Oldest Elite Gymnast

[emmy2012]

Does anyone know who the oldest person to join gymnastics and go to the elite level is? Did this female do well in competitions? Thanks

 

[Deleted member D3987]

no such thing. but oksana chusovitina would be the oldest at 35 and started at 4.

 

[Aussie_coach]

It depends when you are talking, in the old days there were athletes who started as late as 16 and still won the olympics, but the standards and expectations were far lower. The oldest I've ever heard today was 10.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

prior to 1976 in america, ALL olympic gymnasts came from the college teams. clubs were not around long enough to have produced olympians. the 1st official stand alone gymnastics club opened in 1968. the structure was completely different on how one went about making an olympic team.

and i think...and to clarify what Aussie-coach means...is not that the standards and expectations were lower by that of coaches and athletes. they were certainly very high just as they are today. but that the system of training, the hours they trained, the lacking and inadequate science for coaches and equipment suited for that time provided a different kind of gymnastics done at that time. the era of modern gymnastics really began after 1976 montreal.

and i will point out that EVERYONE should give thanks to the 50 year old and up gymnastics generation for slogging thru the mud to give you all what you currently have today in gymnastics.

 

[Aussie_coach]

That is a good point dunno, because the way was paved before us, we have the wonderful sport today.

 

[marie83]

Daiane Dos Santos of the Brazilian team began at age 11 and won many medals at international level

 

[Deleted member D3987]

not exactly...she moved to the "national training center" when she was 11. she was coached by a woman [her name escapes me at the moment and i'm to lazy look today] who was killed in a car accident.