Dara just one the national title in the 100M Freestyle in 54.4 at the ripe old age of 40. Simply Incredible. :applaud: :woot:
If that's not inspiring I don't know what is.
I know that throwing a discus is different than swimming a 50 or a 100 free, but I found this interesting. Apparently athletes can, and do, retire for extended periods of time and still achieve great things after the age of 40.
Oerter retired from athletics after the 1968 Olympics. He did make an attempt to qualify for the American team in 1980 but he finished fourth. He nonetheless set his overall personal record of 69.46 meters (227'10¾") that year at the age of 43. When filming for a TV segment, he unofficially threw about 245 feet (74.67 meters), which would have set a still-standing world record.
I know that throwing a discus is different than swimming a 50 or a 100 free, but I found this interesting. Apparently athletes can, and do, retire for extended periods of time and still achieve great things after the age of 40.
Oerter retired from athletics after the 1968 Olympics. He did make an attempt to qualify for the American team in 1980 but he finished fourth. He nonetheless set his overall personal record of 69.46 meters (227'10¾") that year at the age of 43. When filming for a TV segment, he unofficially threw about 245 feet (74.67 meters), which would have set a still-standing world record.
