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Who Are the Oldest Olympic Gold Medalists? Simone Biles and More Record-Breaking Athletes
Age is just a number! This has been proven throughout the years at the Olympic Games, where athletes as young as preteens and as old as retirement age have competed in various sports and walked away with medals. One famous “old” gold medalist at the 2024 Olympics is Simone Biles, who became the oldest American gymnast to earn the title of Olympic champion. However, in her late 20s, she’s still much younger than many of the oldest record-breaking Olympic athletes in history.
Who Is the Oldest Olympic Gold Medalist in History?
The oldest Olympic gold medalist in history is Oscar Swahn of Sweden, according to Guinness World Records. In 1912, Oscar was on the winning Running Deer shooting team at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. He was 64 years and 258 days old at the time.
Oscar later broke another record in 1920 at the Antwerp Olympics in Belgium when he became the oldest silver medalist in the shooting event at 72 years and 280 days old.
The athlete won his first gold medal ever at the 1908 Olympics in London. He returned to the following two Olympics and won three more gold medals, one silver and two bronze. Oscar died on May 1, 1927, at 79 years old.
How Old Is Simone Biles at the 2024 Olympics?
Simone is 27 years old at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She has won three gold medals so far at this year’s games, making her the oldest American gymnast to take home gold in history.
Is Simone Biles the Oldest Olympic Gold Gymnast?
Though she broke the record for American gymnasts, Simone is not the oldest gymnast in the world to take home gold at the Olympics. In 1952, Maria Gorokhovskaya took home the first-place medal for the Soviet Union in the all-around final at 30 years old. She retired in 1954.
With that said, there’s still a chance that Simone could attempt to break the world record. The gymnast addressed her Olympics future after she won the gold medal for vault in August 2024.
“Is this my last? Definitely Yurchenko double pike,” she said, referring to her difficult move in the event. “I mean, I kinda nailed that one.”
Regarding the 2028 Olympics, though, Simone said, “Never say never.”
”The next Olympics is at home [Los Angeles]. So, you just never know. But I am getting really old,” she added.
Other Oldest Olympic Gold Medalists
There have been various other record-breaking and age-defying athletes in the Olympics through the years, including sailor Santiago Lange. Santiago competed in sailing in the 2016 Olympics at 54 years old and won a gold medal.
In men’s swimming, the oldest gold medalist is the United States’ Anthony Ervin, who broke the record at 35 years old at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
At 33 years old, American sprinter Michael Johnson won the distinction of becoming the oldest Olympic gold medalist at any track event shorter than 5000 meters during the 2000 Olympics.
Going back further in history, there’s Team USA archer Lida Peyton Pollock, who was 63 years old when she won a gold medal at the 1904 Olympics in Missouri.
