[LE BILLET] With our best old people!

Age has no influence on “King James”, who took “Team USA” to the top of Olympus last summer in Paris. The same place where the French standard bearer Mélina Robert-Michon participated at the age of 45 in her seventh Olympic discus final. Something to make all the budding brawlers of “The Voice” dream of.

At an age where osteoarthritis, tendinitis and early rheumatism condemn us to pedaling on small plateaus, we console ourselves as best we can. By proxy.

Certainly, these last few months have deprived us of some sporting legends. From Rafael Nadal who, at 38, waited a year before joining Roger Federer and Serena Williams in the racquet pantheon. From Mark Cavendish and Nikola Kabaratic, also caught up, at 39 and 40 years old, by the weight of their prize list.

Let us properly celebrate the final defeats of Richard Gasquet, now 129th in the ATP.

As Franck Ribéry philosophized in his time, “the wheel that turns will turn quickly”. For everyone. But rather than sinking into nostalgia, let’s enjoy the present moment. And at the time of the traditional “Happy New Year, good health”, let us congratulate ourselves on attacking 2025 with some of our best old people.

Let’s rejoice at the return of Lyndsay Vonn, determined to prove on the slopes that a 40-year-old woman is often worth two twenty-year-olds. Let’s savor the trajectories of Fernando Alonso, 400 grand prix at the age of 45 and the patience of a driving school instructor in the face of the cheeky young people in the paddock.

Let’s watch for the few strokes of genius from Gaël Monfils, more intermittent in entertainment than professional tennis player at 38 years old.

And let’s properly celebrate the final defeats of his promotion friend Richard Gasquet, now 129^e to the ATP. Until the very last one scheduled at the end of May on the Central of Roland-Garros, a few days before his 39th birthday.

Because everyone knows since Bertrand Tavernier and “D’Artagnan’s Daughter” that even musketeers have osteoarthritis.