How Old are Olympians?
I read an interesting article on the Washington Post website this week. You can read the whole article here. Two thirds of the almost 12,000 Tokyo Olympians were in their 20's. That means about one third were younger or older! The range in this year's Olympics was two 12 year olds to four 60- somethings.
I thought this graphic was very interesting. Take a look at it on the WP website or a computer screen if it's hard to see on a smaller gadget.
The youngest ever was a 10 year old Greek gymnast in the very first Olympic Games, who won a bronze medal. The oldest was a 72 year old member of the Swedish shooting team who was the oldest athlete, the oldest medalist, and the oldest gold medalist in Olympic history.
Gymnastics, Diving, and now Skateboarding have the youngest competitors. Equestrian, Sailing, Shooting, and Archery are among the sports with the oldest competitors. Some Olympic sports have age limits. Boxers must be between 18 and 40. Mens Soccer players have an age 23 limit, although each team can have three over age players. Divers must be at least 14. Judo is 15 and over. Archery is 16 and over. Taekwondo 17 and over. Overall Track and Field is 16 and over, but Marathoners and 50k racewalkers must be 20 and over. Since 1997, gymnasts must turn 16 by the year the Olympics are held.
The whole article is extremely interesting. I recommend reading the whole article - link above.
5 comments:
Wow! That makes me feel old! And unfit, which I am!!
I was shocked to hear about the 12 year old and wonder what that pressure does to a young mind and body. It's pretty fascinating. I do admire the older ones, especially.
I am amazed at the age of young athletes which worries me. They can't have experienced the joys of a normal childhood as majority of their days are training after school. I also admire them, I certainly couldn't do what they do. Well done to the older athletes, it keeps their body and mind active.
I hope the young medalists of Street and Park see their training as play. Otherwise they will have lost a lot of the enjoyment of being a child in the quest for a OS victory.
That's really interesting about these younger and older athletes. Soccer players being limited to 23 certainly explains why there is so little overlap between the Olympic teams and the 'actual' national teams!
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