Never Too Old (or Young) to Win
Day 13: From 11 to 65, the Olympics are All-Ages
The parade of impossibly fit 20-somethings that is most of the Olympics is enough to make anyone feel past their prime, but the 2024 Paris Games prove anything but.
These Olympics have had everything from a teenage sweep in Women’s Skateboarding Park (the winner was 14) to America’s oldest medalist since 1952 .(Remember when Bucky Endt and JP Morgan’s grandson won Sailing Gold in Helsinki?)
The average of all Olympians (and Simone Biles) is 27, but this year’s field off 10,000+ athletes features 10 over age 50. It’s true that most of them are competing in Equestrian, but don’t sleep on 51-year-old Team GB Skateboarder Andy Macdonald. (Plus Holocaust survivor and 5-time Gold Medalist Ágnes Keleti is still kicking, though not competing, at 103.)
Perhaps surprisingly, Skateboarding is also home to the five youngest athletes - all 15 or below. 11-year-old Zheng Haohao from China is the youngest Olympian since a 1896, when a 10-year-old Greek gymnast competed.
So as you’re watching the final week of the Paris Olympics, don’t forget that it’s never too late to live your Olympic dream (especially if you can ride a horse).
What To Watch Today
(All times Eastern. Full event replays available on-demand on Peacock)
Three new sports begin their Olympics today - Taekwondo, Women’s Golf, and the extremely telegenic Weightlifting. The impressive teens of Skateboarding close their competition, and the first Artistic Swimming and Sport Climbing medals are awarded.
🇺🇸 = Team USA competing 🥇= Gold Medal Event
1:30 am - Athletics: Marathon Race Walk Relay Mixed 🥇
3:00 am - Golf: Women's Round 1 🇺🇸
4:00 am - Diving: Men's 3m Springboard Semi-Final 🇺🇸
4:05 am - Athletics: Men's High Jump Qualis, Women's 100m Hurdles Round 1, Women's Javelin Throw Qualis, Men's 5000m Round 1, Men's 800m Round 1
6:35 am - Sport Climbing: Women's Speed Quarters, Semis, and Final 🇺🇸 🥇
8:43 am - Sailing: Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy Medal Races 🥇🥇
9:00 am - Weightlifting: Men's 61kg 🇺🇸 🥇
10:00 am - Volleyball: Men's Semifinals, USA vs Poland 🇺🇸
11:30 am - Skateboarding: Men's Park Final 🇺🇸 🥇
12:04 pm - Track Cycling: Men's Team Pursuit Finals 🥇
12:15 pm - Athletics: Men's Triple Jump Qualis, Men's 110m Hurdles Semi-Final, Men's 400m Hurdles Semi-Final, Men's 200m Semi-Final, Women's 400m Semi-Final, Women's Pole Vault Final, Men's Discus Throw Final, Men's 400m Final, Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final 🇺🇸 🥇🥇🥇🥇
12:15 pm - Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 77kg, Men's Greco-Roman 97kg, and Women's Freestyle 50kg Medal Matches 🇺🇸 🥇🥇🥇
1:00 pm - Water Polo: Men's Quarterfinal, USA vs Australia 🇺🇸
1:30 pm - Artistic Swimming: Team Acrobatic Routine 🇺🇸 🥇
1:30 pm - Weightlifting: Women's 49kg 🇺🇸 🥇
3:19 pm - Taekwondo: Women <49kg and Men <58kg Gold Medal Contests 🥇🥇
3:30 pm - Basketball: Women's Quarterfinal, USA vs Nigeria 🇺🇸
4:00 pm - Beach Volleyball: Men's Quarterfinal, USA vs Qatar 🇺🇸
4:34 pm - Boxing: Men’s 63.5kg and 80kg Finals 🥇🥇
In Other Olympic News…
A great Olympic upset leads to American Gold
Ever wonder how all those amazing Olympic photos are shot?
Team USA has 592 athletes. These four countries have just one.
20-year-old Amit Elor hasn’t lost since 2019, and she wasn’t about to start now.
Photo of the Day
Thanks, as always, for the excellent choice of links and photos!