Life In Older Dogs

Encouraging news for those of advancing years – you may not be past your peak.

- 

Reading the news these days is not the best way to brighten the morning mood. Same old, same old. Brexit is a mess. Trump is …... Climate change has produced yet another flood, drought or forest fire. But just as I’m about to stick my head in the sand and lighten the mood with a saccharine Netflix romcom, a truly inspiring headline leaps out from an otherwise miserable newsfeed. “Champions are getting older.” Nothing perks up an ageing sportsperson more than positive news about ageing sportspeople - and it was off the BBC website, so it MUST be true.

The research was prompted by the efforts of tennis stars Roger Federer and Serena Williams who defy all accepted wisdom by remaining at the top of a brutally intense sport aged 37 and 36 respectively. Exceptional they may be; however, the average ages of the top 100 men and women has risen by 3 years since 1984.

In golf, although the top 5 are in their 20s, the average age of the top 100 has risen from 32 to 37 since 1980 and a rebuilt Tiger Woods is making something of a comeback aged 42.