Oksana Chusovitina on turning 50: “Thanks to everyone who roots for me and helps me more forward’

[flappergirl]

I remember that 1991 competition, Chusa looked so relaxed and happy. Sandy Woolsey was there too.

 

[JaJa]

Happy birthday to an absolute legend!

Fingers crossed I will get to see her compete live again.

At her funeral (whenever that is), Chuso will climb out of her coffin, perform a Rudi, wink at us all, climb back into the coffin and allow them to bury her.

 

[Indy]

I saw her compete at Worlds in 1991 when I was 11. I’m now almost 45 and pulled my neck out of whack in my sleep the other night…meanwhile Chuso is 50 and an elite gymnast still. She’s remarkable.

 

[irichluck21]

So Chusovitina is in uncharted territory being the first female gymnast to compete in their 50s.

How many have competed in their 40s? Chusovitina is one and the other I could think of is Barbara Achondo who was 40 when she competed in the 2023 Pan Am Games.
Any other 40 year olds?

We have had multiple gymnasts compete into their 30s. Might be interesting to start a list of the 30+ gymnasts.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

So Chusovitina is in uncharted territory being the first female gymnast to compete in their 50s.

How many have competed in their 40s? Chusovitina is one and the other I could think of is Barbara Achondo who was 40 when she competed in the 2023 Pan Am Games.
Any other 40 year olds?

We have had multiple gymnasts compete into their 30s. Might be interesting to start a list of the 30+ gymnasts.

Dragulescu was 40 in Tokyo.

Other than those three, I can't think of any more. There's a smattering of late 30s. Harutyan Merdinan's last competition afaik was 2024 Euros when he was 39 and Millousi was a few weeks before her 39th birthday at 2023 Euros. Of those still competing, Angel Wong is 38 and did the Asian championships, and I reckon Marta Pihan is probably going to keep going past her 38th birthday in a few weeks.

There's a definite trend in the 2020s towards more carrying on until their late 30s, to the extent that I think from now on there'll probably always be one or two still going. Early 30s is now unremarkable in MAG and verging on it in WAG. Maybe mid 30s is where the numbers will thin out, as is the case in some other sports. A 35 list perhaps?

 

[Sasha]

Jordan Jovtchev came close but looks like he didn't quite cross the 40 mark.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Jordan Jovtchev came close but looks like he didn't quite cross the 40 mark.

Definitely deserves a mention! And it had more rarity value then. 39 in 2012 is like early 40s now.