11 of the youngest and 11 of the oldest athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics

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Kirstie RenaeJul 26, 2021, 23:55 IST
11 of the youngest and 11 of the oldest athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics

Hend Zaza is the youngest athlete and Mary Hanna is the oldest.Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images; Scott Barbour/Getty Images

  • There's a wide range of ages competing in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
  • Phillip Dutton (57) is the oldest on Team USA, and Oksana Chusovitina (46) is the oldest gymnast.
  • Hend Zaza (12) is the youngest at the games, and skateboarder Sky Brown (13) is close behind.
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Hend Zaza, a 12-year-old Syrian table-tennis player, is the youngest athlete competing at the Tokyo Games.

Hend Zaza, a 12-year-old Syrian table-tennis player, is the youngest athlete competing at the Tokyo Games.
Hend Zaza is a Syrian table-tennis player. Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images

After winning the West Asia qualifying tournament at 11 years old, table-tennis player Hend Zaza became the youngest athlete competing in the Tokyo Olympics.

According to the International Table Tennis Federation's publication, the feat isn't only impressive because of her age. Zaza qualified for Olympic play despite her training schedule being disrupted amid the Syrian civil war.

Born in 2009, the now 12-year-old lost her preliminary match against Austria's 39-year-old Liu Jia, ending her time at the games.

At 12 years old, Kokona Hiraki is Japan's youngest Olympian this year.

At 12 years old, Kokona Hiraki is Japan's youngest Olympian this year.
Kokona Hiraki is a Japanese skateboarder. RACHEL MUMMEY/Reuters

Skateboarder Kokona Hiraki is competing in the women's park event at the Tokyo Games at age 12.

Born in 2008, Hiraki has been skateboarding since she was 5, and she'll celebrate her 13th birthday a few weeks after the closing ceremony.

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13-year-old skateboarder Sky Brown is competing as Great Britain's youngest Olympian.

13-year-old skateboarder Sky Brown is competing as Great Britain's youngest Olympian.
Sky Brown is a British skateboarder. Getty/Sean Haffey

Although she was born in Japan in 2008, Sky Brown is representing Great Britain in the Tokyo Games women's park event.

At 12 years old, she's breaking the record for youngest British Olympian, which had been held by swimmer Margery Hilton since she competed in Amsterdam 1928 when she was about a month older than Brown is now.

Despite fracturing her skull, breaking her wrist and hand, and lacerating her lungs and stomach after a fall in May 2020, Brown returned to competitive skating just a year later.

Momiji Nishiya is competing for Japan at 13 years old.

Momiji Nishiya is competing for Japan at 13 years old.
Momiji Nishiya is a Japanese skateboarder. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Born in 2007, 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya made her Olympic debut skateboarding for Japan in the women's street event.

She took home the first-ever gold medal in the event and became one of the youngest gold medalists in Olympic history.

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13-year-old Rayssa Leal is a skateboarder representing Brazil.

13-year-old Rayssa Leal is a skateboarder representing Brazil.
Rayssa Leal is a Brazilian skateboarder. Getty/Patrick Smith

Born in 2008, Rayssa Leal started gaining attention online when she was just 8 years old after she posted a video skateboarding in a fairy costume on Instagram.

The 13-year-old competed in the women's street event and took home the silver medal.

14-year-old diver Quan Hongchan is representing China at the games.

14-year-old diver Quan Hongchan is representing China at the games.
Quan Hongchan is a Chinese diver. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Born in 2007, Quan Hongchan is China's youngest Olympian at the Tokyo Games.

She started diving at 7 years old and joined the Guangdong provincial team in 2018.

She's set to compete in the women's 10-meter platform event.

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14-year-old swimmer Summer McIntosh is competing for Canada.

14-year-old swimmer Summer McIntosh is competing for Canada.
Summer McIntosh is a Canadian swimmer. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP

Born in 2006, Summer McIntosh has been swimming competitively since she was 7 years old.

The 14-year-old has already finished fourth in the women's 400-meter freestyle final in Tokyo, and she's set to compete in the women's 200-meter freestyle semifinal and the women's 800-meter freestyle event.

15-year-old Katie Grimes is the youngest Team USA Olympic swimmer in US history.

