Your logic is flawed.  You state that money is what drives elite performance.  If you ask elite athletes what drives them, money is not the issue.  Passion, competing, team, and love of the sport drives them.  Same in life.  People and organizations driven by monetary rewards are rarely successful.  The old adage applies - money does not drive happiness.

You think the successful woman swimmers are in their 40s?  Right.  There has been one exception to that rule recently - Dara Torres.  Otherwise, elite woman swimmers are generally younger than their male counterparts but generally in their young to mid 20s.