In the world of professional sports, advanced age is not a handicap. In fact, there are dozens of athletes who are still active well into their forties.
Footballer, Joseph Musonda is still plying his trade as a defender in the Zambia Premier League at the age of 41. Tiger Woods is on the comeback trail on the PGA Tour at 43 and ACT Brumbies hooker, Joshua Mann-Rea is still holding up his end of the rugby scrum at 37.
Crystal Palace goalie, Julian Speroni continues to fly through the air to save goals at the bone crunching age of 39 and heavyweight champion, Vladimir Klitschko finally hung up his gloves at 41 years of age.
In celebration of the golden oldies, here are four remarkable athletes who are still right on top of their ‘game’.
Brad Hogg - 47
Australian cricketer Brad Hogg has competed at the highest level of the sport for almost a quarter of a century.
Apart from a brief hiatus when he ‘retired’ in 2008, the bowling all-rounder has played for some of the best teams on the planet including the Australia national team, Warwickshire, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Cape Cobras and most recently, the Melbourne Renegades.
The sheep farmer’s son from Western Australia is the second most successful Australian spinner after the legendary Shane Warne. He is the only player over the age of 40 to claim 100 wickets in the T20 format, with his infamous wrong ‘un and flipper doing most of the damage.
At the advanced age of 47, Brad Hogg is currently the world’s oldest active player in the top tier of world cricket.
Amir Mansour - 46
Heavyweight boxer Amir Mansour is still throwing punches and knocking out opponents at the age of 46. Although the southpaw had an eight-year break from the ring due to a stint in prison, he came out swinging in 2010.
Mansour has beaten the likes of Travis Kauffman, Maurice Harris and Dominick Guinn in his quest for a major title. Despite a record of 23 wins in 28 fights, the burly African American is yet to claim a big belt to add to the World Boxing Foundation Intercontinental Heavyweight and NABO Heavyweight titles.
Claudio Pizarro – 40
Peruvian born striker Claudio Pizarro is the oldest player in the Bundesliga. In a professional career that’s spanned more than 20 years, the current number 4 for Werder Bremen has won six Bundesliga titles, 5 DFB-Pokal and the DFC-Supercup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and FIFA World Cup.
Pizarro’s 195 Bundesliga goals is a league record for the most goals scored by a foreigner. The super talented striker, who is renowned for his goal scoring prowess in the air, has played for some of the most prestigious clubs in Europe including Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Werder Bremen.
Pizarro’s talent was not lost to his home country. He scored 20 international goals in 96 appearances for the Peru national team.
Roger Federer – 37
Swiss tennis sensation Roger Federer has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other man in history. He currently holds the record for the most Wimbledon singles titles and the most consecutive US Open titles as well as the joint record for the most Australian Open wins.
Although Federer is feeling the strength and pace of the young guns, at 37 years of age he is still winning major tournaments. In 2018 Federer won in Melbourne, racked up an 82.76 percent win record and ended the season ranked third on the ATP world Rankings.
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