Here’s a glance at the youngest and oldest athletes set to compete in the French capital.
New Delhi: The saying “Age is just a number” perfectly captures the spirit of the Olympics, where athletes of all ages come together to compete. At the Paris Games starting July 26, an 11-year-old skateboarder will share the spotlight with a debuting equestrian in her sixties. Similarly, in the Indian team, a 14-year-old swimmer will be inspired by a 44-year-old tennis veteran. Here’s a glimpse at the youngest and oldest competitors set to make their mark in the French capital.
Zheng Haohao (China, Skateboarding)
At just 11 years and 11 months old, skateboarder Zheng Haohao will be the youngest competitor at the Paris Games. She is just a year older than the youngest Olympian in history, Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who competed in the inaugural modern Games in 1896 at 10 years and 218 days old.
Zheng, who will turn 12 on August 11, earned her spot in Paris through the Qualification Series held in Budapest and Shanghai. She took up skateboarding at the age of seven, initially for fun. “Someone told me skateboarding was fun, so I bought a board and found it really enjoyable,” Zheng explained. She recently completed primary school in Huizhou.
Inspired by an older competitor she saw in a Tokyo Olympics qualifier, Zheng quickly became fascinated by the sport. Skateboarding, introduced in the Tokyo 2020 Games, involves athletes performing tricks and maneuvers on a bowl-shaped course and will be showcased at the iconic Place de La Concorde in Paris.
Zheng will be joined by other young skateboarders at the Paris Olympics, including 14-year-old Canadian Fay De Fazio Ebert and 16-year-olds Quincy Wilson from the USA, Hezly Rivera, Lola Tambling, and Sky Brown from Great Britain.
Jill Irving (Canada, Equestrian)
Canadian equestrian Jill Irving will make history as the oldest competitor at the Paris Olympics, debuting at the age of 61—more than five times the age of 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao. Although 69-year-old Australian Mary Hanna has competed in six Olympics since Atlanta 1996, she will serve as a traveling reserve for the dressage event and may not compete unless needed due to injury or illness.
The record for the oldest Olympian belongs to Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, who was 72 when he competed at the 1920 Antwerp Games. Irving’s journey to the Olympics has been a long one, starting her riding career at a local club when she was a child. Despite decades of experience, it wasn’t until Paris 2024 that she realized her Olympic dream.
Irving took up the sport seriously after her children left home in 2008. She made her FEI debut in 2013 and has since achieved multiple top-10 finishes. She was also part of the Canadian team that won dressage gold at the 2019 Pan American Games. Although she was set to compete in Tokyo, her horse’s age prevented her from participating when the Games were postponed.
Other Paris 2024 athletes who have celebrated their 50th birthday include Canadian equestrian Mario Deslauriers (59), British equestrian Carl Hester (57), Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze (55), and British skateboarder Andy Macdonald (50).
Dhinidhi Desinghu (Swimming, Youngest Indian)
At just 14 years and two months old, Dhinidhi Desinghu will be the youngest Indian athlete competing at the Paris Olympics, where she will take part in the women’s 200m freestyle. The ninth-grade student from Bengaluru earned her spot through the universality quota system, which allows countries to participate even if athletes haven’t met the direct qualification standards.
Desinghu is the second youngest Indian Olympian ever; Aarti Saha, at age 11, was the youngest, competing in the women’s 200m breaststroke at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Other young Indian competitors at Paris 2024 include Bhajan Kaur, 18, in archery, and Esha Singh, 19, in shooting.
Rohan Bopanna (tennis, oldest Indian at 44)
At 44 years and four months, Bopanna will be the oldest Indian athlete at the Paris Olympics. He will be playing at the Olympics for the third time, and will be pairing with Sriram Balaji in men’s doubles.
When he made his debut during the 2012 London Olympics, Bopanna partnered with Mahesh Bhupathi.
Four years later in the Rio Olympics, Bopanna teamed up with Leander Paes and the duo lost in the second round. But in mixed doubles, Bopanna and Sania Mirza were one match away from winning the bronze medal.
He became the oldest tennis player to be ranked world No. 1 in ATP doubles in January this year and won the Australian Open men’s doubles title at the age of 43. Bopanna is the second oldest tennis player after Sydney Jacob to qualify for the Olympics. Jacob was 44 years and 267 days old when he played in the men’s doubles at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
The oldest Indian Olympian is skeet shooter Bhim Singh Bahadur who competed at the age of 66
during the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Among others, table tennis ace A Sharath Kamal is 42 and set to compete in his fifth Olympics, and archer Tarundeep Rai, 40, will be in his fourth Olympics at Paris.
