I reckon when you are tottering into antiquity yourself it is a nice feeling to watch the older lot give a slice of comeuppance to the wet behind the ‘years’ aspirants. Like Serena Williams making it a one-sided victory against a chastened Garbine Muguruza to pick up Wimbledon and become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam at 34. No one even came close to her dominance and do you really see her being cut to size over the year or even the next clutch of year? Go girl. And then there is Leander Paes who, at 42, joined Martina Hingis, nudging 35, to take away the mixed doubles without breaking a sweat. Martina won a slam after 9 years and did a back to back with 28-year-old Sania Mirza in the women’s doubles.
Where have all the young ones gone...gone to the dressing rooms, everyone.
As if this was in honor of Old Folks week Roger Federer at 34 played an incredible second set in the finals to lose to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and promised not to stop yet. And why should he, seeing as how all the youthful pretenders to the throne fell by the wayside. Fedex still has miles to go. He’ll be back seeing as how he is the oldest Open Era player to win a Slam.
If you look at the stats, Novak at 28 was also over the hill when you see the mean age was 24 years and nine months. Even the men’s doubles was won by Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau, both aged 33.
What were the odds against all the titles being grabbed by practically the oldest kids on the block? If you added up the age of all the finalists and divided it by their numbers they are over a decade older than the rest of the field. That’s absolutely marvellous and doesn’t strike one until you begin to research it.
Look at some of the best players in cricket. From Misbah Ul Haq (41) to Shivnarine Chanderpaul (38) the list is impressive. Brad Haddin, Kumar Sangakkara, Chris Rogers, Gautam Gambhir, all ‘comfortably’ on the wrong side of 35 and still capable of wielding the willow.
Is there a medical reason for so many athletes to keep going? The Wimbledon experience this year has again revived interest in what was known as the Kotelko effect. Olga Kotelko, a Canadian who held a slew of track and field world records in the Under 95 category when she died last year at 94, had become a study for research scientists looking to see how someone so old could perform so consistently at such a high level.
Mark Tarnopolsky, a professor of medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (who is himself a recognized trail runner) is quoted as saying,” Resistance exercise in particular seems to activate a muscle stem cell called a satellite cell. Kotelko activated them by starting a training program at 77 and then went into competition.” She generated a natural resistance and today several studies are being conducted to find the link between that cell and slowing aging and extending performance levels.
If these scientists could invite the finalists of Wimbledon and check them out for a gene or cell that is common to all that might provide a huge breakthrough in how we treat old age.
If the subject fascinates you and you believe that Roger and Serena and Martina and Leander will lead the charge again in 2016 take a little time to read a book written by Lee Berquist: “Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete.” The Internet, access to good coaching and facilities as well as better physiotherapy techniques have played their roles but it is that stem cell in the muscle mass they have to discover. So don’t hang up your gloves, your bat or your racquet just yet.
When the not so young ones rule the roost
