An 80-year-old champion athlete says, 'It's never too late to start something new.' She credits picking up ping pong later in life for keeping her mind sharp.

• Carol Klenfner credits ping pong for keeping her mind sharp and active in her 80s. • She began playing table tennis in her late 60s after seeing a documentary on senior athletes. • Klenfner's daily exercise routine and competitive spirit highlight the benefits of active aging.

Carol Klenfner had played ping pong on and off since growing up and into adulthood, but it wasn't until she was 69 that she picked up the paddle to compete.

Within just a few months of playing consistently, she began to notice a difference.

"I remember when I started playing ping pong," she told Business Insider's Sarah Andersen in April, "I noticed that my reflexes were faster than they had been."

Now, after more than a decade of playing and competing at the national level and earning more than 50 medals,