Oldest Olympic Competitors per Sport (2020 Update)
Here are the oldest ever competitors at the Summer Olympic Games for each sport. This list is from all Olympic years, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The oldest ever Olympian is Oscar Swahn of Sweden. He was 72 years, 281 days old when he competed at the 1920 Olympics in shooting. He also qualified for the 1924 Olympics but withdrew without competing. The oldest woman to compete in the Olympics was British equestrian rider Lorna Johnstone, who participated in equestrian at the 1972 Olympic Games at 70 years and 5 days old.
See other lists of the youngest Olympic competitors per sport, overall oldest and youngest medal winners, our list of the oldest living Olympians, and much more Olympic Trivia.
Oldest MALE competitors for each sport
| Sport | Age * | Name | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 71 years, 261 days | Thomas Scott | USA | 1904 |
| Badminton | 40 years 217 days | Robert Mateusiak | Poland | 2016 |
| Baseball | 44 years, 102 days | Alan Phillips | South Africa | 2000 |
| Basketball | 41 years, 99 days | Luis Scola | Argentina | 2021 |
| Beach Volleyball | 45 years, 168 days | Jake Gibb | USA | 2021 |
| Boxing | 41 years, 334 days | Muhammad Sadiq | Pakistan | 1976 |
| Canoe / Kayak | 48 years 300 days | Martin Marinov | Australia | 2016 |
| Climbing | 36 years 269 days | Bassa Mawem | France | 2021 |
| Cycling | 43 years 197 days | Juan Esteban Curuchet | Argentina | 2008 |
| Diving | 49 years 52 days | Erik Tjäder | Sweden | 1912 |
| Equestrian | 72 years, 49 days | Arthur von Pongracz | Austria | 1936 |
| Fencing | 63 years, 326 days | Karl Münich | Austria | 1912 |
| Field hockey | 44 years, 314 days | Tjerk Leegstra | USA | 1956 |
| Football | 39 years 24 days | Ricardo Piccinini | Guatemala | 1988 |
| Golf | 50 years, 287 days | Clarence Angier | USA | 1904 |
| Gymnastics - Artistic | 49 years, 152 days | Jan de Boer | Netherlands | 1908 |
| Handball | 43 years, 218 days | Humberto Gomes | Portugal | 2021 |
| Judo | 43 years, 222 days | Orlando Madrigal | Costa Rica | 1964 |
| Karate | 41 years, 55 days | Antonio Diaz | Venezuela | 2021 |
| Modern Pentathlon | 53 years, 96 days | Carl Pauen | Germany | 1912 |
| Rowing | 60 years 70 days | Oscar Rompani | Argentina | 1964 |
| Rugby | 40 years 47 days | Raoul Thiercelin | France | 1920 |
| Sailing | 71 years 212 days | William Martin | France | 1900 |
| Shooting | 72 years 281 days | Oscar Swahn | Sweden | 1920 |
| Skateboarding | 46 years, 302 days | Rune Glifberg | Denmark | 2021 |
| Surfing | 35 years, 209 days | Michel Bourez | France | 2021 |
| Swimming | 50 years 104 days | E. T. Jones | Great Britain | 1900 |
| Table Tennis | 54 years 193 days | Zhiwen He | Spain | 2016 |
| Taekwondo | 37 years 285 days | Steven Lopez | USA | 2016 |
| Tennis | 44 years 267 days | Sydney Jacob | India | 1924 |
| Track and Field | 52 years, 199 days | Percy Wyer | Canada | 1936 |
| Trampoline | 34 years 291 days | Aleksandr Moskalenko | Russia | 2004 |
| Triathlon | 42 years 269 days | Rob Barel | The Netherlands | 2000 |
| Volleyball (indoor) | 42 years 86 days | Mehdi Ben Cheikh | Tunisia | 2021 |
| Water Polo | 45 years 176 days | Charles Smith | Great Britain | 1924 |
| Weightlifting | 45 years 225 days | Josef Schuster | Germany | 1952 |
| Wrestling | 51 years 7 days | Hugo Toeppen | USA | 1904 |
Oldest FEMALE competitors for each sport
| Sport | Age * | Name | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 63 years 333 days | Eliza Pollock | USA | 1904 |
