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Age No Longer Quite Such Barrier in Pool

By Paul Newberry
Associated Press Writer
9 August 2004

There was a time when Lenny Krayzelburg would have given up on the idea of returning for another Olympics.

He already had three gold medals from the 2000 Sydney Games . His shoulders ached from all those years doing the backstroke. He was getting along in swimming years.

But Krayzelburg decided to give it one more shot. The money was too good to walk away just yet, and it was clear he could still be competitive with the best backstrokers in the world.

So Krayzelburg kept himself in the pool, made the U.S. Olympic team in the 100-meter backstroke and will be a medal contender in Athens.

At the ripe ol' age of 28.

"The perception has changed," Krayzelburg said. "Ten or 15 years ago, no one did it. Once you got around 23 to 26, that was it. It was time to move on with your life. Now, you've got some pioneers who are starting to hang around a little longer."

The American team also includes 31-year-old Jenny Thompson , back for her fourth Olympics. And Gary Hall Jr., who'll be 30 next month, could add a few more medals to the eight he already has from the last two Summer Games.

"I'm just getting started," Hall said. "They used to believe this was a young person's sport. But look at the triathlete. It's not uncommon for someone to finish in the top five in the world and be in their mid-30s. Michael Jordan was better at 30 than he was at 20. Other sports have proven it time and time again."

The bar was set in Sydney, when Dara Torres returned to swimming after a seven-year retirement and won five medals at age 33.

Suddenly, it seemed more plausible to have a long-term career in the pool. The top swimmers are able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle through sponsorship dollars and prize money. Michael Phelps has the backing of at least seven major companies, with Speedo promising a $1 million bonus if he can tie or break Mark Spitz 's record of seven gold medals.

Other U.S. Olympians qualifying for old-timers status: Neil Walker, 28; Tom Malchow , who will be 28 later this month; and Lindsay Benko, 27.

At 22, Amanda Beard hardly qualifies as a grizzled veteran, but this will be her third Olympics. She was just a teddy-bear toting teenager when she became the darling of Atlanta eight years ago — now Beard can definitely ponder the idea of returning for Beijing in 2008.

"I would be the old age of 26," she said with a smile, "but I would still have a chance."

That's true, but then again, swimming is no different than other sports — there's always a new generation that comes along to knock off the old guys. Several former Olympians, including 31-year-old Josh Davis , failed to make the team this year. Jeff Rouse, a 34-year-old who won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games, fell short in his comeback bid after retiring for six years.

Among those heading to Athens: 15-year-old Katie Hoff, 16-year-old Dana Vollmer and 18-year-old Larsen Jensen. Even Phelps, who has become the world's greatest swimmer, is only 19.

At some point, age does matter.

"The younger generation always takes over," Krayzelburg said. "I still don't expect to see a lot of 28-year-olds making the Olympic team. The optimum age is still 18 or 19. You're old enough to have some experience, but your body is young enough to have some upside."

Hall said more people would hang around if the financial benefits were more substantial. While the top swimmers make a good living, there's plenty of others who never quite earn enough, leaving the sport ahead of their time to pursue a real, paying job.

It's not always an easy transition, which may explain why swimmers are hanging around longer or coming back from retirement.

"You start at such a young age," Krayzelburg said. "When it's time to retire and you try to fit in with other walks of life, at least early on, it doesn't always work out. I think that's why you've seen some people come back to swimming. They have a comfort level here."

Article originally located at Yahoo! News