Well, what a great Olympics, especially for Team GB!! It seems the investment in athletes, together with the experience and know-how of their support teams of coaches, physios, psychologists, technologists, nutritionists, and the technical and innovative gurus, over 20 years has paid off. The results in performance and productivity have improved each Olympic cycle since 1996, with 2016 being the best medal return in over 100 years.
It demonstrates that diversity of competence, skills, and experience can have a hugely positive effect on outcomes. If we, as former Team GB Cycling Performance Director, Dave Brailsford would, look at the marginal gains that can be attained through age diversity: loyalty; reliability; work ethic; and customer service; are all attributes that added value to the overall objectives and goals achieved by Team GB.
It’s clear from the results that the integration of disciplines and diversity, together with a multi-generational team spirit had a cumulative winning effect across the whole squad and support staff. Without exception, all front-line athletes paid tribute to the team that made their success possible, including these three Team GB examples and achievements:
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Nick Skelton, Gold medal winner at 58
Nick Skelton, 58, Team GB – Show jumper Nick Skelton became Britain’s second-oldest Olympic gold medallist in his seventh Games. Yes, second-oldest, Joshua Millner, claimed shooting gold in 1908 at the age of 61. Nick claimed individual gold after an exciting six-way jump-off.
- Katherine Grainger, 40, Team GB – Winning a silver medal in the double-skulls rowing event, alongside partner Victoria Thornley, Grainger has become Team GB’s most decorated female Olympian, adding to her Gold in London, and previous 3 Olympic silvers stretching back to Sydney in 2000.
- Amy Tinkler,16, Team GB – Amy won bronze, and in doing so, became the first British woman to win an Olympic medal in the gymnastics floor exercise. She’s the third British woman to win an individual gymnastics medal after Beth Tweddle, who won bronze on the uneven bars in London 2012, and Bryony Page, who won trampoline silver in Rio last week.
Kristin Armstrong, Gold medal winner at 43
The lifespan for many sporting stars can be cruelly short – in few professional fields do people hitting 30 get described as a “veteran”. But across the Olympics, there is proof that age need not be a barrier to competing at the highest level. Here’s a few examples from Rio:
- Oksana Chusovitina, 41, Uzbekistan, who made the gymnastics vault final
- Hoang Xuan Vinh, 41, Vietnam, who won gold and silver in the air pistol events
- Kristin Armstrong, 43, USA, who won gold in the road cycling time trial
- Lesley Thompson-Willie, 56, Canada, in rowing, tied the most Olympic appearances with Rio being the 8th
- Julie Brougham, 62, New Zealand, in equestrian, this was Julie’s first Olympics, and although she missed out on qualification in the dressage, with Japanese equestrian, Hiroshi Hoketsu, competing at the London games aged 71, Julie could still have another shot at glory at Tokyo in 2020!
Why not introduce the scope of delivering marginal gains to your organisation to fulfil broader and more strategic successful outcomes? Now, Dave Brailsford and his team ensured all riders went everywhere with their own pillows to get a good nights sleep when they were on their travels, but I’m not suggesting you need to go to such lengths! However, follow the Team GB path of investment in a diverse range of skills, competencies and experience. Create and support an age diverse workforce to improve productivity, transfer of knowledge, mitigate skills gaps, and reflect your customer base. Steve Anderson/Founder/Prime Candidate
Become a Champion for Age Diversity
