Defying The Age Taboo – Athletes Who Peaked Late

In sports, it is a common notion that in order to become successful, one must start early. Scouts focus more on the grassroot level to find talent that can be molded for future triumphs. And why not? Logic dictates that the sooner someone starts playing, the better their chances of proficiency. (More Sports News)

Tiger Woods was two when he held a golf club for the first time. The rest is history. Likewise, Serena Williams was introduced to the sport when she was three. She went on to win 23 singles Grand Slam titles since turning professional in 1995 at age 14.

Sachin Tendulkar was nine when his elder brother, Ajit, famously encouraged him to take up cricket. By 16, he was playing for India. He remains the only cricketer to score 100 centuries in international cricket.

Life, however, does not work out for every person like the way they want it to. The result of this is that once in a while, someone will come along and enter the fray at a late stage. Their stories often are as fascinating as those of the prodigies. 

Think of Australia’s Michael Hussey, who made his international debut at 28. Hussey would earn several accolades in the course of his career, including the moniker of Mr Cricket, through his consistent performances. India’s current One-Day and Test captain, Rohit Sharma, while speaking about Hussey during an interview said, “There is no age to start any sport."

Late bloomers tend to possess the valued mix of skills and experience that they have gained while waiting for their chance. Pakistan-born South African cricketer Imran Tahir, who is currently representing Sharjah Warriors in ILT20 at age 43, made news recently after a press conference wherein he said, “People always question me about my age. They don't spend money on me. Everytime I go into the ground, I need to show them my worth. It’s not the money I’m playing for, I’m playing for my self-respect. I’ve never been on a big contract. I haven’t played for a big contract throughout my T20I career.” Tahir, known for his spirited celebrations after claiming a wicket, and labelled ‘The Marathon’, made his debut for South Africa at 32.

Sharath Kamal is a renowned name in Indian table tennis today. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the 40-year-old won three golds and a silver. While some older athletes prefer letting their hair down during off-season, Sharath told Lounge in an interview how he likes to keep himself active. “I play basketball at 12 noon, on an open ground, in Chennai. Sometimes, I go for a run at 11 in the morning. I finish my training and then do some kind of fitness work.”

The United States National Women’s Team (USNWT) broke gender barriers by campaigning for equal pay after winning the 2019 Women’s Football World Cup, and eventually winning. A member of that team, Alex Morgan, had immense experience even before entering the tournament, becoming the country’s 13th player to play 200 matches. Though her legacy was never in question, her capabilities were being questioned since she was 30 at the time. Morgan would shut down her doubters by scoring six goals in the showpiece tournament, including five against Thailand.

Tennis has produced several players who continued their good run even in supposed retirement age. However, among the names of repute such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena, the one name that gets lost is John Isner’s. The towering American jointly holds the record for the longest tennis match ever played with Nicolas Mahut of France. The two played an 11-hour-5-minute marathon at Wimbledon in 2010. Isner is a self-confessed late bloomer, whose best year in the sport came in 2018 when he broke into the singles top 10 rankings aged 33. He would foreshadow this during an earlier interview with Tennishead, saying, “I’ve always improved as I’ve gotten older. I’m 26, which isn’t exactly young, but I feel like my best tennis is still ahead of me.”

Age being just a number is one of the most overused quotes in sports and life. Factually, there is much more to an athlete than just age. Virat Kohli seems to have got a second wind at 34. Suryakumar Yadav earned a Test call-up at 32, thanks to his riotous performance in T20Is. Sportspersons are thick-skinned and hardly take no for an answer, and that includes saying ‘no’ to a generally perceived ‘retirement age’.