He was a two time All-American while at Missouri, throwing the discus from 1956-60.

Cochran also represented the United States in the 1960 Olympic Games, taking home a bronze medal.

Then came marriage, kids and all of a sudden the world-renown discus thrower took a 30-year break from the sport he loves in order to raise his children, whom he loves even more.

But during the lull in playing, his desire to compete and win never died.

Now, the 62-year-old Cochran is back.

Although he can’t throw the distance he used to, he’s able to compete against men his own age and still enjoys winning events.

He’ll be looking to add more medals to his trophy collection at this week’s Missouri State Senior Games in Columbia.

"The Senior Games are a big deal for a lot of people," said Cochran of Lake St. Louis. "My being competitive never left. There’s always that fire inside, and now I’ll have the chance to continue playing this sport."

The games give former athletes a chance to relive their former glory and for others the opportunity to compete in sports for the first time.

"People enjoy competing," said Senior Games coordinator Jack Miles. "It’s an opportunity that is very limited for seniors. This is an opportunity for them to compete with people" of a similar "age they probably wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.

"In years past, some of these seniors used to participate with younger people and took a back seat."

Come Thursday morning, nearly 700 athletes aged 50 or older will travel from all over the state to compete in 23 sports at the seventh-annual state games. The total number of athletes is down from last year’s record 1,461 because the national and international senior games will be held later this year, with many seniors unable to afford to travel to more than one of these events.

Also, softball, which usually draws about 300 athletes to the state games, will be held in August.

For 68-year-old Maurine Lia, the games give her the rare opportunity to interact with athletes her own age. The St. Louis native began race walking in 1988, when her daughter invited her to a mother-daughter race walk.

"I was hooked after that," Lia said. "The competition bug bit me, and there was no turning back."

Lia, who never participated in sports before the senior games, actually went on to win national senior titles in the sport in 1990, ’92, ’94 and ’98.

She hopes to be going for her fifth title at the national games, which will be held in Baton Rouge, La., on July 14-18. Lia must first qualify for the nationals at the Missouri games.

There will be five athletes over the age of 90 at the state games. The average age of the participants is 63. Lia remembers the time she saw a 90-year-old finish a 5K race at last year’s state games.

"I think that competition keeps these seniors young," Lia said. "It’s certainly encouraging others to see a 90-year-old finish a race like that. No matter how much it hurts, you just gotta keep on going. It’s very inspirational."