{"id":462330,"date":"2026-02-08T19:50:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T19:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/462330\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T19:50:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T19:50:43","slug":"katie-taylor-primed-to-join-ronaldo-rose-and-the-williams-sisters-in-the-forties-club-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/462330\/","title":{"rendered":"Katie Taylor primed to join Ronaldo, Rose and the Williams sisters in the forties club \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last weekend, Katie Taylor<\/a> spoke on RT\u00c9<\/a> about the possibility of a world title fight in Ireland this year. She is the undisputed super-lightweight world champion and will be 40 in July. <\/p>\n

Also last weekend, Justin Rose led from start to finish to win the Farmers Insurance Open<\/a> at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Aged 45, he became the oldest golfer to win the tournament.<\/p>\n

Last Sunday, 38-year-old Novak Djokovic – a record 24-time major champion – lost to 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> in the Australian Open final in Melbourne. Djokovic became the oldest man in the professional era to contest a Grand Slam final. <\/p>\n

It was the Serb\u2019s 38th decider and extended the record he already held.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> celebrated his 41st birthday. The Manchester Evening News has linked him with a return to Manchester United<\/a> after he refused to play for his current club Al-Nassr. Ronaldo is chasing his thousandth goal and will this summer play in a sixth FIFA World Cup with Portugal.<\/p>\n

In Toulon, the Mediterranean climate has been kind to rugby player Ma\u2019a Nonu, where the former All Black continues to bulldoze players in professional rugby at 43.<\/p>\n

In sport, 40 is the new 30 and it\u2019s everywhere.<\/p>\n

\"NovakNovak Djokovic set a new record by contesting last weekend’s Australian Open final aged 38. Photograph: by Lintao Zhang\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

In last year\u2019s US Open, Venus Williams competed at 45, while LeBron James continues to set basketball standards with the Lakers at 41. <\/p>\n

In Italy<\/a> this week, US skier Lindsey Vonn considered whether to compete in the Winter Olympics with a ruptured ACL.<\/p>\n

Also 41, Vonn made an astonishing return to competition at 40 having retired six years before. The list goes on. Tom Brady retired from NFL in 2023 at 45 while Serena Williams, at 40, \u201cevolved\u201d away from tennis after the 2022 US Open. <\/p>\n

The BBC<\/a> last week reported that according to the Tennis Integrity Unit, Serena Williams \u2013 the 44-year-old mother-of-two and a 23-time Grand Slam singles winner \u2013 is back on the registered list of players.<\/p>\n

Closer to home, snooker player Ronnie O\u2019Sullivan last year celebrated his 50th birthday at the UK Championship, where he holds two records. He became the youngest champion in 1993 aged 17, and the oldest in 2023, at 47.<\/p>\n

Time used to be the truth teller to elite athletes. It is now more fallible than ever. It is not simply about the length of time athletes are extending their careers, but their ability to stay competitive and sustain a winning edge at the top of their sport. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to play in and among the best players in the world; that\u2019s what keeps me motivated, keeps me hungry, keeps me pushing,\u201d said Rose after last week\u2019s win. His victory and his remarks helped encapsulate what many believe \u2013 that the mind is the primary driver for career longevity.<\/p>\n

\"JustinJustin Rose celebrates winning the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, California, last Sunday. Photograph: Orlando Ramirez\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

There have been myriad studies carried out that say without the mentality, athletes simply won\u2019t do the repetitive, detailed daily routines they need to do to service ageing limbs, and have them function the way they need to under duress. <\/p>\n

They won\u2019t be able to compete while injured, rebound from setbacks, negotiate roadblocks or even sustain self-belief. Without mental toughness, blinkered ambition \u2013 whether in soccer, tennis, golf or boxing \u2013 is self-delusion.<\/p>\n

Taylor spoke last week about the passion that drove her to win an Olympic gold medal at London 2012 and then pivot to another goal \u2013 the entirely different discipline of professional boxing. A new beginning at the age of 30.<\/p>\n

She rebooted when others might have retired. Taylor left her home and family in Ireland to move to Connecticut to be close to the one person, Ross Enamait, she identified as her best hope to further her journey toward a word title. She then lived an almost hermitic existence to achieve her goal.<\/p>\n

Making her professional debut in November, 2016, she won her first world belt in April, 2018. Aged 36 in 2023, she became the undisputed super lightweight world champion. <\/p>\n

\u201cKatie is a unique situation when you look at her career. Her boxing skill set improved throughout her pro career, but physically her body in some ways regressed just through age, injuries and overuse,\u201d said Enamait last summer after Taylor beat Amanda Serrano for the third time. \u201cShe did this at 39-years-old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KatieKatie Taylor connects with Amanda Serrano during her successful world title defence at Madison Square Garden last July. Photograph: Al Bello\/Getty Images for Netflix <\/p>\n

There is no doubt science is also at the forefront of career longevity. GPS monitors, even in amateur sports, are commonplace. Training loads to become stronger and fitter are no longer guesswork, with fatigue identification and management disciplines as important as pushing weights.<\/p>\n

Sleep, hydration, nutrition, flexibility, attitude, mental health and downtime \u2013 they are all constituent parts of a complex matrix. Different for every athlete. <\/p>\n

LeBron has spoken about the joy of playing and mentoring others. Serena Williams looks to her dogmatic self-belief. In 2017, she discovered she was pregnant two days before the Australian Open, then won it. <\/p>\n

With Taylor, it\u2019s history, breaking down barriers and legacy.<\/p>\n

Staying humble, being \u201ca road warrior\u201d and \u201cfunctioning under pressure\u201d were guiding principles for Roger Federer, who retired from tennis at 41, while O\u2019Sullivan, who has spoken about his mental health struggles, finds joy in running.<\/p>\n

There will be more like last weekend. Djokovic looking towards Wimbledon, Taylor seeking a last professional fight in Croke Park and Rose still clings to a childhood dream of golf\u2019s Grand Slam. <\/p>\n

Far from fantasy, it\u2019s those thoughts that keep them young.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last weekend, Katie Taylor spoke on RT\u00c9 about the possibility of a world title fight in Ireland this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462331,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,8808,2083,3747,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-462330","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxing","8":"tag-boxing","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-katie-taylor","12":"tag-novak-djokovic","13":"tag-pga-tour","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}