Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Olympics

Olympics 2024: Breaking the age barriers, these athletes sparkle in Paris

Meet the inspiring list of athletes who broke the age barriers and competed at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Olympics 2024: Breaking the age barriers, these athletes sparkle in Paris
X
Spain's horse rider Juan Antonio at 65 and Chile's China-born paddler Zeng Zhiying at 58 debuted at the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo Credit: X) 
By

Bhabesh Agarwalla

Updated: 3 Aug 2024 11:13 AM GMT

A remarkable group of athletes broke the age barriers at the Paris Olympics 2024, enthralling the world.

Here is a list of athletes who broke the age barriers to compete at Paris 2024.

Mary Hanna, Australian Equestrian: 69

Mary Hanna will turn 70 in a few months. Yet, she showed little sign of stopping. Mary will compete in her seventh Olympics in Paris as a reserve athlete in the Australian Equestrian team.

Mary with her horse. ( Photo credit: Nathan Fulgado)

Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo Spain, Equestrian: 65

Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo is a renowned Spanish equestrian and Olympic medallist. He is the oldest man to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

He won a silver medal in the dressage team event at the 2004 Athens Olympics and is known for his expertise in training Lusitano horses.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, Sweden, Equestrian: 62

Bengtsson will take forward the Swedish equestrian legacy in his sixth appearance at the Olympics in Paris. He won two Olympic medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

Ni Xia Lian, Luxembourg, Table Tennis: 61

Born in China, she moved to Luxembourg in the 1980s. The two-time world champion is competing in her sixth Olympics in Paris.

Lian has already become the oldest table tennis player to secure a win at the Olympics.

Pius Schwizer, Switzerland, Equestrian: 61

Pius Schwizer is a seasoned Swiss equestrian with a long and successful career in show jumping.

He has represented Switzerland in numerous international competitions. He won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the team jumping event.

Steffen Peters, USA, Equestrian: 59

Steffen Peters is a German-born American equestrian competing in dressage at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It is his sixth Olympics.

He is a three-time Olympic medallist, winning team bronze in 1996 and 2016, and team silver in Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Zeng Zhiying, Chile, Table Tennis: 58

Zeng has a similar story to Lian. At 18, she dreamt of representing China at the Olympics. But she left China after being snubbed by the national federation. To savour her dream of competing in the Olympics, she migrated to Chile in the early 1980s.

At the Paris Olympics, her journey didn’t last long as she lost her preliminary round game against M Sahakian of Lebanon 1-4.

Nino Salukvadze, Georgia, Shooting: 55

Nino Salukvadze is a Georgian shooter who made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by becoming the first woman to compete in ten Olympic Games.

She won a gold and silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics for the erstwhile Soviet Union. She is a renowned figure in the shooting world and a symbol of longevity.

Rohan Bopanna, India, Tennis: 44

Tennis legend Rohan Bopanna is the oldest athlete from India to compete at the Paris Olympics.

Bopanna competed in the men's doubles category, teaming up with N. Sriram Balaji.

After his first-round loss, he announced his retirement from India jersey, ending a remarkable two-decade-long career. However, Rohan will continue to play on the ATP tour.

Next Story