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Training and Technology Postpone Athletes' Retirement

03/06/2017 - 11h07

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FROM SÃO PAULO

Citius, altius, fortius.

The saying that victories at the height of an athletic career are reserved for the fastest, the tallest and the strongest used to involve another quality: youthfulness.

Athletes over 30 years of age, in the vast majority of fields, were considered to be past their prime for major competitions.

In the last few years, this attitude has seen a shift.

Above all, due to the evolution of technology and training techniques, the highest achievements stopped being confined to the territory of men and women fresh out of adolescence.

The Olympic Games reinforce that verdict. In 30 years, the average age of participants rose from 25 years to a high of 26.9 during the Rio Games, in 2016, according to the International Olympic Committee.

In swimming, North American Anthony Ervin declared himself an olympic champion in the 50 meter freestyle, the fastest of the competitions, at 35 years of age.

Examples like Ervin can be found in various sports. It is not coincidence.

"The athlete's physical performance decreased with age due to the loss of muscle mass. The last few years saw a change in the culture with the adoption of more strength training, which has made it possible for older athletes to maintain the mass, " says Irineu Loturco, technical director of the High Yield Nucleus, a training and research center in São Paulo.

For psychologist Sâmia Hallage, the physical capacity has increased the confidence of athletes who previously would have been on the downward part of the curve in their career. "Currently, the oldest aren't the ones out of the game -they are usually more experienced and better prepared."

Translated by SUGHEY RAMIREZ

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