Some of the world's biggest sporting stars are still performing at elite level even though many are already into their 40s.
Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong, seen here playing for Portugal at the Fifa World Cup. Picture: Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images
Just recently we have been reminded, once again, that age is just a number.
From football to tennis and road running and from rugby to motor racing, individuals are performing at incredibly high levels no matter their age.
At the Fifa World Cup taking place in North America, two of the greatest footballers of all time, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, are again showing off their skills. Messi is 39 years old; Ronaldo is 41 and playing in his sixth World Cup.
When Wimbledon starts this coming Monday, Novak Djokovic will be 39 years old and still among the favourites to win the title. He’s chasing Slam number 25.
But even more remarkable is the fact the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, will also be in action.
Venus, at 46, will play doubles with her sister, while Serena will also play in the singles after receiving a wildcard entry. She is 44 years old, and makes her comeback four years after retiring after the 2022 US Open.
It will be interesting to see how far Serena can go as she goes in search of Grand Slam title number 24.
In cricket, at the T20 Women’s World Cup taking place in England, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates is 38, India’s Harmanpreet Kaur is 37 and South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail is 37 and Marizanne Kapp 36.
Former Proteas men’s team Test captain Faf du Plessis is also still performing at an extremely high level on the T20 circuits around the world.
Just recently the 40-year-old struck 103 off 53 balls for the Texas Super Kings against MI New York in Major League Cricket in the United States.
In rugby, Siya Kolisi is still captaining the Boks at 35, while squad team-mates Franco Mostert (35) and Cobus Reinach (36) are also no spring chickens.
Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, who won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix recently, is 41 and still competing.
And what about road runners Louis Massyn, who is 75 and completed 50 Comrades marathons last year, and Johannes Mosehla, who last Sunday successfully completed the race in a time of 11 hours, 12 minutes and 26 seconds… at the age of 84.
Incredible.
