Oldest Olympians of all time

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But every now and again there comes along an athlete who proves that age really is just a number.

With some debate about the top spot – based on factors like official recognition and what is widely considered to be an Olympic 'sport' – RadioTimes.com walks through the top five oldest summer Olympians in history.

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Oldest Olympians of all time

5. Mary Hanna – Age: 66 years old

The newest entry on this list is Australian equestrian competitor Mary Hanna, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 at the age of 66.

Hanna had already been Australia’s oldest ever Olympian with her appearance at the Rio 2016 Olympics aged 61.

4. Lorna Johnstone – Age: 70 years

You might begin to notice a theme here – until we get to the top of the rankings, that is.

British equestrian competitor Lorna Johnstone is the oldest female Olympian and fourth-oldest Olympic athlete, having been 70 years old at the 1972 Olympics.

3. Hiroshi Hoketsu – Age: 71 years old

Japanese equestrian competitor Hiroshi Hoketsu finds himself third on this list thanks to his appearance at the London 2012 Olympics at the age of 71.

Hoketsu was the oldest athlete at those games and at Beijing 2008, where he was 67. Having made his Olympic debut aged 23 at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, he did not compete at the Olympics again for over four decades.

Hoketsu even attempted to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics, where at 75 years old he could have become the oldest-ever Olympian, but his horse reportedly fell ill.

2. Arthur von Pongracz – Age: 72 years, 49 days old

Austrian equestrian competitor Arthur von Pongracz ranks second on this list of oldest Olympic athletes, having appeared at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

There, he placed fourth in the men’s team dressage event, his highest Olympic placing after previous showings in 1924 and 1928.

1. Oscar Swahn (or is it?) – Age: 72 years, ~280 days old

Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn is the man officially recognised as the oldest Olympian at the time of competition, having taken part in the 100m team running deer (shooting at a moving target) single and double-shot events at the 1920 Olympics aged 72.

There is some disparity over exactly how old Swahn was down to the day, with the Guinness World Record listing him as 72 years, 281 days old, while an article on Olympics.com says he was 72 years, 279 days old.

Either way, Swahn is widely regarded as the oldest Olympian, oldest Olympic medallist and oldest Olympic champion, the latter from his gold medal-winning exploits in 1912, aged 64.

That is, of course, unless you count the art competitions, which were included in the early years of the modern Olympics but discontinued decades ago and find themselves no longer recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

With those art events included, British graphic artist John Copley could be deemed to be the oldest Olympian and medallist, having won a silver medal in Mixed Painting, Engravings, and Etchings in 1948, when just a month shy of his 74th birthday.

Get even more down in the weeds and you’ll find that the work of American artist Winslow Homer was a participant in the painting category at the 1932 summer Olympics.

Despite Homer having died in 1910, if he was still alive at the time he "contested" at that Olympics he would have been 96 years and 157 days old.

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