WASHINGTON – Something funny happened on the way to the Olympics. The athletes got older.
In ancient Greece, the adoration of youth was the hallmark of the culture. As Plato put it: “Almost all young persons appear to be beautiful in my eyes.” Athens is again a showcase for youth and beauty.
But athletes well beyond their youth are making their mark.
Jimmy Pedro, Jr., 33, who won a bronze in judo, is a dad, not a kid. He’d already competed in two Olympics and won a bronze eight years ago. He lives in Lawrence, Mass., with his wife and three children.
Alexsandr Popov, a Russian swimmer, is 32. In the men’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay, the United States edged out Russia, but Popov actually had a faster time than Michael Phelps.
The 40-something crowd is also holding its own. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli of France, the grande dame of cycling at 45, placed 10th in the women’s road race. In the first round of women’s doubles, the Old Faithful of tennis, Martina Navratilova, 47, played for the United States and easily won against her Ukrainian opponents before losing later on.
Since the 1968 Summer Games, the average age of medal winners has been creeping up in different sports. Women cyclists have aged almost a decade, from early 20s to about 30.
The age creep in Olympic medal winners reflects a trend in aging worldwide. Men and women today are, on average, about 10 years younger physically than their grandparents were at the same age.
Recent research shows that the body – and the brain – are amazingly adaptable and malleable. Mental and physical functioning can be maintained and even improved through training.
There is no denying the biological changes related to age that affect a person, from the eyes and ears to the immune system. Muscles, for example, get slower and weaker as people get older. But medical help may be on the way. Animal experiments suggest that interventions can enhance muscle strength. In one study, rats improved their hind-leg muscles with hormones.
Meanwhile, age is increasingly relative. You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to stay in shape – but exercise is key to everyone’s physical fitness.
Some men and women find more time to go to the gym at 60 than when they were 40 and juggling the demands of working and raising children. Those in their 60s are often in better shape today than they were 20 years ago.
Earlier this year, AARP magazine – which is aimed at people over 50 – had this headline on its cover: “60 is the New 30!” For many people heading toward Medicare Land, this may seem a bit of a stretch. But the principle is correct: The old gray chronology ain’t what it used to be.
The game is not over when the Social Security check arrives. As judo medal winner Pedro said, “I could have stayed home and sat behind my desk. Instead I decided to give it one more shot.”
One more shot. That’s what the bonus years after midlife are all about: one more shot. And then another, and another, perhaps.
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