Sporting Life - Summer Olympics - Beijing 2008

Forget life begins at 40 - add another two decades onto the old adage for Australian showjumper Laurie Lever as he prepares to make his Olympic debut at 60-years-young.

Actually born in Manchester, Lever will represent the Green and Gold of Australia in Beijing and will be looking to prove that age is no barrier for winning an Olympic medal.

The oldest member of the Australian team and the oldest debutant in Beijing, Lever will finally achieve his lifelong dream and prove that it is never too late as he competes in the Olympics.

After half a century in the saddle Lever has as much experience as you could want and he believes that it will give him an advantage against the young 30 and 40-somethings he will be competing against in Hong Kong.

After years of showjumping events both nationally and internationally, Lever has finally found a horse good enough to take to the Olympic Games, and he is determined to make the most of his chance.

"It's been amazing the number of people who have come up to me and said 'Good on you Laurie, there's hope for us yet,'" Lever said.

Fitness

"But nowadays as you get older we are not getting as unfit.

"We are a fitter generation and you don't have to be as fit as another sort of elite athlete for show jumping.

"Experience is very important in this sport."

Lever's claims are backed up by him not being the oldest rider at the Games, with Hiroshi Hoketsu of Japan seven years his senior and returning to the Olympics after a short break of a mere 44 years.

Lever rides a nine-year-old grey called Ashleigh Drossel Dan in the Olympics and it will be the culmination of a big sacrifice by the rider to get to Beijing.

Being based in Germany since November, Lever has not returned home since but feels that all his efforts have been worthwhile, as it could be his first and last Olympics.

"At my age I don't think I will get to see many more opportunities like this," he said.

"My family has stood behind me all the way and said 'have a go.' But the secret is also having the right horse underneath you."

Future

"I would be very surprised if I was still going around at that stage (next Olympics).

"I would think my son (Phillip) would probably disown me by then and say it's time he had the horse."

After a lifetime being involved with horses, Lever hopes that his experience will be of great use as he goes all out for a medal in Beijing.

"It requires fierce concentration from you and the horse," he said.

"I try to keep a fairly narrow mind, focused on what I have to do.

"When you have a course of jumps, every time they build it is different with different challenges."