SECRETS OF SPORT’S GOLDEN OLDIES
How science, scuba diving and sleeping 12 hours a night could make 2021 the year of the veteran
IT WAS back in December 2003 when Jimmy Anderson first drew a blank. After four days of his eighth Test match, the 21-year-old wandered from the field in Colombo. His match figures? None for 85.
Today, Anderson returns to Sri Lanka and his statistics make for far prettier reading. He is the first seamer to reach 600 Test wickets and, at 38, his star burns as bright as ever.
Anderson’s Test average is 26.79 — lower than at any point since 2003. No wonder he and Stuart Broad (34) are targeting another Ashes series and beyond. ‘I don’t see any reason why I can’t play into my forties,’ says Anderson.
Heading into 2021, they form part of a generation of superstars defying Father Time, reshaping what conventional wisdom thought possible.
Tom Brady (43), namechecked by Anderson, recently led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first NFL play- offs since 2007; Cristiano Ronaldo (35) tops the Serie A scoring charts; Rafael Nadal (34) and Roger Federer (39) have 20 Grand Slam titles each; Eliud Kipchoge (36) is eyeing Olympic marathon glory in Tokyo.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (39), Lionel Messi (33), LeBron James (36), Megan Rapinoe (35), Alun Wyn Jones (35), Manny Pacquiao (42) and Serena Williams (39) are also flattening the curve.
‘They’re freaks,’ says Dr Alan Ruddock, a high-performance consultant to elite athletes. But across the board it seems the arc of success bends upwards.
The average age of Olympic athletes and Champions League players has risen in recent decades; Kipchoge ran the first sub-two-hour marathon shortly before turning 35; more top-10 heavyweights are 40-plus (two) than under 30 (one). But why?
Are younger sportspeople getting worse or have advances in science allowed the best to remain on their perch for longer?
Typically, strength and cardiorespiratory health decline with age, while recovery from injury grows harder. It is why signing footballers over 30 is still deemed a short-term fix. Now, though, the goalposts have moved.
‘ Before, your 20s was your window, now it’s your mid-20s to your mid- 30s,’ says Dr Marc Bubbs, performance nutritionist for Canada Basketball. ‘More and more athletes have the tools available to push the limits.’ It is a curious trend, given emerging players are now bigger, faster and stronger than ever.
‘There are a lot of advantages to getting older as an athlete,’ says Jeff Bercovici, author of Play On: The New Science of Elite Performance at Any Age. Bubbs agrees: ‘ Naturally they get wiser. They understand the game better, are more strategic — and they have to be as their physical skills are diminishing.’
Repeated injuries remain the primary curse of aging athletes. Now, though, former regulars on the treatment table — such as Anderson and Nadal — are coming out the other side and using know- how to outgun younger rivals. Serena and US football star Alex Morgan, meanwhile, are proving that pregnancy is no barrier back to the top.
‘It’s still harder for them to stay healthy,’ Bercovici adds. ‘ But if you can decrease the disadvantage of ageing, even a bit, you tilt the playing field heavily toward those older, more experienced athletes.’
One vehicle for change has been the explosion of sports science. Now everything — nutrition, training, even sleep — is informed by science. ‘ Look at John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and their physiques, then look at Rafa Nadal,’ Bubbs says. ‘From an evolutionary standpoint nothing has really changed.’ Instead, athletes are healthier and recovering quicker even as their bodies begin to groan.
Many tweaks are low-tech — Premier League stars, Bubbs explains, eat ‘double if not more’ protein than they did in the 1990s, aiding muscles and joints. But other advances are more sophisticated. Deontay Wilder, 35, reduces pounding on his joints by doing strength and conditioning through scuba diving.
Unsurprisingly, the most competitive athletes are those digging deepest for marginal gains. Brady avoids eating tomatoes in the belief they cause inflammation; Ronaldo has had an entourage of experts since his Manchester United days; masseuses reportedly form part of LeBron’s £1.15million-a-year fitness programme.
For all the gizmos and science, however, Bercovici believes the crucial change is the realisation that ‘accumulated fatigue is the real enemy to longevity’. He says: ‘It’s what puts athletes at risk of injury, it depresses performance.’ And it gets worse with age.
In the early 2000s, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was America’s architect of change.
‘He would rest healthy players,’ Bercovici says. ‘Other coaches would laugh at him.’ Now, though, athletes everywhere aim to peak at key times. Former Wales coach Shaun Edwards said in 2019 that Alun Wyn Jones was playing his best rugby at 33 because he no longer played week-in, week-out.
Federer reportedly sleeps 11-12 hours a night and at first, Bubbs says, he kept it to himself. ‘He realised nobody else was catching on.’ Now studies suggest even darts players’ accuracy improves with more shut- eye. LeBron optimises his sleep by listening to soothing sounds and with his thermostat at 68-70 degrees.
With science and technology heading only one way, it begs the question: could future superstars go on even longer? ‘We’re going to see more athletes succeeding in their late 30s, early 40s,’ Bercovici says. ‘We’re not really going to go much beyond that.’ Ruddock agrees: ‘After 50 years old, you’re fighting an uphill battle.’
As for avoiding injuries, the answers remain way off. The average NFL career, for example, reportedly lasts 3.3 years, while in 2019 a study revealed the burden of match injuries in English rugby was higher than at any point since records began in 2002.
The ‘next frontier’ in reaching peak performance has moved upstairs. Mental performance coaches and meditation help athletes overcome psychological challenges, while techniques such as biofeedback help them control (typically involuntary) functions such as heart rate.
Brady reportedly stays sharp by using ‘Brain HQ’, software designed to help the elderly and those recovering from head injury. Or could the psychological secret be even simpler? Serena, for example, puts her longevity down to prioritising fun over finals.
It is easier to stomach the grind of top-level sport when you’re winning, of course. And thanks to these tricks and technologies, the sun takes that bit longer to set.
ARSENAL are close to agreeing a new contract with centre back Rob Holding, 25, whose deal runs to June 2022. Mikel Arteta blocked a loan move for Holding to Newcastle in August and he has established himself as a key figure in the squad. Arsenal are willing to sell Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi, while William Saliba can go on loan, with Saint-Etienne keen.
SOUTHAMPTON defender Yan Valery is considering his future at the club. The full back, 21, has not featured in the first team this season and may leave this month. Southampton have asked about Manchester United’s Brandon Williams on loan, while they remain in talks with Ryan Bertrand over a new contract. Saints midfielder Stuart Armstrong has signed a new contract until 2024.
WEST BROM manager Sam Allardyce has opted against moves for Middlesbrough’s Duncan Watmore and Manchester United’s Daniel James. Allardyce wants to focus on the spine ne of his side and plans moves for a centre back, a midfielder and a striker. Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury is under consideration for a loan move.
LEICESTER are looking to sell Demarai Gray (above), who is out of contract in June and has attracted interest from Leeds and Benfica. REAL MADRID are hopeful of concluding a deal for Bayern Munich’s David Alaba. Th The Austria defender is out o of contract in the summer and free to talk to clubs. TOTTENHAM are adamant that Dele Alli and Hugo Lloris will not be allowed to leave in January. Paris Saint-Germain, who hope to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as head coach this weekend, are interested in both players.