TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Olympians' Ordeals: Athletes Not Immune To Health Risks

Tribune photo illustration

Peggy Fleming, left, Bob Beamon, Mark Spitz, Mary Lou Retton and Gail Deves are among the greatest Olympians the United States has produced. Today, all battle health issues.

ADVERTISEMENT

By MARY SHEDDEN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 31, 2008

If you're one of the 4 billion people expected to watch Friday's opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games, you'll likely be mesmerized by the elite athletes, all of whom are literally at the top of their game.

The last thing on your mind will be their future heart disease, diabetes or hip replacement.

But that's exactly what's in store for these extremely gifted people representing nations from all over the world. They are human beings, after all, who - despite reaching a level of ultimate fitness - are just as prone to aging, health risks and injuries as the rest of us.

"A lot of people have this misconception that you're invincible," says swimmer Mark Spitz, who won an unprecedented seven gold medals for the United States in the 1972 Olympic Games. "We do age."

Spitz, now 58, struggles with genetically inherited high cholesterol and takes a daily statin medication to offset the risk of heart disease. "Diet and exercise wasn't the answer for me," he says.

Many of the former world-class athletes we cheered for during past Olympic Games now suffer from chronic illness. Some of their problems are genetic or are the result of aging. Other illnesses are the result of extreme exertion preparing for world-class competition, says Jeff Konin, executive director of the Sports Medicine and Related Trauma Institute at the University of South Florida.

"Breakdown is a normal part of the process ... Everybody breaks down at some point," he says.

Just look at some of the high-profile stars with ailments. America's sweetheart, 1984 gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton, had a hip replacement in her mid-30s. American long jumper Bob Beamon, who shocked the world in 1968 with a miraculous 29.2-foot jump, now battles diabetes. Gail Devers, the dazzling track and field specialist with equally dazzling fingernails, lives with a thyroid disorder known as Graves' disease.

In fact, at least one athlete competing in Beijing already has adapted as a result of heavy wear and tear on her body. Kristin Armstrong, a member of the U.S. cycling team, was a professional triathlete until she was diagnosed with osteoarthritis at 27. Doctors told her she had to slow down the damage to her joints or risk needing a hip replacement by the age of 30. Now 34, she is one of the nation's strongest hopes to medal in cycling at the 2008 games.

For most of us, disorders and illnesses become just another part of growing older. Some of these famous athletes, however, have managed to make it lucrative, moving their faces from boxes of Wheaties cereal to Web sites for medical devices or pharmaceutical companies.

Spitz and Beamon, for example, are two of six American gold medal winners now serving as paid spokespersons for Medco, a mail-order pharmacy business. Cancer survivor and former ice skater Peggy Fleming; diver Greg Louganis, who lives with AIDS; asthma sufferer and runner Jackie Joyner-Kersee; and one-time track wonder Bruce Jenner, who has arthritis, all endorse Medco as part of the company's Tour of Champions campaign.

Steve Naeger, a Largo-based pharmacist for Medco who works with Spitz on his treatment, says the experience makes him look differently at the top-level men and women competing at the Olympics.

"I think, 'There's one of my future patients,'" Naeger says of the current crop of American athletes.

Konin believes Olympic and professional athletes may be more at risk than average persons once their competing days are over. Elite athletes put more wear and tear on their bodies in 20 years than most people do during a lifetime. But they mentally push the pain away at high-stakes world-class events, says Konin, who witnessed that firsthand as part of the track and field medical staff at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

"They were going to run that race no matter what," he says. "They would worry about the injury the next day, the next year, or years later."

Also, once elite athletes of any sport stop training, their bodies undergo a significant change, Konin says. Their metabolism may be the same, but far less exercise can add excess pounds and fat. He said retired football players often fall into that trap and end up becoming more at risk for chronic illnesses that result from obesity.

"When their career is over, they're on their own, so it's up to them whether they get off the couch or go to McDonald's," Konin says. "You have to practice self-discipline."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT