The Olympic Games are the world’s only truly global, multi-sport, celebratory athletics competition. With more than 200 countries participating in over 400 events across the summer and winter games, the Olympics are where the world comes to compete, feel inspired, and be together.
There’s plenty to marvel at and to be inspired by that’s for sure. The dedication, resilience and endurance of these athletes is astonishing and the spectacle of gymnasts who seem to take flight, titanic rivalries on the tennis court and 100ths of seconds between finish times provide something for everyone.
For elite athletes the Olympics are the zenith of a sporting career. A sports career can’t last forever though and many go on to find meaningful, fulfilling careers after sport. Some, of course, build professional careers as they build their sporting careers. I was particularly taken with the story of Nic Fink who splits time at the pool with a full-time engineering job, he claimed the first Olympic medal of his late-blooming career last week.
Age is just a number
Fink says: “but in another sense, it means more at this time, especially because there were definitely windows to close my career earlier and I kind of kept going for the love of the sport. To have this much success this late has been icing on the cake and a lot of fun.”
Sport isn’t just for the young, as in business older competitors have an important contribution to make. Equestrian rider Hiroshi Hoketsu competed at 71 in 2012, becoming Japan’s oldest Olympic representative. British rider Loran Johnstone was 70 when she competed in equestrian at the 1972 Games in Munich, while Mary Hanna was 66 when she competed in Tokyo’s equestrian in 2021.
The longevity of some athletes reflects a global movement, for instance participation in adult gymnastics is soaring. They’re not doing gymnastics because their parents signed them up, most have families and careers. Their relationship with the sport has evolved from something they are to something they do, a critical shift.
A numbers game
In the world of professional sports, athletes are considered “old” as early as 30 but getting older doesn’t means an automatic end to dreams of athletic glory.
Skateboarder Zheng Haohao is making history at the Olympics, she is just 11 years and 11 months old. The oldest competitor in Paris is 65 year old Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo, an equestrian, who was 41 when competing in his first Olympics, 12 years before Zheng was born.
The reality of life after a sports career is that athletes have multifarious transferable skills and they thrive on targets and teamwork, the resilience built as an athlete is also a valuable asset when dealing with challenges in the workplace.
The career switch
If you are looking to make a career switch for whatever reason, you should identify your transferable skills, craft a transition plan, address gaps in your skill set and, crucially, network with the right people.
Success will always come at price, and each of us must evaluate career objectives and the measures we are prepared to take in order to fulfil ambitions and facilitate personal development.
There is more to life than work – career and personal life form part of an integrated whole where success is defined by more than just your job title or your medals. Your personal best is what counts.
