The Hindu : Sport : A pleasure watching ageing gladiators

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Friday, Aug 05, 2005

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Sport

A pleasure watching ageing gladiators

Rohit Brijnath

Leaps in sports science have meant that bodies are being listened to more closely, writes Rohit Brijnath

Sport belongs to young people or so we were told, it is the domain of pimpled teenage girls whose ambition glitters as keenly as their steel braces, and muscled men in their early 20s carrying that appealing sense of invincibility.

Except a bunch of deaf old relics who are combing back their grey hair, flexing rejuvenated muscles, and handing out lessons to their peers, some young enough to be fathered by them.

In short, last week, Andre Agassi at 35 triumphed in Los Angeles, Vijay Singh at 42 held off Tiger Woods for victory in the Buick Classic, and Mark Warnecke at 35 became the oldest man to win a World swimming championship gold.

So are these fellows the exceptions? Maybe not, because despite the reality that sport moves faster, its seasons unending, its artificial surfaces murder on the joints, a host of defiant old fogies is sneering at the idea that 30 means goodbye in sport.

Glenn McGrath, whose insides are probably made up of circuit boards, is on a length at 35, and his ageing army continues its worldwide conquest. Shaquille O'Neal's knees have seen better days but he's still pumping them in at 33.

Kelly Holmes found her athletic peak at the Athens Olympics at 34; Paolo Maldini captained AC Milan into last year's Champions League final at 36; and Lance Armstrong cruised to victory in the most gruelling event in sport at 33.

So many factors, some specific to particular sports, have assembled to aid the veteran. Technology has been golf's kiss of life, the new balls and trampoline-like clubs allowing 40-somethings to stay the distance, literally, with younger men.

Money brings its own motivation and no one wants to walk away, especially cricketers, from a grand payday, and there is no fear any longer, as once was, of having to close shop at 30 to pursue a real job. This is it.

Training smarter

Leaps in sports science have meant that bodies are being listened to more closely and training programmes modified for older athletes, so as not to stress their bodies. Vijay, who extended his home to incorporate a gym and reportedly spends 20 hours a week working out, is a hard trainer. But, says Dr. Peter Brukner, associate professor of sports medicine at the University of Melbourne, it is as much about athletes "training smarter."

McGrath may not bowl as many overs at the nets as before, but might opt to cross-train, spending time on an exercise bike. Ask Agassi, followed everywhere by strength trainer Gil Reyes, and he will tell you that he listens carefully to every murmur from his body.

Once an athletes' post-match routine consisted of steak, beers and a jog when the hangover wore off, now bodies are warmed down, stretched, food measured to the calorie, and this focus on recovery assists the older athlete, extending their use-by date.

Phenomenal progress

Medical advancements have been dazzling, and Brukner points to Shane Warne and McGrath, both cut up and sewn back together, finding life after injuries that 10-15 years ago would have meant a pension cheque.

Renewed bodies, allied with experience, makes for a tough proposition. Warne's repertoire has shrunk but he has a Ph.d in reading body language. Agassi's understanding of constructing points is almost unparalleled and Maldini reads the play like a seer.

Young people sustain sport, but there is a grand pleasure in watching ageing gladiators occasionally chastise them. George Bernard Shaw may not be on their reading lists, but perhaps these greying fellows believe what he wrote: "We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing!"

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