40-something athletes defying age, redefining limits

Yet he is a mere pup compared with Martina Navratilova, 46 and closing in on AARP eligibility as she leaves the Australian Open mixed doubles with her 57th major title.

Jerry Rice scored one more Super Bowl touchdown at age 40, even if he couldn't carry the Oakland Raiders past the Tampa Bay Bucs.

As spring training approaches in baseball, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, all in their late 30s, and Roger Clemens, 40, are defying age and redefining limits with punishing workouts to stay among the best in the game.

Rickey Henderson, released by Boston, plans to be diving headfirst into the bases somewhere this season at age 44.

Michael Jordan, three weeks from his 40th birthday, is averaging 18.2 points and 35 minutes a game as he continues to transform the Washington Wizards into a playoff contender. John Stockton, approaching 41 in March, is fourth in the NBA in assists while his 39-year-old Utah teammate, Karl Malone, again leads the Jazz in scoring and rebounds.

These elite athletes, and others in virtually every sport, are performing at a higher level longer than ever. They're not just hanging on, they're setting records and keeping younger players on the bench.

Every era has had at least a few good older athletes, but never like today. Better training methods and nutrition products, a deeper commitment to working out year-round, and soaring salaries and prize money that encourage athletes to play longer have combined to produce a generation of athletes that is changing sports and attitudes.

They are Baby Boomers who refuse to grow old, or at least show their age, and they are part of a phenomenon that has broad implications for professional sports and society.

For all of us sweating through workouts in YMCAs or knocking around courts and fields on the weekends, the triumphs of these champions set the bar higher. Whether we're in our 30s or 40s, or in our 70s or 80s, when age doesn't seem to matter anymore there's suddenly a new view of what we can achieve.

Youthfulness is celebrated in every sphere, not just in sports, but champions like Navratilova are redefining what that means and how it looks.

When she played a Wimbledon tuneup event last summer, Navratilova heard some carping from young players that she was taking up a spot in the draw and should have stayed retired.<