The British pilot and doubts on the end of his career, while the 12 -year -old swimmer at the World Cup relaunches the theme of the entrance limits
What is the right age to quit is a question that will be tormenting the holidays of Lewis Hamilton after the ruthless self -analysis that has reserved for himself (“I am useless”) and the not requested advice that are reserving the others, see Bernie Ecclestone (as they say, it is known that people give good advice if he can no longer give bad example, since the successes of the current F. It is withdrawn, at 87 springs, with several years late, but this is another story). Hamilton is only the last of the champions struggling with the management of the career descendant part, whose most difficult company is always the choice of timing to say enough: for example, near him there is Fernando Alonso, 44 years old, 4 more than him, who fights with the same hunger to win ever.
The Chinese dilemma
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If there cannot be a right age to finish, is there one to start? The dilemma is reborn to the Singapore swimming World Cup where a 12 -year -old Chinese girl Yu Zidi, left in the bag the cap with a cartoon dog designed, closed fourth in two finals and took home a bronze medal for participation in the batteries of the 4×200 style relay. The international federation now perhaps change the rules, the age limit would be 14 years, unless someone reaches qualifying times. They didn’t think it would be possible. Right to launch a girl so in the races of the big ones? With what consequences for physicist and psyche? Yu is the result of cruel training and the pressure of tiger mothers or, as they say in China, the normal landing inside a system that cultivates excellence from very young?
protection or risks?
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And we are too protective, how did it seem to support Federica Pellegrini (who at 16 years old won silver in Athens) when speaking with the press contested the fact that Italy had not brought to the Alessandra Mao World Championships, 14 years old with the Italian title on the 200 style? Inge Sorensen won the bronze in the 200 frogs at the Berlin Olympics of 1936 at 12 years and 24 days: even then they wondered if it was right. On the other hand, if you have at the Mozart, at the age of six you take him to the park to play or encourage him to compose the first works? In artistic gymnastics you have to be at least 16 years old (but he was 14 Nadia Comaneci when he revolutionized sport with his 10, sure it was another gymnastics, less dangerous for the physique), for the dives there are 14, the F.1 after the debut of Max Verstappen introduced the limit to 18 (the age of Kimi Antonelli today struggling with the typical difficulties of the rookie) but derogations are possible for the most Talentuosi, artistic skating raised the bar at 17 after the strazio of the case of Kamila Valieva (team gold at the 2022 games), found positive for trimetazidine at 15 years and then collapsed under the weight of an international scandal. The IOC, eager to rejuvenate the audience in front of the TV, launched new sports such as the skateboard where they won twelve -year -old athletes (Cocona Hiraki) and thirteen -year -olds (the best known Sky Brown, with already rich sponsor contracts): but those seemed to be the jumps and the stunts of a tribe that dance, and nobody scandalized much.
Longevity
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The children prodigy sacrificed on the altar of earliness are infinite, on the other hand, to the cry that only counts the biological age, the career of the athletes has extended, who train better, eat better, are followed better. There is time to start very fine, stop, get lost, return. So? Therefore, entry limits to protect the little ones are necessary, for the rest, sport is an individual enigma (everyone must find their own solution, just like in life).
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