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Panel Detail:
Monday, April 24, 2006
4:50 PM - 5:50 PM
Lance Armstrong and Andre Agassi: Keeping Fit as You Grow "Younger"
Speakers:
Andre Agassi,
Winner of more than 60 professional tennis titles; Founder, Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation
Lance Armstrong,
Seven-time winner of the Tour de France; Founding Director, Lance Armstrong Foundation
Moderator:
Diana Nyad, World-Class Distance Swimmer; Broadcast Commentator
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During their packed-house session, Andre Agassi, left, and Lance Armstrong talked about their lives as top athletes, their philanthropic efforts, nutrition and many other topics. Diana Nyad, center, moderated.
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Arguably two of the greatest athletes to ever grace the planet, Lance Armstrong and Andre Agassi, shared some of their stories, their life philosophies and their thoughts on the state of their sports, how nutrition and exercise played a role in their success and the work they do outside their sports.
Both men are known for their die-hard perseverance and athleticism, but the nature of those qualities differs between Armstrong and Agassi, reflecting the differences in the nature of the challenges posed by their respective sports. For Agassi, perseverance can be likened to a transcendence of time. "For me, it’s always been about the process,” he said. “Every day I just try to get one day better."
By focusing on the conditions and challenges immediately before him, he said, he has grown and evolved, adapting his game to new opponents and technologies, and enjoying a 20-year career in a sport where most winners only briefly shine. "In tennis, you don't have to be good," he noted. "You just have to be better than one person (at a time)." Agassi is currently gearing up to compete in Wimbledon and the U.S. Open later this year.
The challenges Armstrong has faced give his style of perseverance a slightly different flavor. In the early 1990s, he was emerging as a competitive cyclist. He won the 1990 U.S. Pro Championship and, by 1996, was ranked the No. 1 cyclist in the world. But that same year, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which had spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain. The doctors said his chances were less than 50-50. He underwent intensive chemotherapy, was able to fight back to health after two years and then kept the victory streak alive by winning seven consecutive Tour de France titles.
Determination comes naturally, he said, whether it's used to pedal up a hill or fight back a deadly disease. To be a great athlete, he said, you need both favorable genetics and the right attitude, but he was quick to add, "I think that the mental part of it is greater than the physical part."
Armstrong doesn’t regret his decision to retire. "My kids don't live in France," he said, and he is tired of missing important moments in their development. He also has more time for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which supports the cancer community's battle with their illness. "Athletes are forgotten," he said. "Sports fans move on to the next athlete, but cancer patients will be there forever. ... When you have to divvy up the time in the day, those (cancer patients) are the people you've got to focus on."
In 1994, Agassi founded The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation to help provide recreational and educational opportunities for at-risk children. "I hope to leave tennis in a better state than I found it," he said, "and I hope to leave the world in a better state and make a difference."
Moderator Diana Nyad asked how the two men stay focused on their sports, and Agassi replied that he has a wife and business partners whose support allows him to concentrate on tennis. "At the end of the day, I'm a tennis player," he said, "and I’m going to do that until I don't feel like I'm performing my best anymore."
"There are many winners, in cycling and in tennis," concluded Nyad, "but champions are people who've stepped out of their sport and touched humanity."
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