Latest news with #age
CBC
3 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Time is undefeated, but Venus Williams and Manny Pacquiao display how athletes can age gracefully
Social Sharing Eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao used ring I.Q. and boxing geometry to overcome height and reach deficits in his title fight against Mario Barrios, earning a controversial draw against a bigger, stronger, harder-hitting opponent. And if you think we're re-heating headlines from the Pac Man's late-2000s heyday, think again. That bout happened last Saturday in Las Vegas. Barrios, the World Boxing Council welterweight champion, is 30. Pacquiao, who last fought in August 2021, will be 47 in December. If he had edged out one more round on two judges' scorecards, he'd have become the first boxer in history to win world titles in four different decades. Even if he didn't defeat Barrios, Pacquiao earned a victory over age and expectations. Three days later Venus Williams, 45, ended two year layoff from pro tennis, entered the D.C. Open as a wildcard, and dispatched Peyton Stearns, a player roughly half her age, to reach the round of 16. These back-to-back triumphs for 80s babies offer more than a glimmer of hope for those of us old enough to wake up with aches we can't explain. They're more like a beacon, and a compelling argument against one of the most rock-solid axioms in sport and life. If time really is undefeated, how do you explain this weekend? Easily. But if we look at Pacquiao and Williams' performances as self-awareness success stories, and case studies in the value of choosing your opportunities wisely, we might learn something from these last few days. First, let's acknowledge that Pacquiao and Williams defied recent sports medicine trends just by reaching the arena in one piece. We just finished watching an NBA Playoffs in which two star players younger than age 30 – Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum – suffered a ruptured achilles tendon, an injury we normally associate with advanced age and high mileage. The third NBA star to tear his achilles tendon this post-season, Damian Lillard, turned 35 last week. Age matters at the extremes Against the backdrop, watching Pacquiao and Williams roll back the odometer looks even more impressive. They both turned pro during Bill Clinton's first term as president. If you can't remember that far back, that's the point. This kind of longevity might not be unprecedented, but it's rare. Let's also keep in mind that age matters at the extremes. It's why a 9.8 sprinter can stroll unrecognized through most U.S. cities, but a high schooler who breaks 10-flat becomes a minor internet celebrity. And it's why masters sports group athletes into cohorts that span five years, accounting for a sort of reverse puberty. In terms of strength and muscle mass, 55 and 60 years old are as different as 15 and 20. Age classifications matter, so when middle-aged athletes enter open competition, we're right to view their performances through the prism of their age. That's why so many people are classifying Pacquiao's draw against Barrios, a competitive fight by the stats, as a robbery. Barrios landed more punches, but if you think the intangibles favoured Pacquiao it's reasonable to see those two factors evening out to produce a draw. But Pacquiao, as we noted, is 46. At that age, even people who train daily are more likely to have arthritis than visible abs. Barrios, a top-ranked welterweight 16 years Pacquiao's junior, should have handled him, but Pacquiao kept rallying and landing punches and weathering Barrios' offence. It wasn't the fight most of us envisioned. There's a difference, however, outperforming expectations, which Pacquiao did, and winning a fight, which he didn't. There's also a gap between winning a bout, which one judge said Barrios did, and winning convincingly. But if you factor in Pacquiao's age, simply keeping pace with Barrios seems like a win. With Williams, there's no "seems like." She took the first set 6-3, and the second 6-4, so there's nothing to debate, not even whether Peak Venus Williams would have dispatched Stearns even more quickly. We're still discussing an all-time great, after all. Timing is everything But this weekend's results aren't evidence that Pacquiao and Williams have figured out how to freeze time. It's the opposite. Their success shows they've made smart adjustments for the aging process. You'll note, for example, that Pacquiao's surprise draw and Williams' convincing win came on night one, fresh off long layoffs. Given what we understand now about the art, science, and importance of recovery for older athletes, we know Pacquiao and Williams entered these contests with fully charged batteries, and would likely feel different on the last day of a long season. Which is to say, for those of us trying to perform physically even though we're closer to 50 than we are to 40, timing matters. And so do opponents. Stearns is an NCAA champ, which makes her several echelons better than the best tennis player reading this column. But she also competes in a sport where most elites turn pro instead of playing in college. By her age, Williams was already a nine-year veteran of the WTA tour. Williams is on the downside now, but even her current plateau hovers above most people's ceiling. As for Pacquiao – he chose Barrios for a