Is writing a sport of sorts?

By John Cheeran
Awards make me think.
I have never won any award in my life so it is natural that I have a very low opinion of awards. That, however, should not prevent me from asking this question. Is writing a sport of sorts?
Winning a medal for writing, does it make your work of greater value?
Winning a medal for writing, of course, will ensure that your book becomes popular and your stock value goes up in the publishing world.
I have been reading through wire stories after Kiran Desai won the Booker Prizefor her The Inheritance of Loss. All these stories did not fail to remind me that Kiran is the youngest Booker-winner at 35. Incidentally Arundhati Roy was 36 when she won the Booker for her God of Small Things.
Is there any age and weight category for literary prizes?
What does it add to the value of the Loss if Kiran is 35 or 65?
It is not Kiran's fault that she became a successful author at 35.
But attaching importance to that element is unfortunate.
The point is that it is assumed that the faster you win it, the greater you become.
In individual sports, you always mention the age of the winner when a performance is put into perspective. When cricketers and footballers make their debut we remember their age, for it is an indication of how long you are going to stay around the game.
Sport, except in golf, ensures that the older you become the lesser your chances to hit the winning shot.
Is the business of writing too the same? Does it hinge on how fast you conquer Nobel and Booker?
May be Kaavya Viswanathan would have thought so.