Read more: 鈥�Olympic extremes: The winning formulas for London 2012鈥�
SWEDISH shooter has the record for being the oldest Olympian. At 72 he won a silver medal at the 1920 games in Antwerp, Belgium, to add to his collection of three golds and two bronzes earned in the two previous games. For most athletes, though, the effects of ageing start to hamper performance long before then.
鈥淥scar Swahn holds the record for the oldest Olympian: he won a silver medal at the age of 72鈥�
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鈥淵ou reach a maximum in your early 20s,鈥� says at the University of Sydney in Australia. And that鈥檚 when the effects of ageing slowly but surely start to kick in. 鈥淲hatever you look at declines.鈥�
Take muscle. The total amount of muscle a person has generally starts to fall as they get older. What鈥檚 more, the muscle itself changes. Muscle can be of a fast twitch type 鈥� useful for bursts of power 鈥� or a slow twitch type, useful for prolonged use in endurance activities (see 鈥�Olympic extremes: A winning genome鈥�). With age, some muscle fibres change from fast to slow, says Baker. This might explain why, generally speaking, younger people do better at sprint races while an extra few years benefits marathon runners (see figures). 鈥淓ndurance athletes seem to peak a little later,鈥� Baker says.
Athletes can delay muscle loss through intense training, but there鈥檚 not much they can do to prevent the effects of ageing on the lungs. 鈥淟ung capacity will decline,鈥� says Baker. This is probably because rib joints gradually stiffen, limiting a person鈥檚 ability to expand their chest and lungs.
Cognition also suffers with age, which could affect an athlete鈥檚 ability to train, focus and coordinate their movement. 鈥淲e peak in our late teens and it鈥檚 all downhill after that,鈥� says Baker.