reason. Among the current champions at 147 pounds, Barrios has the most glaring shortcomings. Defence is one, and a lack of home-run punching power is another. On fight night we learned he was also startstruck, reluctant to let his hands go when he had Pacquiao stunned, and willing to abandon half his offence when Pacquiao complained to the referee about body punches that appeared legal. Pacquiao made it clear that he didn't want Barrios punching him in the stomach, and Barrios, for large stretches of the fight, complied. If Pacquiao had chosen Brian Norman Jr., the hard-hitting W.B.O. champion, for his comeback fight, we'd be looking at one of two outcomes – peeling Pacquiao off the canvas or retrieving him from the rafters. Norman hits that hard. But if you're staying active deep into middle age, and trying to find inspiration in Pacquiao and Williams' success, that's the point. It's not just okay to scale back your goals and challenges. It's smart. Pacquiao is as unlikely to unify the welterweight title as Williams is to capture another Grand Slam, but it doesn't matter. They're still overperforming relative to the restraints that age places on all of us, and highlighting one more distinction few of us had considered until now. The one between aging gracefully and aging forcefully.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Quiz: How well do you know your older athletes? The week of the veteran comebacks
The saying goes that age is just a number. In professional sports, that number usually matters quite a bit. Boxing, tennis, baseball and other elite sports have long been dominated by athletes who hit their physical primes in their 20s and 30s, but the return of three mid-40s stars this week has us appreciating the diligence it takes to remain competitive against much younger foes. Advertisement The week of the returning veterans began with Manny Pacquiao coming back from a four-year hiatus to battle Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight world title. Pacquiao impressed in his return but came up just short as the bout ended in a majority draw. Then, on Tuesday, Rich Hill made MLB history by suiting up for a record-tying 14th team. His first start of the season extended his career to a remarkable 21 seasons. While he picked up a loss, he hung in there against the Chicago Cubs' league-leading offense, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits, with two walks and one strikeout across five innings. Hours later, tennis legend Venus Williams played her first singles match since March 2024 and recorded her first win since 2023 as she topped Peyton Stearns. With the win, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a singles match on the WTA Tour, only younger than Martina Navratilova in 2004. If you noticed, we didn't include the ages of Pacquiao, Hill or Williams in the paragraphs above. That's because we have a test about them and some other stars. Don't expect this to be easy — just like in real life, discerning sports ages can be very difficult.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
How long should you be able to stand on one leg?
If you're aged under 40, it's 43 seconds If you're between the ages of 40 and 49, it's 40 seconds If you're between the ages of 50 and 59, it's 37 seconds If you're between the ages of 60 and 69, it's 18 to 19 seconds If you're over 80, it's a little over five seconds
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Everyone thinks I'm 25 because I look so hot wearing mini-dresses and tiny shorts – but my real age will shock you
A FASHIONISTA has rubbished the suggestion that people should dress their age - and has left the people stunned by how old she really is. TikToker Charlotte Singmin grew up in a time where women were bombarded ''with toxic messaging'' on ''how they 'should' look''. 2 2 ''When I was growing up our bodies would be labelled apples or pears and we were convinced we had an expiry date,'' Charlotte recently said online. ''Turns out we don't need to identify with fruit and we should feel good dressing however we want at any age,'' she shared in an uplifting post. Now, Charlotte doesn't hide or dresses to become invisible - the brunette beauty rocks mini dresses and figure-hugging shorts, and urges others to follow suit. ''i'm 49 and I don't believe in 'dressing your age'. ''If it makes you feel good, do it,'' she said in the video. For Charlotte, however, it wasn't an easy journey, with vicious trolls slamming her with ''ageist comments'' about her style. It wasn't until her 49th birthday that the stunner, who posts under the username @ charlottesingmin, rediscovered her ''love of fashion''. The mum and entrepreneur said in a video: ''I'm turning 50 in November and I'm finally starting to live life on my terms and learning what makes me happy. ''Turns out, I love putting on a cute fit and drinking mocktails with my girlie.'' Charlotte's inspiring words have clearly resonated with many, as the stylish mum has racked up more than 370k views. I'm 5ft3 & a size 12-14 - my 7 Tesco dresses are an absolute bargain & perfect for a last-minute wedding guest outfit As many flooded to comments, one couldn't believe the mum was about to turn 50 in autumn. ''49 looking like 25,'' the fan was gobsmacked. A fellow fashionista chimed in: ''I turn 45 this weekend and I'm wearing whatever the hell I want.'' ''49 but looking better than most of 20' out there,'' a viewer said. ''I can't stand people saying dress your age.. it doesn't even make sense.. there's no mandatory look for any age,'' a TikToker thought. ''Just be a decent person and wear whatever you want.'' ''This isn't 'dressing your age'. this is dressing your power. period,'' a fifth penned.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
