Aussie men are ticking time bombs, with Olympian James Magnussen revealing he made a mistake that is all too common and can lead to real health issues.
Magnussen. 34, is a retired Australian sprinter who won gold in the men’s 100 metre freestyle at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai and again in 2013 at Barcelona.
He also earned a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the 100 metre freestyle, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind Nathan Adrian.
He formally retired from competitive swimming on June 5, 2019 at the age of 28, concluding a career that yielded 15 or more major international medals .
Magnussen announced in early 2024 that he would come out of retirement to compete in the Enhanced Games, aiming to break the 50‑metre freestyle world record for a $1million prize.
He admitted using performance‑enhancing drugs to transform his physique in preparation for the event.
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen revealed he had not been for a blood test at the GP since he retired from the sport
Magnussen is not alone, with around 60 per cent of Aussie men, particularly younger ones, avoiding regular checkups with the doctor
But prior to that, he was required to undergo a full medical examination, something he described as ‘scary’ because he hadn’t done one since he retired from professional swimming.
‘I hadn’t done a blood test in seven years to know what my testosterone levels were,’ Magnussen told The 28 Year Old Male podcast.
‘Turns out they were pretty normal before I did the thing, smack bang in what was normal for testosterone levels.
‘But I hadn’t tested them in seven years since I’d been an athlete.
‘I actually had to do a full health screening before I started the games. Heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, all these things.
‘There was a little bit of nervous energy from me when I got the test done because I was like ‘oh I haven’t been sick much, but I’ve definitely enjoyed life’.
‘I was like ‘how is my body holding up? What effects has sport or has life generally had on my body? And I healthy?’.
‘Cause I actually don’t know.’
Magnussen won two gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships and a silver medal at the Olympics
The former Olympian is now jacked up as he prepares to shatter records as part of The Enhanced Games
Magnussen is not alone.
According to Australian Government statistics, approximately 60 per cent of Australian men do not regularly engage in health check-ups – particularly those aged 18-44.
He said it was vital for Aussie men to buck that trend and get to the doctor, to detect and get ahead of underlying issues before they became a major problem.
‘When you look at it, and it stares you back in the face of this is where your health is at, this is a full picture of your health,’ he said.
‘It’s OK, now I know what I need to improve or change or do anything like that.
‘But as guys, most of us wait until we’re sick or wait until something goes wrong and then you go to the doc.
‘They will go ‘oh you know, you’ve got this underlying issue that’s been there for years but you just never had a checkup’.
‘It’s a good lesson for all guys out there,’ he said.
‘I’ve actually said to a few of my mates since I got back, I’d never had any of this testing done, but you should probably go see a doctor and get this, just to know where you are at.
‘It’s probably not a bad point in your mid thirties or your late thirties to not know what’s going on.’