15-year-old Katie Grimes is the youngest Team USA Olympic swimmer in US history.
Katie Grimes is an American swimmer. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Born in Las Vegas in 2006, 15-year-old swimmer Katie Grimes is set to make her Olympic debut competing in the women's 800-meter freestyle event at the Tokyo Games.

She's swimming alongside Katie Ledecky, who previously held the record for being the youngest US Olympic swimmer after competing at the 2012 London Games.

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Jessica Guo, a 16-year-old fencer, is representing Canada this year.

Jessica Guo, a 16-year-old fencer, is representing Canada this year.
Jessica Guo is a Canadian fencer. Jaime Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images

Born in Toronto, Ontario, in 2005, Jessica Guo began fencing when she was 7.

She started competing at age 9, and four years later, she won an individual bronze and a team silver at the 2018 Pan American Championships. In 2019, she won two silver medals at the Pan Am Games in Lima.

The 16-year-old fencer competed in the women's foil individual competition in Tokyo and finished in 13th place.

17-year-old skateboarder Brighton Zeuner is competing for Team USA.

17-year-old skateboarder Brighton Zeuner is competing for Team USA.
Brighton Zeuner is an American skateboarder. RACHEL MUMMEY/Reuters

Brighton Zeuner was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2004.

She started skateboarding at age 6, and she made history in 2017 when she became the youngest champion of the X Games the day after her 13th birthday.

The 17-year-old skater is set to compete in the women's park event.

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17-year-old Erriyon Knighton is believed to be the youngest US male track athlete to compete in the Olympics since 1964.

17-year-old Erriyon Knighton is believed to be the youngest US male track athlete to compete in the Olympics since 1964.
Erriyon Knighton is an American track star. AP Photo/Ashley Landis

17-year-old Erriyon Knighton only started his professional career in 2019, but the Florida native has already made his mark.

The runner is believed to be the youngest to compete on Team USA's men's track-and-field team since Jim Ryun ran at Tokyo 1964.

In June 2021, Knighton broke Usain Bolt's under-18 record by running the 200-meter in 20.11 seconds. At the Olympic trials, he impressed again by beating his own record and running the event in 19.84 seconds.

He's set to compete in the men's 200-meter event in Tokyo.

At the other end of the spectrum, 66-year-old Mary Hanna is the oldest Olympian competing in Tokyo.

At the other end of the spectrum, 66-year-old Mary Hanna is the oldest Olympian competing in Tokyo.
Mary Hanna is an Australian equestrian. Scott Barbour/Getty Images

Australian equestrian Mary Hanna is the second-oldest female athlete in Olympic history.

Born in 1954, the rider previously competed in Rio 2016, London 2012, Athens 2004, Sydney 2000, and Atlanta 1996. She has yet to win a medal.

Hanna is competing in both individual and team dressage at the Tokyo Games.

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Andrew Hoy is Australia's oldest male Olympian at 62 years old.

Andrew Hoy is Australia's oldest male Olympian at 62 years old.
Andrew Hoy is an Australian equestrian. Friso Gentsch/picture alliance via Getty Images

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Andrew Hoy is completing at his eighth Olympics at Tokyo, riding in both team and individual events at 62 years old.

Born in 1959, Hoy's first Olympic appearance was at Los Angeles 1984.

He's now Australia's oldest male athlete in the country's Olympic history, and he holds the record for most Olympic appearances by an Australian athlete.

At 61, Geir Gulliksen is representing Norway in Tokyo.

At 61, Geir Gulliksen is representing Norway in Tokyo.
Geir Gulliksen is a Norwegian equestrian. TT NEWS AGENCY/Reuters

Born in 1960, Norwegian equestrian Geir Gulliksen is competing in the individual jumping event at the Tokyo Games.

Although Gulliksen has been riding since the age of 12, he only started competing at the Olympic level when he was 48, at Beijing 2008.

His children, Victoria and Johan-Sebastian are also competitive equestrians.

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59-year-old cancer survivor Santiago Lange is returning to the Olympics to represent Argentina.

59-year-old cancer survivor Santiago Lange is returning to the Olympics to represent Argentina.
Santiago Lange is an Argentine sailor. Reuters

Gold and bronze medalist Santiago Lange was born in 1961. He started sailing at an early age and competed in his first Olympics at Seoul 1988.

Lange won bronze in both the 2004 Athens Games and 2008 Beijing Games.

