By Julie E 
We look at other athletes who shown that age is no longer a barrier to success after Jo Pavey shocked the sporting world by winning her first gold medal at the age of 40.
Supermum Jo Pavey, who won her first gold medal at the age of 40, demonstrated that she could outperform her younger competitors.
Jo defeated a competitor sixteen years her junior to win the 10,000-meter title in 32 minutes and 22.39 seconds at the European Championships, much to the thunderous delight of onlookers.
The Exeter mother-of-two won a European gold, making her the oldest female winner ever. Jo stated, “I’m definitely still enjoying it.” Jo will turn 41 in a month. However, 40 is only “old” in the context of athletics.
There are plenty of people succeeding later in life elsewhere. Age is no barrier whether it comes to launching into space, giving birth, or conquering Mount Everest.
We might all take a cue from these fearless achievers who demonstrate that you’re never too old—good things truly do come to those who wait and age is just a number.
…to complete a driving exam
The late Tory noble and former minister Lord Renton became the oldest person to pass a driving test just before turning 95 in 2003.
Although there was no official driving test in the early 1930s, he had already been driving since then.
Other than having to renew their license every three years after turning seventy-one, older drivers are not subject to any limitations.
…to take home the Oscar
At eighty years old for Jessica Tandy and eighty-two years old for Christopher Plummer, they are the oldest male and female Oscar winners.
Before passing away in 1994, Jessica, a British-American actress for the theater and movies, had a successful 67-year career. She played more than 60 parts in movies and television shows and participated in over 100 theatrical works.
She won a Golden Globe and a coveted BAFTA for her role in 1989’s Driving Miss Daisy, which subsequently earned her an Oscar.
1958 saw the screen debut of Christopher Plummer in the movie Stage Struck. The widower Captain von Trapp, who sings Edelweiss in the popular 1965 musical The Sound of Music, is most likely the most well-known role for the Canadian.
Throughout his seven-decade career, he received many honors, but strangely, Beginners brought him his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2012.
…to hold the position of prime minister
At seventy-one, Lord Palmerston was the oldest prime minister to hold the position. At the age of 23, he joined the House of Commons after being born in 1784. Prior to switching parties and becoming the most successful Whig Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister in 1855, he served as a junior minister in a Tory cabinet for twenty years.
He was the last PM to pass away while in office, having served two terms. He was 80 years old when he passed away in 1865 from a severe fever that started as a chill.
Palmerston became the fourth non-royal person to receive a state funeral, following the Duke of Wellington, Sir Isaac Newton, and Lord Nelson.