Oldest Olympians was saddened to learn that, during our break, the oldest Olympian, Yvonne Chabot-Curtet, born May 28, 1920, died February 21 at the age of 104. Chabot-Curtet represented her country in the long jump at two editions of the Games, 1948 and 1952, placing 8th and 23rd respectively, and setting an Olympic record in the qualifying round of the former edition. She also came in fourth at the 1950 European Championships in that event and captured five national titles: the long jump and the pentathlon in 1946 and 1949 and an additional long jump title in 1945. Her daughter, Jacqueline, was also a successful long jumper on the national scene, although she did not appear at the Olympics.

(Rhoda Wurtele, pictured in a clip from My Canadian Moment)

The new oldest living Olympian is Canadian alpine skier Rhoda Wurtele-Eaves, born January 21, 1922, who recently turned 103. Both her and her twin sister Rhona, who died in 2020 at the age of 97, reached the top of the national skiing scene, with Rhona competing in the Olympics in 1948 and Rhoda in 1952. In 1948, the already injured Rhona broke her leg near the end of the course and placed last among the finishers, while Rhoda did not compete at all due to an ankle injury. Rhona, meanwhile, did not participate in 1952, while Rhoda had her best finish of ninth in the giant slalom. Both later had careers as ski instructors and were inaugurated into multiple Halls of Fame for their pioneering efforts in the field of Canadian women’s skiing.

Chabot-Curtet held several other distinctions as the oldest living Olympian, including the oldest living French Olympian, the oldest living track and field athlete, and the oldest survivor of the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics. The oldest French Olympian and survivor from the 1948 London Games is now cyclist Charles Coste, born February 8, 1924. Coste’s brief amateur career after World War II was quite successful, beginning with his national title in the individual pursuit in 1947. In 1948 he joined Serge Blusson, Fernand Decanali, and Pierre Adam in winning a gold medal in the team pursuit, 4,000 metres event at that year’s London Olympics, and followed that up with an individual pursuit bronze at the World Championships later that year. He then raced as a professional for a decade, notching up several major victories and competing in many more of Europe’s biggest tours. He is also the oldest living Olympic cyclist and the oldest living Olympic champion!

The oldest survivor of the 1952 Helsinki Games, meanwhile, is Gertrude Gries, born October 16, 1924, who we recently added to our tables after it was confirmed that she was still alive at the age of 100! Gries represented her country at two editions of the Summer Olympics, beginning in 1948 when she was sixth with the national team in the all-around. In 1952, the Austrians were tenth in the all-around and ninth in the portable apparatus, while individually her best finish was joint-56^th in the uneven bars.

Finally, the oldest living track and field athlete is now Yoshio Iimuro, born January 18, 1925, who recently turned 100! Iimuro represented his country in the triple jump at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where he finished sixth. He had better luck at the Asian Games, where he won that event in 1951 and came in second in 1954. He later had a long career in education, served in several roles as a sports administrator, and authored a book on his experiences. He is also the oldest living Japanese Olympian.

As always, when the oldest Olympian dies, there are many other issues to write about, and we still have to catch up on new developments following the death of the last survivor of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Iris Cummings. We therefore have many blog posts planned for the future and hope that you will join us!

Oldest Olympians will again be travelling with limited internet connectivity for the next week so, rather than miss an update, we have decided to post a blog entry today that will cover one Olympian for every day that we suspect we will be absent (February 22–March 1).

Tomorrow, Egyptian rower Wagih El-Attar, born February 22, 1928, will turn 97! El-Attar represented his country in the coxed fours rowing event at the 1952 Helsinki Games, where Egypt was eliminated in the round one repêchage. He had better luck at the 1955 Mediterranean Games, where he captured bronze in the coxed pairs. He now lives in Orange Country, California as the oldest living Egyptian Olympian.

Then, (West) German equestrian Harry Boldt, born February 23, 1930, will turn 95! Boldt competed in two editions of the Olympic dressage competition, representing unified Germany in 1964 in Tokyo and West Germany in 1976 in Montreal. Both times, he earned gold in the team competition and silver individually. At the World Championships, he earned silver individually in 1966 and gold with the team in 1966 and 1978, as well as team silver in 1970. He collected an additional 11 medals, five of them gold, at the European Championships between 1963 and 1979, and retired in 1980. He then served as a coach until his 1996 retirement and is now the oldest living German Olympic champion.

