WASHINGTON — The Olympics brings together athletes from around the globe.
Athletes of all ages are competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including some who prove that age is just a number when it comes to the top of the sports world. A 54-year age gap separates the youngest Olympian and the oldest at the Paris Olympics.
Who is the youngest Olympian?
This year, the youngest athlete competing in the Games isn't even old enough to attend high school. Chinese skater Zheng Haohao is 11 years old and was born on the penultimate day of the London 2012 Olympics.
She is competing in the women's skateboarding events, which are some of the newest to be added to the Olympics.
Who is the youngest athlete on Team USA?
The youngest athlete on Team USA isn't much older. Sixteen-year-old Hezly Rivera is part of the U.S. women's gymnastics team. She won a gold medal in the team event alongside Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles.
Who is the oldest Olympian at the Paris Olympics?
The oldest competitor at the Paris Olympics is 65-year-old Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo, who made his equestrian Summer Games debut at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
There is a chance Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo could be surpassed by an even older athlete.
Australian equestrian rider Mary Hanna is representing her country as a non-competing reserve athlete. If there's an injury or another reason that forces an athlete to withdraw, Hanna, now 69, could have a chance to compete and end up being the second-oldest ever to bring a medal home.
Who is the oldest on Team USA?
Equestrian riding seems to attract athletes that are able to perform at Olympic levels well past when athletes in other sports tend to make way for younger competitors. On Team USA, the oldest member will be 59-year-old Steffen Peters.
Peters is the oldest U.S. Olympian since 1936, when the Games held art competitions, according to NBC, citing Olympic data website OlyMADMen.