| Artistic Swimming | 40 years 196 days | Soňa Bernardová | Czechia | 2016 |
| Badminton | 44 years, 28 days | Denyse Julien | Canada | 2004 |
| Basketball | 41 years 332 days | Laia Palau | Spain | 2021 |
| Beach Volleyball | 39 years 61 days | Kerri-Ann Pottharst | Australia | 2004 |
| Boxing | 40 years 264 days | Mira Potkonen | Finland | 2021 |
| Canoe / Kayak | 47 years 321 days | Josefa Idem-Guerrini | Italy | 2012 |
| Climbing | 32 years 68 days | Akiyo Noguchi | Japan | 2021 |
| Cycling | 49 years, 287 days | Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli | France | 2008 |
| Diving | 36 years 235 days | Leong Mun Yee | Malaysia | 2021 |
| Equestrian | 70 years 5 days | Lorna Johnstone | Great Britain | 1972 |
| Fencing | 51 years 94 days | Maxine Mitchell | USA | 1968 |
| Field hockey | 41 years 241 days | Akemi Kato | Japan | 2012 |
| Football | 43 years, 156 days | Formiga | Brazil | 2021 |
| Golf | 46 years 361 days | Catriona Matthew | Great Britain | 2016 |
| Gymnastics - Artistic | 46 years 43 days | Oksana Chusovitina | Uzbekistan | 2021 |
| Gymnastics - Rhythmic | 30 years 88 days | Carolina Rodríguez | Spain | 2016 |
| Handball | 43 years 349 days | Oh Yeong-Ran | South Korea | 2016 |
| Judo | 42 years 69 days | Carmen Chalá | Ecuador | 2008 |
| Karate | 39 years, 324 days | Sandra Sánchez | Spain | 2021 |
| Modern Pentathlon | 39 years 157 days | Sheila Taormina | USA | 2008 |
| Rowing | 56 years 328 days | Lesley Thompson-Willie | Canada | 2016 |
| Rugby | 35 years 248 days | Carmen Farmer | USA | 2016 |
| Sailing | 49 years 100 days | Nicky Green-Bethwaite | Australia | 2004 |
| Shooting | 57 years 280 days | Sue Nattrass | Canada | 2008 |
| Skateboarding | 36 years, 53 days | Melissa Williams | South Africa | 2021 |
| Softball | 41 years 205 days | Myriam Segarra | Peru | 1996 |
| Surfing | 38 years, 33 days | Sofía Mulánovich | Peru | 2021 |
| Swimming | 41 years 124 days | Dara Torres | USA | 2008 |
| Table Tennis | 58 years 25 days | Xia Lian Ni | Luxembourg | 2021 |
| Taekwondo | 36 years 351 days | Yoriko Okamoto | Japan | 2008 |
| Tennis | 47 years 309 days | Martina Navratilova | USA | 2004 |
| Track and Field | 48 years 234 days | Lourdes Klitzkie | Guam | 1988 |
| Trampoline | 39 years, 171 days | Anna Dogonadze-Lilkendey | Germany | 2012 |
| Triathlon | 40 years 236 days | Ana Burgos | Spain | 2008 |
| Volleyball (indoor) | 40 years 12 days | Carol Gattaz | Brazil | 2021 |
| Water Polo | 41 years 160 days | Camila Pedrosa | Brazil | 2016 |
| Weightlifting | 43 years 174 days | Laurel Hubbard # | New Zealand | 2021 |
| Wrestling | 39 years 66 days | Ochirbatyn Burmaa | Mongolia | 2021 |
* For determining the oldest athlete, the age is based on the day an event started (which is not always the day that athlete competed)
# Transgender athlete Hubbard is the oldest to compete in the women's Olympic weightlifting competition. The oldest competitor that was born a woman was Brazilian Maria Elisabete Jorge, who was 43 years 150 days old in 2000.
source: the data was originally sourced from the sport-reference.com website, but further data added from their new site www.olympedia.org, plus additional results have been added to over time after each new Olympics.
Related Pages
- Youngest Olympic competitors per sport
- The discussion of the oldest and youngest medal winners
- The oldest living Olympians
- Related Olympians
- More Olympic Trivia
- Oldest and Youngest at the Winter Olympics
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