The tradeoff between the raw ability of fresh joints and the savvy of a mature mind used to be linear, with each slice of cake predictably pushing an athlete from precocious prodigy to washed-up veteran. But this summer, the Tokyo Olympics will host Gen Z athletes with veteran pedigrees alongside older athletes who are staying physically competitive far past what was previously considered retirement age.

One constant appears: why one competes is far more important than when.

Ahmed Fareed sits in for Lauren Shehadi to explore how swimmer Brent Hayden mounted a successful comeback a decade after his retirement, and we hear from Olympic and Paralympic phenoms on their journeys through high-performance childhoods.

Listen to this week's episode below and make sure to follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will be released weekly ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, followed by daily episodes throughout the duration of the Games.