‘I have no idea how old my mother is. She doesn't lie about her age, she simply will not discuss it at all,' writes Polly Hudson
In one of her wedding pictures, my mum is sprawled over the register-office table, bodily blocking the marriage certificate so her witnesses can't get a glimpse of her date of birth as they sign it. They're desperate to see, but none of us have ever come close to discovering the magic number. Nobody ever believes me the first time, I always have to say this twice: I don't know how old my own mother is. Nope, no idea. Seriously. It's highly classified, a mystery to me and everyone else, and it always has been. It means I don't know how old she was for any milestones – when she met my dad, when she had me, or even for things that may inform my future, like when she went through menopause. My mum doesn't lie about her age, she simply will not discuss it at all. She says it's because she 'doesn't want to be defined by it', meaning she refuses to be judged for her achievements by the point in her life she achieved them. She won't accept being told she looks good 'for her age', just that she looks good. She's a force of nature, so this is perfectly on brand; she's never going to play by anybody else's rules. She's horrified I don't adopt the same policy – not least because she doesn't like people knowing she's old enough to have a daughter with as many miles on the clock as I have. Not being defined by age is all well and good, but I also think my mum hides it because back in her day – whenever that may have been – no-one even bothered to pretend it was anything other than unforgivable for women to get old. I don't blame her entirely for my attitude to ageing – I also live in the world and grew up in the 1990s – but she has definitely had an impact. I hadn't realised how much of one until recently, when my (gulp) 50th birthday approached. Around the same time, an important work meeting was scheduled, and I became consumed with worry. I felt confident about my abilities, all I was nervous about was that they would see I was… old. I felt genuinely apologetic about it, and worse, ashamed. Like ageing was a stupid mistake I'd made, a personal failing. I'm embarrassed. By a natural biological process, the alternative to which is death. My mother's ageless status is the stuff of legend among our family and friends. Everybody longs to be the one who finally discovers the truth, but she is an old (sorry, Mum) hand at keeping schtum. She can change the subject on the spot more skilfully than a politician. There is no question that will catch her out. She hasn't come close to slipping up, never mind actually done it. My godmother swears that she once managed to see my mum's driving licence and passport, and there was a different date of birth on each of them. She denies this and it would be illegal – yet somehow I still don't doubt it for a second. My late dad was kind of bemused and would roll his eyes about it. I assume he was the only person who knew the truth and, if so, he took that secret to the grave. In some ways my mother's attitude is inspiring – she's far more active, professionally and socially, than any of my friends' parents, and I truly believe it's because she does not identify as old. But I've definitely inherited hang-ups from her, too. Her refusal to be defined by being older implies that being older is negative, no matter how you package it. I'm well aware how stupid all this is. What a shallow, pointless waste of time. I see other women making their grey hair a statement part of their look, embracing their laughter lines, and I admire them. If only I could have gone into that meeting thinking, 'Yes, I'm older now, but that means they will respect all my experience' rather than, 'Oh god, they're going to think I'm past it.' But as a society, although we make more of the right noises nowadays, we still fetishise youth – just look at Kris Jenner, who recently had a facelift as she prepares to turn 70. I'm clearly far from alone in my messed-up mindset – the global market for anti-wrinkle products was valued at over £35 billion in 2024 and an estimated 11 per cent of the UK population underwent an aesthetic treatment in 2023. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that 27,462 procedures were performed in 2024, of which more than nine in ten were on women. Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, was up 13 per cent; face and neck lifts were up eight per cent. There are so many reasons to try to change the way I think about ageing; not least that it is, of course, a privilege and inevitable. I would be overjoyed not to mind getting older. I wish I were more enlightened, had greater depth. I'm ashamed that I'm ashamed of getting older. I want younger generations to have good examples of proud ageing; to be set free from this ludicrous, miserable burden. Someone else will have to lead the way, though. I'm too busy googling Kris Jenner's surgeon and buying a lottery ticket. And so is my mum.
