Olympic champion eyes gold medal at 38
McEvoy cited Brazilian butterfly sprinter Nicholas Santos, who won gold in the 50 meters at the 2022 Short Course World Championships in Melbourne at the age of 42, as evidence that he could still be a heavyweight medal contender at Brisbane 2032.
But he expressed hope that the growth in 25-meter sprints, which are not included in the Olympics or among the world records, will carry shorter races into the future.
“But whether or not it gets confirmed as a world record, the ball is definitely starting to roll on interest in this,” McEvoy said.
“This isn’t an effort to add 25 points to the Olympics or something like that, it’s just a step forward to have a world ranking and take that somewhat seriously in our sport, which I think would be a big step for sprinting in general.”
Griffith University swimming assistant high-performance coach David Thomas felt McEvoy’s way of reinventing the wheel would encourage more athletes to consider alternative training methods.
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But he stressed that while swimmers may soon be able to move beyond typical retirement ages, it will depend on the individual’s situation. These factors included mental health, life balance, finances, and motivation to continue performing at the highest level.
“I listened to an interview with him where I could tell he had found a little spot in his life where everything was in harmony with his partner and his new child,” Thomas said.
“He feels heavily involved in the planning and design of his training, so he makes purposeful contributions to his work, not just on a day-to-day basis, but actually over the course of three, six, 12 months.
“In a sport that has traditionally been like school and you do what you’re told, it’s a great coach-athlete relationship.
“I think he’s found ways to train where he can get the most out of the areas that interest him the most.
“He identified the strength component, the skill component…it seems like he is very goal-oriented in those areas.”
McEvoy, who has degrees in physics and mathematics, was preparing to hunt between Australia and the World, which he said provided motivation to improve.
“I’d be a fool if I didn’t think there would be young guys who would improve themselves and be in the starting line-up in Los Angeles and Brisbane,” McEvoy said.
“Even the established guys who are redefining their approach to their sport right now, thinking they won’t come back as strong as ever is not the best place to be.”
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