(Gurbux Singh, pictured at The Telegraph)

As there are no more milestone birthdays during this period, we wanted to take some time to highlight some of the oldest Olympians that we have not yet featured. Our first, Indian hockey player Gurbux Singh, just turned 90 on February 11. He represented his country in two editions of the Olympic tournament, 1964 and 1968, winning gold in Tokyo and bronze in Mexico City. He was also Asian Games champion in 1966 and coached the Indian team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

In a previous post, we mentioned that we had discovered a new centenarian Olympian, Austrian gymnast Gertrude Gries, born October 16, 1924. Gries represented her country at two editions of the Summer Olympics, beginning in 1948 when she was sixth with the national team in the all-around. In 1952, the Austrians were tenth in the all-around and ninth in the portable apparatus, while individually her best finish was joint-56^th in the uneven bars. We do not know much else about her, but her family did confirm that she reached the age of 100.

(Frank O’Grady, pictured at the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame)

Next, we have ice hockey player Frank O’Grady, born July 25, 1930, who was selected to represent the United States at the 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics but did not play due to injury. He was also chosen to play at the 1957 World Championships, but the United States ended up boycotting the event. He had better luck at the collegiate level with Boston College, and he was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1995.

Then we have Jarmila Helešicová, born in 1930, who was selected to represent Czechoslovakia in the 200 metres breaststroke at the 1956 Melbourne Games, but was unable to compete. She did, however, take part in the 1954 European Championships and later worked as a coach after retiring in 1960. She was still alive recently, although we have been unable to locate an exact date of birth.

We would be remiss not to mention that the most decorated female Olympian of all time, Larisa Latynina, born December 27, 1934, turned 90 at the end of last year. Latynina represented the Soviet Union in three editions of the Olympic gymnastics tournament, 1956-1964, winning 18 medals across 19 events, missing only the balance beam in 1956. Nine of those medals were gold. She also won 14 medals each at the World and Europeans Championships.

Finally, to wrap up 2024, we have a living Olympian born in 1934 without a precise a date of birth: Indian track athlete Sri Chand Ram. Ram represented his country in the 110 metres hurdles at the 1956 Melbourne Games, but he was eliminated in round one. He trained while serving in the army and later became a coach.

The tables will not be updated during our absence, but we look forward to returning on March 2 to continue cover the Oldest Olympians! We hope that you will join us!

Today Oldest Olympians is celebrating two birthdays that are milestones for different reasons! The first is French gymnast Colette Fanara who is turning 100! Fanara represented her country in the tournament at the 1952 Helsinki Games, where she had a best individual finish of 85th in the uneven bars. By career she was a physical education teacher and gymnastics instructor. Her grandson Thomas Fanara was a three-time Olympian in alpine skiing and Colette now resides in Nice.

(Carlos Caballero, pictured at El Heraldo)

Next, we are wishing a happy 98th birthday to Carlos Caballero, the oldest living Olympic weightlifter! Cabaellero represented Colombia in the middleweight division at the 1956 and 1960 Summer Games, but did not win a medal. He was also selected for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, but did not make the trip after budget cuts. Following his 1970 retirement, he turned to coaching.

(Domini Lawrence, pictured at Horse & Hound)

Oldest Olympians is saddened to learn that British equestrian Domini Lawrence, born May 8, 1925, died January 4 at the age of 99. Lawrence represented Great Britain in two Olympic dressage tournaments: in 1968 she was fifth with the team and 11th individually, while in 1972 she was 10th with the team and 33rd individually. She later became a distinguished judge with the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, serving until her retirement in 1998.

(Rosemarie Sparrow)

At the time of her death, Lawrence was the oldest living British Olympian and the oldest survivor of the 1968 and 1972 Summer Games. The new titleholder for Britain is alpine skier Rosemarie Sparrow, born July 6, 1925. Sparrow represented her country in two events at the 1948 Winter Olympics, placing 30th in the downhill and 25th in the combined. She eventually married another British skier from those Games, Peter Boumphrey, and now resides in France.

(Maud van Rosen)

The oldest survivor of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics is now Taiwanese sport shooter Cheng Chi-Sen, born July 13, 1926. Cheng represented his country in the free pistol, 50 metres event, where he placed 56th. He also competed at the 1966 Asian Games and later moved to San Francisco, where he ran a catering business. Finally, Maud von Rosen, born December 24, 1925, is now the oldest survivor of the 1972 Munich Games. Rosen represented her country in the dressage tournament at the 1972 Munich Games, finishing eighth individually, which helped Sweden take a bronze medal in the team competition. She also earned bronze with the Swedish dressage team a year earlier at the 1971 European Championships.

With 2025 upon us, it is time for our yearly fast facts about the Oldest Olympians in the world, partially to continue our commitment to transparency in our research but mostly just for fun and to share some statistics!

(The oldest living Olympian, Yvonne Chabot-Curtet, born May 28, 1920)

As of today, our full list contains 2409 participants, non-starters, demonstration athletes, and art competitors born between 1915 and 1934 that could be living, 846 of which we believe to be living for certain. The former number is up from 2254 and the latter is up from 830 from April of last year.

