Tokyo Olympics: These Olympians prove that age is just a number

Hend Zaza, the Syrian table tennis prodigy who, at 12 years old, is one of the youngest Olympians of all time, has dominated the Tokyo 2020 headlines. On the other hand, there are some compelling personal experiences on the opposite end of the age span. These Olympians show that age is nothing more than a number. They have proved that success can come at any age. The older Olympians featured here are giving it their all at the Tokyo Summer Games.

Older Olympians

Mary Hanna, 66

Mary Hanna, an Australian equestrian dressage athlete, is the second-oldest woman in Olympic history, following Lorna Johnstone of the United Kingdom, who was 70 at the 1972 Games. Hanna is already planning her trip to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. She stated after competing in dressage qualifiers in Tokyo, “It’s only three years away.” “Unless my body really breaks down, I’m certainly aiming for Paris.”

Andrew Hoy, 62

Andrew Hoy, another Australian, became the country’s oldest Olympic medalist on Monday, winning silver and bronze in the equestrian eventing sport at the age of 62. Hoy competed in his eighth Olympic Games in Tokyo, and if he had his way, he will compete in the 2032 Games in Brisbane.

“I’ve got my eyes set on 2032 — Brisbane,” Hoy said. “Big incentive to get there. We will wait and see. Vassily [my horse] is going really well. While I’m healthy I will continue doing what I love doing.”

Xia Lian Ni, 58

Luxembourg’s Xia Lian Ni will compete in her fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. The 58-year-old lost in the second round to Shin Yubin of South Korea, an Olympic first-timer. Ni isn’t your run-of-the-mill Olympian: According to Radii China, the Shanghai-born mom only trains two or three times each week, warms up for only 10 minutes before each game, and frequently depends on her instinct over her vision due to her presbyopia.

Oksana Chusovitina, 46

Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan earned a standing ovation and enormous support from her fellow gymnasts after competing in her eighth and presumably final Olympics, despite not qualifying for the vault finals.

“It was really nice,” she told reporters after her event. “I cried tears of happiness because so many people have supported me for a long time.”

“I didn’t look at the results, but I feel very proud and happy,” she added. “I’m saying goodbye to sports. It’s kind of mixed feelings.”

Nino Salukvadze, 52

Nino Salukvadze, a Georgian shooter, became the first woman to compete in nine Olympic Games after her performance in Tokyo last weekend. She and her son Tsotne Machavariani, pictured here, represented Georgia at the 2016 Rio Olympics, making history as the first mother-son duo to compete in the same Olympics. Salukvadze will also compete in her 10th Olympics in three years in Paris if her son has his way.

“The whole time we were talking [last], he kept saying, ‘This is out of the question. There are three years left. You can go for your tenth Olympics, you have a chance. Why not take it? If you quit, I will quit too!’ And I don’t want him to quit,” she said.

Abdelkebir Ouaddar, 59

According to his official Olympic bio, Moroccan equestrian Abdelkebir Ouaddar, 59, trained to ride with the Moroccan royal family after being adopted as a child. Ouaddar also carried the Moroccan flag at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro’s opening ceremony.

Santiago Raul Lange, 59

Team Argentina’s Santiago Raul Lange, is competing in his sixth Olympic Games. He also earned a gold medal in sailing at the 2016 Rio Olympics after the removal of 80% of his left lung.

“The operation, somehow, motivated me to go to Rio de Janeiro,” he said in an interview posted on his Olympic bio. “I was fortunate that the 2016 Olympics were held within a year. My mind wasn’t caught by cancer or surgery, but I was looking forward to the competition.”