The Olympic Age Movement

Posted August 9, 2008, 1:27 pm in Sports


Dara Torres gets the most publicity and deservedly so. She's setting American records in a sport dominated by Americans. Young Americans. But she's hardly alone in this Olympic age movement.

• Hiroshi Hoketsu, 67, is a Japanese dressage rider who came off a 44-year break to earn a spot on this years Olympic team.
• Ian Millis, 61, is a Canadian show jumper competing in his ninth Olympics.
• Laurie Lever, 60, is a member of the Austrian equestrian team in the hazardous sport of show jumping.
• John Dane, 58, is competing for the USA in sailing. More on John Dane
• Susan Nattrass, 57, is a six-time Canadian Olympian trap shooter.
• Libby Callahan, 56, is on the Canadian shooting team.
• Haile Satayin, 53, is an Israeli marathoner making his second Olympic appearance.
• Richard Johnson, 52, is a member of the USA archery team.
• Nick Skelton, 50, is a British horseman.
• Luan Jujie, 50, is a Canadian fencer competing in her fourth Olympics.
• Iain Murray, 50, is a Australian sailor making his Olympics debut.
• Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli, 49, is a French cyclist competing in her eighth Games.
• David Zhuang, 44, will be competing for the USA in table tennis. He was the US champion as recently as 2006, at age 42.
• Oksana Chusovitina 33, is a mother and a member of the German gymnastics team competing against girls half her age.

The oldest Olympian on record is Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, who won a silver medal at the 1920 Antwerp Games, just two months shy of his 73rd birthday.



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