We also have 215 Olympians (down from 242 last year) who competed in the 1928, 1932, or 1936 Games, Winter and Summer, who have no date of birth but could be still living. It is worth reminding everyone that the vast majority of athletes that could be living are likely deceased and, following the death of the last-known pre-World War II Olympian in January, we will be taking a closer look at this in a future blog post.

(Gertrude Gries)

As of today, we have 12 living Olympic centenarians, as four died in 2024 and three thus far in 2025. The list of the living includes one newly-discovered centenarian that we have yet to feature, Austrian gymnast Gertrude Gries, born October 16, 1924. If you have any suggestions of statistics or information that you would like to see added, please send us a message and we will be happy to include it in the next round!

Today we have two Olympians turning 101 so, just like last year, we wanted to celebrate them both in a single blog entry, as we were unable to choose between the two of them!

First up is French cyclist Charles Coste. Coste’s brief amateur career after World War II was quite successful, beginning with his national title in the individual pursuit in 1947. In 1948 he joined Serge Blusson, Fernand Decanali, and Pierre Adam in winning a gold medal in the team pursuit, 4,000 metres event at that year’s London Olympics, and followed that up with an individual pursuit bronze at the World Championships later that year. He then raced as a professional for a decade, notching up several major victories and competing in many more of Europe’s biggest tours. He is the oldest living French Olympic medalist, the oldest living Olympic cyclist, and the oldest living Olympic champion!

Next is Wu Chengzhang, the oldest living Chinese Olympian and Olympic basketball player! A lifelong student of physical education, Wu was a member of the Chinese basketball squad that competed at the 1948 London Games and ranked 18th overall out of 23 teams. Following the end of his competitive career, he worked as a basketball coach and trainer. His son, Wu Xinshui, also practiced the sport and in 1999 was voted one of the best all-time Chinese players.

Oldest Olympians is saddened to learn that American swimmer Iris Cummings, born December 21, 1920, died January 24 at the age of 104. Cummings represented her country in the 200 metres breaststroke at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where she was eliminated in round one. This was the highlight of her athletic career, as she quit the sport after realizing that the 1940 Olympics were unlikely to take place, and focused on her education instead. She had a much more notable career as an aviator, which led her to serve with the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II and work as a flight instructor and teacher at Harvey Mudd College’s Bates Aeronautics Program.

(Erna Herbers)

At the time of her death, Cummings was the last known survivor of the 1936 Berlin Games, a fact that we will address in future blog posts. She was also, however, the oldest living American Olympian and Olympic swimmer. The new oldest Olympian to have competed for the United States is Peter Kennedy, born September 4, 1927. He represented his country in the pairs figure skating competition in 1948 and 1952, winning silver at the latter edition. The new oldest living Olympic swimmer, meanwhile, is Erna Herbers, born May 2, 1925. Herbers represented Germany in the 100 metres backstroke swimming event at the 1952 Helsinki Games, where she was 18^th.

Oldest Olympians is also saddened to learn that American figure skater Dick Button, born July 18, 1929, died today, January 30, at the age of 95. Button represented the United States at the 1948 and 1952 Winter Olympics, winning the men’s singles tournament both times. He also won five consecutive World Championship titles between 1948 and 1952 and was runner-up in 1947. After the 1952 Games, he entered Harvard Law School and turned professional with his ice skating, in addition to working as a television commentator for several decades.

(Frank Shakespeare)

At the time of his death, Button was the oldest living American Olympic champion and oldest Olympic figure skating champion. The former distinction now goes to Frank Shakespeare, born May 31, 1930, who was a member of the gold medal-winning eights crew at the 1952 Helsinki Games. The latter titleholder is now Button’s successor, Hayes Jenkins, born March 23, 1933. Jenkins won a third consecutive Olympic gold in men’s singles by taking the crown in 1956.

Finally, as a note, our website has changed! You can now visit the most current version of our Oldest Olympians tables at https://oldestolympians.sdsu.edu/. The old site seems accessible sporadically, but we no longer have the ability to update it, so please update your bookmarks to this new link!

Oldest Olympians is saddened to learn that American track and field athlete Greg Bell, born November 7, 1930, died January 25 at the age of 94. Bell represented his country in the long jump at the 1956 Melbourne Games, where he won the gold medal. In addition to several domestic titles, he also took silver in that event at the 1959 Pan American Games. He later worked as a dentist.