Nine months before competing in Rio 2016, where the sailor took home the gold, he had surgery for lung cancer.

Tokyo will be the athlete's seventh Olympic appearance, and he's set to compete in the mixed-multihull event.

59-year-old rider Abdelkebir Ouaddar is competing for Morocco.

59-year-old rider Abdelkebir Ouaddar is competing for Morocco.
Abdelkebir Ouaddar is a Moroccan equestrian. Tony Gentile/Reuters

Born in 1962, Abdelkebir Ouaddar started riding after he was adopted into the Moroccan Royal Family as a child.

His first Olympics were Rio 2016, and he's set to compete in the men's individual and team jumping events in Tokyo.

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Savate Sresthaporn, a 58-year-old trap shooter, is representing Thailand.

Savate Sresthaporn, a 58-year-old trap shooter, is representing Thailand.
Savate Sresthaporn is a Thai trap shooter. Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Savate Sresthaporn didn't start shooting until he was 44 years old when a friend encouraged him to try the sport. He did his first competition just a year later.

The Tokyo Games are Sresthaporn's first Olympics, and he's set to compete in the men's trap event.

When not competing or training, Sresthaporn is a director of a sock manufacturing company in Bangkok.

Table-tennis star Ni Xia Lian is competing at the Tokyo Games at age 58.

Table-tennis star Ni Xia Lian is competing at the Tokyo Games at age 58.
Ni Xia Lian is a Luxembourgian table-tennis player. AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

Although she was born in Shanghai in 1963 and began playing table tennis in China at age 7, Ni Xia Lian has represented Luxembourg at the Olympics since 1991.

She competed in four Olympic Games between 2000 and 2016 and holds the record for the longest match in the history of modern professional table tennis, which lasted for one hour, 33 minutes, and 42 seconds.

In Tokyo, Lian lost her round-two match to South Korea's Shin Yubin.

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Phillip Dutton is Team USA's oldest Olympian at 57 years old.

Phillip Dutton is Team USA's oldest Olympian at 57 years old.
Equestrian Phillip Dutton has represented both Australia and USA at the Olympics. AP/Susan Walsh

Born in 1963 in Australia, equestrian Phillip Dutton is a seven-time Olympian.

He's represented both Australia and the US in the Olympics since 1996, and he holds two team gold medals for Australia and one individual bronze medal for the US.

The 57-year-old rider will be participating in both individual and team events for Team USA at the Tokyo Games.

57-year-old Abdullah Al-Rashidi is representing Kuwait in trap shooting.

57-year-old Abdullah Al-Rashidi is representing Kuwait in trap shooting.
Abdullah Al-Rashidi is a trap shooter from Kuwait. AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

Born in 1963, Abdullah Al-Rashidi has been shooting since he was 12 years old.

The 57-year-old made his Olympic debut at Atlanta 1996, and he just took home the bronze medal for the men's skeet event in Tokyo.

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At 46 years old, Oksana Chusovitina is the oldest woman to ever compete in Olympic gymnastics.

At 46 years old, Oksana Chusovitina is the oldest woman to ever compete in Olympic gymnastics.
Gymnast Oksana Chusovitina represented Uzbekistan in Tokyo. Issei Kato/Reuters

Born in Uzbekistan in 1975, Oksana Chusovitina is the oldest female gymnast in Olympic history.

She has represented the Unified Team, Germany, and Uzbekistan throughout her Olympic career, and she became the first woman to compete in seven games after Rio 2016.

Chusovitina competed in the women's vault qualifying event in Tokyo in what she's said will be her final Olympic appearance. She received a standing ovation from the small crowd of coaches and gymnasts in the stands after her vaults.

45-year-old beach-volleyball player Jake Gibb is the oldest in the sport's Olympic history.

45-year-old beach-volleyball player Jake Gibb is the oldest in the sport's Olympic history.
Jake Gibb is an American beach-volleyball player. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Born in 1976, beach-volleyball player Jake Gibb is returning for his fourth Olympic appearance in Tokyo.

The 45-year-old two-time cancer survivor is the oldest player to compete in Olympic beach volleyball.

Gibb is competing with alternate Tri Bourne in Tokyo after his original partner, Taylor Crabb, had to withdraw from the games after testing positive for COVID-19.

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