In the days when it was known that the famous Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg – owner of an elegant style, with a two-handed backhand only comparable to those of Pancho Segura or Jimmy Connors, with 63 titles, six at Roland Garros and five at Wimbledon – At just 26 years old, he decided to retire, arguing that it was difficult for him to play, because his will and energy had been lost, the entire tennis world was absorbed. How thus, in full youth, with the quality to remain among the best in the world for much longer, had he decided to retire? An article published by the North American Society for Sports Psychology concluded that Borg’s decision was prompted by the lack of scientific support to balance two associated factors, stability and locus of control, and that if he had been close to a sports psychologist the story would have been different. Today, elite athletes have it at hand, because they understand that both the muscles and the mind must be exercised by specialists.
Current studies have determined that athletes who make good sums of money also spend many dollars to complete a cast that works on their preparation. No wonder LeBron James is accompanied by a retinue that includes a fitness trainer, physical therapist, dietitian and sports psychologist. Only in this way can we understand why athletes like The King James at 35 years old are still considered the most complete basketball player in the NBA. And tennis is not far behind, showing one of the best of all times, Roger Federer, 39 years old in action. When Federer visited Quito for an exhibition match, he replied that he has no intention of retiring. And about his secret to stay current on the circuit, he replied that the formula is that the technology in physical preparation allows him to maintain scientifically calculated muscles and resistance, plus controlled nutrition and evaluations for injury prevention.
In easier to understand words, it happens that Federer and also Rafa Nadal (35 years old) when they raise their glasses, there are many others behind them who also hold them. I remember the iconic monument to Eloy Alfaro, which he wore for many years in the hemicycle of Av. of the Americas, where the sculpture was at the top, raising its triumphal sword, accompanied by 14 figures that support it. It means that the characters require many anonymous heroes behind that allow them to achieve success and glory.
Brady, Miura, Cristiano…
On February 7, the Super Bowl final will be played in Tampa, between the Tampa Bay Buccancers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The game has a spectacular addition: the presence of Tom Brady, the most winning quarterback in US history.When everyone thought that at 42 he was announcing his retirement, he surprised and went to continue playing in Tampa Bay. Soon we will witness how at age 45 he will be the starter of his team, contesting a new final, in a sport that requires physical and mental consistency. The explanation for your sporting longevity depends on your personal care and above all on the group of professionals who serve you.
The Spanish Julio Tous, physical trainer, indicates that if the athlete with higher ages is scientifically prepared, there should be no decrease in their competitive level due to age.
A few days ago, the Japanese footballer Kazuyoshi Miura renewed his contract with Yokohama FC, a team in Japan’s first category, the so-called J-League. What drew attention is that King Zazu will play in the 2021 season at 54 years of age and thus complete his thirty-sixth year of professional career. He has also been selected from his country, where he has played 89 games. Among those games, there is a friendly one with Ecuador, held in Tokyo on May 28, 1995. The case of soccer player Miura has also been studied. There are some versions of these cases, more and more repeated in football, such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, who are around 35 years old; these remain stellar players on their teams. The truth is that there are too many examples not to believe that nowadays athletes improve their performance over the years. Swimming is no exception, as Matt Barbini, director of the American team for this sport, explains: “Professionalization, the technique applied by science, has raised the competitive age of North American Olympic swimmers.”
It is proven that the elite athlete today takes advantage of the technological advantages that are available and the specialists who know how to apply them. It is also proven that they have been necessary reasons to overcome the marks and thus extend their permanence on the courts, gaining fame and fortune. But everything can be possible thanks to effort, perseverance and care. There is no room for what certain scholars call serendipity, which in good terms means ‘by chance or a stroke of luck’, because nowadays in sporting feats there are other elements that allow them.
You have to ask Richard Carapaz if his great personal effort to overcome adversity has been enough or if being born in Carchi gave him a license to achieve the sporting feat. His success is supported by a group of up-to-date specialists in sports science that allowed him to display natural qualities to become an athlete of the world elite and be one for a long time if he wants to.
The Weissmuller case
In the past, all this was unimaginable. Others were the predominant factors, such as Johnny Weissmuller, a swimmer who competed for the United States as a Romanian by birth and who in the 1920s won five Olympic gold medals and 67 world records. History tells that their conditions were natural. He overcame polio as a child and his doctor recommended that he swim in Lake Michigan. At age 16 he enrolled in a swimming tournament and swept; he broke records in every competition. Its growth attracted attention: 1.90 cm and 95 kilos. He became a popular figure. He won at the Olympics in Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928. His coach mentioned that he worked just enough, that he was distracted by showing off before the tests in ornamental jumps. He became an underwear model, persecuted by women; but Weissmuller kept winning medals until an MGM producer found him in a hotel and convinced him to play Tarzan. He took swimming lightly and devoted himself to cinema and all its glamor. The US Olympic Committee asked Weissmuller to participate in the JJs. OO. Los Angeles 1932, offering him to train as long as he wanted and could. The now famous Tarzan refused to participate. He replied that, without much effort, he was going to continue to win gold medals, but that he preferred the ten-year contract from MGM.
Weissmuller is a legend of the sport, but when it demanded other things. They were other times. Today is different, because sports science offers great opportunities for excellence. That is a good reason why elite athletes today consider age to be the least of it. (OR)
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