(Marjorie Jackson)

At the time of his death, Bell was the oldest living Olympic champion in track and field athletics. That distinction now goes to Marjorie Jackson of Australia, born September 13, 1931, who was already the oldest living Australian Olympic champion. Jackson represented her country in three track events at the 1952 Helsinki Games, winning gold in the 100 and 200 metres and placing fifth in the 4×100 metres relay. She also won seven gold medals at the British Empire Games in 1950 and 1954 and married Australian Olympic cyclist Peter Nelson. She later became involved in politics and was appointed governor of South Australia in 2001, serving until 2007.

(Max Bolkart)

Oldest Olympians is also saddened to learn that German ski jumper Franz Dengg, born December 1, 1928, who we profiled late last year, died October 7, a few weeks before we wrote about him. Dengg represented his country in the tournament at the 1952 Oslo Games, where he placed 31st. His career was relatively brief, and he retired from active competition in 1955. We believed him to be the oldest living Olympic ski jumper, a distinction that now goes to Max Bolkart, born July 29, 1932. Bolkart represented Germany at three consecutive editions of the Games – 1956 through 1964 – with a best finish of fourth in the large hill in 1956. He won the Four Hills tournament during the 1959-60 season, captured four West German titles, and later ran his family hotel, in addition to coaching at the youth level.

(Maria Golimowska)

Finally, in a previous post, we noted the death of Jane Ward, the oldest living Olympic volleyball player. The new titleholder is Maria Golimowska, born August 28, 1932, who was already the oldest living Polish Olympic medalist and Olympic medalist in volleyball. Golimowska represented her country in the tournament at the 1964 Tokyo Games, where she won a bronze medal. She also took bronze at the 1956 and 1962 World Championships and the 1958 European Championships, in addition to silver at the 1963 Europeans. Her international career lasted from 1955 through 1966, and she did not retire domestically until 1971.

Oldest Olympians is saddened to learn that Micheline Lannoy, born January 31, 1925, whom we believed to be turning 100 at the end of the month, actually died March 18, 2023 at the age of 98. Lannoy and her partner Pierre Baugniet were Belgian national champions in the pairs event from 1944 through 1947. In 1947 they took both the European and World Championships, and then followed that up with victories at the Worlds and the Olympics in 1948. Despite these impressive successes, the duo ended their careers after the Games and managed to maintain a low-profile thereafter. Lannoy later moved to Ontario, Canada and took the married name MacAulay.

(Dick Button)

While normally we would not report on a death that occurred nearly two years ago, we wanted to prepare an update because, in addition to turning 100, she was believed to be the oldest living Belgian Olympian, oldest living Olympic figure skater, and oldest survivor of the 1948 St. Mortiz Games. In terms of figure skaters, the oldest is now American Peter Kennedy, born September 4, 1927, who took silver in the pairs at the 1952 Oslo Games. Among Olympic figure skating champions, however, another American, Dick Button, born July 18, 1929, is now the oldest, having won the men’s singles in 1948 and 1952.

(Fernand Bothy)

Among the Belgians, Fernand Bothy is now the oldest to have represented his country. He did so as a boxer in the heavyweight division at the 1948 London Games, where he was defeated in round two. He then embarked upon a brief professional career in 1949, earning a 4-2-0 record, and now resides in Farciennes. The oldest Olympic medalist for Belgium, however, is Roger Moens, born April 26, 1930, who took silver in the 800 metres track event at the 1960 Rome Games.

(Rosemarie Sparrow)

Finally, the oldest survivor of the 1948 St. Moritz Olympics is Rosemarie Sparrow, born July 6, 1925, who represented Great Britain in two alpine skiing events and now resides in France. Heikki Hasu, meanwhile, born March 21, 1926, is the oldest living Olympic champion and medalist from those Games. Representing Finland, he won the Nordic combined in 1948 and was runner-up in 1952, in addition to being part of the gold medal-winning 4×10 kilometers cross-country skiing relay in the latter year.

(Roger Lebranchu, pictured at the United States Press Agency)

Oldest Olympians is saddened to learn that French rower Roger Lebranchu, born July 22, 1922, died today, January 10, at the age of 102. Lebranchu represented his country in the coxed eights at the 1948 London Games, where the French team finished last in its heats and did not take part in the repêchage. A former prisoner in the Buchenwald and Auschwitz Concentration Camps, he spent two years undertaking harsh physical labour before fleeing during an evacuation near the end of conflict. In 2024, he helped carry the Olympic torch for the Paris Olympics.

At the time of his death, Lebranchu was the oldest living Olympic rower. That distinction now goes to German Günther Twiesselmann, born August 15, 1925. Twiesselmann represented his country in the coxed fours event at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where a unified Germany was eliminated in the round one repêchage. He won national titles in that event from 1949 through 1952, as well as a coxless fours title in 1951. By career, he was a mechanic.