In 2021, millions of viewers admired the participant of the Summer Olympics, the artistic gymnast from Uzbekistan, Oksana Khusovitina. The 46-year-old athlete was competing in the Olympics for the eighth time, competing at the same level as young gymnasts (and age is very important in this sport, unlike, say, equestrian or sailing).
For the first time, Oksana got to the Games almost 30 years ago – as part of the United Team of the former Soviet republics. And in 2016, she entered the Guinness Book of Records as the only participant in seven Olympic Games in the world.
The admirable story got us thinking: who was the oldest participant in the Olympics? And the youngest? Let’s talk!
The oldest participant in the Olympic Games
Oscar Swan is not only the oldest participant in the history of the Olympics. He is the oldest Olympic champion! The Swedish marksman took part in the Games for the first time at the age of 60: then in London 1908 he won gold. Four years later, it was decided to repeat the success: at the home Olympics in Stockholm, the sixty-four-year-old Svan again stood on the top podium.
But that’s not all. In 1920, already at the age of 72, Oscar again arrived at the games. This time he took silver, but for many years he secured the title of the oldest participant in the games.
Why are there 5 rings in the emblem of the Olympic Games and what do they mean?
The youngest participant in the Olympic Games
At the 2021 Summer Olympics, many admired Syrian tennis player Hand Zaza, who was just 12 years old and needed to win a qualifying tournament to get to the games. And she did it – at the age of 11! – defeated four-time Olympic champion Mariana Sahakyan of Lebanon.
And yet the record belongs to another athlete. Namely the Greek gymnast Dimitrios Lundras.
He first participated in the Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens: he was then only 10 years and 7 months old. After that, the young athlete was able to win a bronze medal in team competitions.
As for the youngest Olympic winner, Kim Yun Mi leads the way, winning gold in short track speed skating at the 1994 Lillehammer Games.
See also: Beijing Olympics: which of our skaters will take revenge for the gymnasts’ failure?
Photo: Getty Images, Legion-Media, Oleg Buldakov/TASS Newsreel, Semen Meisterman, Niko Naumenkov
Source: The Voice Mag
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
