Another old fogey captures a major sporting event as Hélio Castroneves wins a thrilling Indianapolis 500 at age 46
- Hélio Castroneves won the 2021 Indianapolis 500 at age 46.
- It was the fourth Indy 500 win of his career.
- He joins a growing list of aging athletes to win major trophies in the last year.
Spider-man did it again!
Hélio Castroneves won a thrilling Indianapolis 500 with a pass in the final two laps to take his fourth win at The Brickyard.
Castroneves and 24-year-old Spanish driver Álex Palou traded leads several times in the final 15 laps. However, it was the driver nickname Spider-man who made the final pass entering the first turn on Lap 199 and successfully navigating lapped traffic on Lap 200 to take the checkered flag.
At 46, Castroneves joins a growing list of athletes defying their ages to win major trophies in the last year. LeBron James (35) and Sue Bird (39) led their teams to championships in the NBA and WNBA respectively in a sport where being 30 can be considered over-the-hill. In addition, Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win at age 43, and Phil Mickelson recently won the PGA Championship at age 50.
Maybe it is time we start rethinking what it means to be "old" in sports.
