Article by Alex Kagan
Can you be over 50 and a professional athlete? YES!
Some of the most inspirational female athletes are those that are aged 50 and over and still compete on a regular basis.
To prove the doubters wrong, we have created a short list of these amazing female athletes, who continue to inspire and motivate women all over the world.
Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova won the US Open doubles championship when she was almost 50 years of age and then won the same title at Wimbledon three years later when she entered the senior competition. This win was made even more astonishing by the fact that she had only finished receiving radiation therapy for breast cancer a few days before. Away from the world of tennis she showed just how fit she still was when she competed in the TV show ‘Dancing with the Stars’ at the age of 55.
Kay Glynn
Kay Glynn broke the pole vaulting world record in 2011 for the age 55-59 category at the incredible age of 58. She is still competing today and remains a very successful athlete. She didn’t even start competing in the pole vault until she was 48 years old which just shows how far she has come. Even a hip replacement operation has not stopped her competing in events.
Eileen Raschker
Eileen Raschker is considered to be one of the best athletes that is still competing today of any age and you would never believe that she is actually 65. She is not a professional athlete as she has worked as an accountant for most of her life. She has still managed to win 68 gold medals at the World Masters Athletics Championships and holds 22 records at this Championship for both indoor and outdoor events. She is very successful in a number of events and can turn her hand to anything, much in the same way that experienced casino players at the Euro Palace casino perform just as well in table games as they do on slot machines.
Laura Sophiea
Laura Sophiea was selected as a Grand Master by USA Triathlon at the age of 57 as recognition of the way she performs in this sport compared to others of a similar age. She regularly completes four triathlons a year and is considered to be the top athlete in the sport in the 55-59 age group. She did not get involved in the sport until her late twenties and before this the only physical activity she had been involved in was cheerleading during high school.
Karen Newman
Karen Newman is a seven time All-American triathlete and is still winning gold medals in senior events. She had to take a break from her athletic career back in 2008 when she had a tough fight with breast cancer to deal with. However, she has returned stronger than ever and always provides fierce competition at every event. She now treats every day as a gift and takes nothing for granted.
In a sport like Soccer (or Football for those outside of the U.S) that is dominated by men, women sometimes do not get the recognition that they deserve. There has been a lot of good things that have been said about the fact that EA Sports celebrates female athletes in FIFA 16. There are many inspirational female athletes out there who compete in popular sports that provide themes for different games at Euro Palace online casino and hopefully more women over 50 would serve as an inspiration to these games.
Ceri Wheeldon
Ceri is Founder and Editor of Fabafterfifty.co.uk She is a frequent speaker at events and in the media on topics related to women over 50 , including style and living agelessly. With 20+ years experience as a headhunter Ceri also now helps support those looking to extend their working lives.
Follow Me:
Add a comment