended to provide qualifications. They cover a variety of subjects, including arts, history, literature, crafts, gardening, photography, and computer skills.

Classes are held in a variety of locations, such as homes, libraries, community centres in England, and online too.

Milestone cricketers

Cricket, the opium of sports in India, has had its flirtations with veteranism pretty often.

Not just Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni but also Imran Khan who returned to cricket at the behest of President Zia-ul-Haq to win the World Cup trophy at age 42.

Way back in the sixties there have been instances of 48-year-old English cricketer W G Grace bringing in the laurels for his country by downing Australia.

Lankan pinch-hitter Sanath Jayasuriya needs no introduction for being the guy who retired only at age 42.

It would do us well to remember that master detonator Adam Gilchrist announced his retirement during a Test series with India after missing a catch and saying at 36, his reflexes had slowed down.

More recently, Jimmy Anderson, the bane of many Indian batting superheroes for years and across cricketing continents, became the first batter in Test cricket history to take 700 wickets.

Anderson reached the milestone when he took the wicket of Kuldeep Yadav in March of this year.

This oldest player in Test history, started his Test career in 2002 against Zimbabwe and has been troubling batters with his menacing swing from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting to Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, to name a few.

The 80-year-old Bharati who ran the Mumbai Marathon not too long ago gives all of us hope that we must never put an age limit on our dreams.

And as the golden veteran of tennis Leander Paes once said: “I have to work three times as hard now as I did 10 or 15 years ago. That’s just age, but I love the work.”

Indeed, age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

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