Old faithfuls: The athletes who kept going well into their twilight years

The sport stars who presumably think 'retirement' is a dirty word

Egyptian football captain Essam El-Hadary made history this week when he became the oldest man ever to play in World Cup finals – at the grand old age of 45 years and 161 days.

Despite his ‘advanced’ years (well advanced for a footballer), the goalkeeper saved a spectacular penalty against Saudi Arabia, showing that he's just as flexible as when he first played for Egypt in 1996.

El-Hadary isn’t the only sportsperson breaking a record as the oldest in his field. Here are eight other athletes dominating in their chosen sports. Whether that's the boxing ring, basketball court or snooker baize. They're giving us all hope for our future selves.

Kazuyoshi Miura (51 - and still playing)

Football's Kazuyoshi Miura plays for Japanese division two side Yokohama FC. He also happens to be 51. The striker extended his contract with the team in January 2018 and back in 2017, he entered the record books as the oldest professional footballer to score, breaking a record that had stood for 52 years. The person who held the record before? A certain Sir Stanley Matthews, external.

Miura has proven to still be able to play at the top of his game, and even has an iconic dance celebration that’s arguably better than Daniel Sturridge’s arm wave, Paul Pogba’s dab, and Antoine Griezmann’s trademark hand-telephone-shaky-thing.

‘King Kazu’, as he is known as in Japan, is living proof some things just get better with age

Gary Player (76) – Golf

Regarded as one of the greatest golfers in history, the nine-time major winner proved he could still swing with the best when he teed off in his last PGA Champions Tour event in 2011 at the age of 76.

Renowned for his fitness regime, Player reportedly still performs a ridiculously impressive 1,000 sit-ups a day. Admittedly, not quite at the level of Cristiano Ronaldo's 3,000 a day.

In 2013, he also became the oldest ever athlete to pose nude in ESPN Magazine’s annual bodyissue, external, stealing the limelight from the regular front-page hoggers such as Lebron James, and inspiring people to look after themselves regardless of age.

Nancy Lieberman (50) – Basketball

The 5ft 10in point guard nicknamed 'Lady Magic' is a basketball legend for a few reasons.

Her back-story reads like the treatment for a Hollywood movie: she started playing on the rough courts of Harlem, wearing extra jumpers to make herself look tougher. At 18, she became the youngest basketball player to win an Olympic medal; and 10 years later, she made history again when she became the first woman to play in a men's professional league.

She also became the oldest player in Women’s NBA history, aged 39, and after a stint as a coach and TV pundit, she broke her own record by getting back on the court aged 50.

Fred Davis (78) – Snooker

Davis was one of only two people to become world champion in both snooker and billiards, during an astonishing 64-year career in the sport. The other was his older brother Joe.

Fred dominated on the baize for large spells but also served in the British army when World War II broke out, which interrupted his playing career.

To highlight how long into his life he played, just look at the age gap between Fred and his fellow competitors - in 1993 he took on Ronnie O’Sullivan, who was 62 years younger than him.

Bernard Hopkins (51) – Boxing

Before the unfortunate end to his boxing career that saw him falling out of the ring against Joe Smith Jr last December, Hopkins was a force to be reckoned with - racking up 55 wins and 32 KOs.

Hopkins turned his back on a life of crime and found a passion for boxing that led him on a legendary path in the professional sport.

The 51-year-old reigned as middleweight champion from 1994 to 2005 and squared up with the likes of Roy Jones Jr and Joe Calzaghe, crediting his defensive skills as a factor for his longevity in the sport.

Martina Navratilova (49) – Tennis

Described as "the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who ever lived" by fellow former world number one Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova ran riot in the world of women's tennis until she finally hung up her racquet only a month before her 50th birthday.

Navratilova won nine Wimbledon singles titles, 18 Grand Slams, and forged a fierce rivalry with Steffi Graf, 12 years her junior, along the way.

Towards the end of her career, she was twice the average age of most players in the sport.

Eileen Olszewski (48) - Boxing

In October 2016, at age 48, Olszewski was trading blows with fellow super-flyweight Eva Voraberger for the IBO, WIBF and GBU titles in Austria.

The former ballet trainee and New York Knicks cheerleader turned pro boxer aged 38 but made an immediate mark in the ring, winning her first six bouts.

More wins came her way, but her most notable feat came in 2013, aged 45, when she became the oldest fighter (male or female) to win a world flyweight title.

Hiroshi Hoketsu (75) - Equestrian

Japan is thought to have the highest population of elderly citizens anywhere in the world, with approximately 33% of the population over 60.

Showing us that 70 is the new 30 in Japan is equestrian rider Hiroshi Hoketsu, who has been showing off his skills since he first competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

He competed again at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, but had to bow out before Rio 2016, where he was set to become the oldest ever Olympian.

That record still belongs to Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, who was 72 when he took part in the 1920 Olympics.

Originally published 13 January 2017