- People deeply invested in world sporting events irrespective of different disciplines would have noticed how the fitness levels of athletes have undergone tremendous changes over the last few years. We are aware that the high-quality international sporting disciplines demand huge amounts of sacrifice, discipline, commitment, determination, failures, embarrassment, and unadulterated grind to succeed. No one top athlete of international fame would have any other story to narrate but the huge sacrifices galore he/she would have spent to become a recognized face in an extremely competitive field. Why would only international, any sportsman of national repute also have to go through the grind before qualifying as a force to reckon with? Indeed.
PC: Quora
- As they say, there is simply no free lunch. Also, there is no substitution for hard work as one cannot cut corners to achieve anything without undergoing due process. Now, the longevity of top-notch sportsmen used to be limited since competing at such a higher level for a sustained period would demand so much sacrifice. Thus, the lifespan of a top athlete used to be limited say not more than early or mid-30s. Thankfuadvancements inld of sports medicine, science, technology, and improved technology allow modern-day sportsmen to extend their competitive streak beyond the norm. Look not far from some of the top athletes like Novak Djokovic (tennis), Lionel Messi(football), James Anderson, MS Dhoni (cricket), and Tiger Woods (golf), respectively.
- Note that last month Messi turned 37. Recently he led Argentina to a Copa America title, two years after a World Cup. Contrast all his good press with the bad that another geriatric football rockstar, Ronaldo, 39, has been getting. With Messi, fans are hoping he will be around for the next World Cup, with Ronaldo, a disastrous Euro performance will see him retire from international football. Age is no longer the bar it once was for sporting glory, thanks to dramatic advances in sports science as mentioned above. Sufficient money, support, and resolve can supply cyborg levels of fitness. But no one should act bigger than the team. Else, the young players he is playing with will think him a bore, and worse. Hardly someone they look up to.
PC: FirstSportz
- The moot point to ponder over here is what keeps Serena or Djokovic or Dhoni or Woods immune to normal declines and hasn’t been put on a double-blind clinical trial. Every extraordinarily successful mix of diet, exercise, and rest is so unique to an individual’s body, temperament, and sport. In tennis, racquet tech advances have greatly reduced the physical wear and tear of serve-and-volley. Anderson’s fitness in his fifth decade has been impressive, but this didn’t keep England from confining him to Tests. Of course, workload management is now a staple of sports vocabulary parroted by everyone. Nonetheless, this works only as long as the team is bigger than its star. So long as sportsmen are fit and competitive, they will keep entertaining us.
