With the 2025 NFL season approaching and the New York Knicks preparing to say goodbye to Jeremy Lin, we’re hearing more about athlete retirement news than ever before. But while a lot of athletes are hanging up their cleats for good, that doesn’t mean they can’t return to the field in some capacity later on. In fact, many elite athletes continue to compete well into their 40s and beyond thanks to advances in health and technology.

Whether they’re chasing gold at the Olympics or simply feeling the urge to prove that they have something left to give, some retired athletes end up “un-retiring” and coming back better than ever. From Olympic diver Tom Daley returning to diving just two years after he initially hung up his scuba gear to rower Helen Glover making a U-turn on her retirement to compete at Tokyo 2022, these former athletes prove that if you have the drive and the passion for it, you can always make a comeback.

This article was originally published in February of 2022 and has been updated.