19 of the Youngest Olympians in the History of the Games
Getty Images
The adage “age is just a number” couldn’t be more true when it comes to the youngest Olympians, a cadre of under-16 athletes who have dominated their chosen sports. Dedicating years of their very young lives to their respective sports, these athletes are the best in their field and have had the honor of making their Olympic debuts before they could even drive.
Asccess to better training facilities and coaches increases, we can expect even more pre-teens and teens to claim Olympic spots of their own. It’s not by chance that they’re qualifying for their spots, many carve their schooling around hours-long training, choosing to prioritize and hone their sporting skills as best they can.
While we’re now seeing many young athletes, we’ve rounded up some of the youngest Olympians to compete in the games. Some competitors were as young as 10—aka fifth grade—when they pitted themselves against peers a decade or more older than them. Some have even managed to snag a coveted medal. Here's a look back at some of the youngest athletes in history to make it to the Olympic games.
Dimitrios Loundras, 10
Dimitrios Loundras was one of the first athletes to compete in the Olympic Games when they made their modern debut in 1896. He was 10 years old when he competed in the Summer Olympics in Athens and won a bronze medal with his gymnastics team. He has held the title of youngest Olympic athlete since that time.
Gaurika Singh, 13
At just 13 years old, Gaurika Singh of Nepal handled her Olympic debut with poise and maturity far beyond her years. The youngest athlete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Singh walked onto the pool deck for her 100-meter backstroke race just moments after she accidentally ripped her swimsuit. She called her coach for advice, changed her suit, strode into the arena, and competed. While she didn't end up advancing, she made quite the Olympic splash.
Sky Brown, 13
Sky Brown won her first Olympic medal during her skateboarding debut at the 2020 (technically 2021) Tokyo Olympics. This was the first time skateboarding was allowed in the Olympics and, thusly, made Brown one of the youngest Olympian to win in this discipline to date.
Kokona Hiraki, 12
Only a month younger than Sky Brown, Japanese skater Kokona Hiraki was 12 years old when she won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. With this historic win she became not only the youngest female and youngest competitor to medal in the event, but she also became the youngest Olympic medalist in 85 years.
Momiji Nishiya, 14
Fellow Japanese skater Momoji Nishiya competed alongside Hiraki at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She won gold in the women’s street event, making her Japan's youngest-ever Olympic gold medalist.
Rayssa Leal, 13
Brazilian skater Rayssa Leal was just 13 years old during her 2020 Tokyo Olympics debut. She won the silver medal in her event, coming second to Momiji Nishiya. She solidified her place in Olympics history by becoming one of the youngest Olympians to ever medal.
Quan Hongchan, 14
Chinese diver Quan Hongchan was 14 during her 2020 Olympics debut in Tokyo and was the youngest athlete in the Chinese delegation.She managed to win gold in the individual 10-meter platform event with 466.20 points. This beat the record holder score of 447.7 set by Chen Roulin in 2008.
Katie Grimes, 15
American swimmer Katie Grimes was the youngest athlete on Team USA in 2020. Although she didn’t manage to medal in her event, she did come in fourth place in the 800 meter freestyle. Grimes was the first athlete to qualify for the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.
Hend Zaza, 12
Syrian table tennis player Hend Zaza was the youngest Olympian at the 2020 games and was the youngest Olympic competitor since 1992.
Although she lost in the first round to a veteran athlete, she plans on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Lilly Stoephasius, 14
Three-time German skateboarding champion Lilly Stoephasius was 14 during her Olympic debut in 2020. She placed 9th in the women’s park skateboarding event and has eyes on the gold during the 2024 games.
Beatrice Huștiu, 11
Beatrice Huștiu held the youngest athlete title for a long time. She competed in singles figure skating at the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France, but did not medal.
Tara Lipinski, 15
The famed U.S. skater was 15 when she scored her first gold medal in the Ladies' Single event in the 1998 Winter Olympics. Lipinski became the youngest person ever to hold the title of U.S., World, and Olympic Champion, and then turned professional at age 15, touring with Champions on Ice and Stars on Ice.
Dominique Moceanu, 14
For gymnastics fans, there are few great sports stories like that of the 1996 U.S. women's gymnastics team known as The Magnificent Seven. Dominique Moceanu, at age 14, was the youngest member of the seven. Despite an injury that kept her out of individual competition and struggling through team competition, she helped the U.S. team nab the gold, becoming the youngest athlete to win the gold for women's gymnastics. She was also the youngest athlete ever featured on a Wheaties Box.
Marjorie Gestring, 13
Gestring was 13 years and 268 days old when she competed in the Olympics in Berlin, Germany, in 1936, and helped the U.S. women's diving team win a gold medal, according to Top End Sports. Gestring continued to compete nationally after the '36 Olympics, but further Olympic ambitions were thwarted when World War II led to the cancelation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympic games, according to the BBC.
Kim Yun-Mi, 13
In 1994, Kim Yun-Mi of South Korea made Olympic speed-skating history when she competed at the Lillehammer Games at the age of 13. She won the gold in the 3,000-meter relay and became the youngest Olympic champion at the Winter Games, according to Sports Reference.
Donna Elizabeth de Varona, 13
Donna Elizabeth was 13 years and 129 days old when she competed in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay at the 1960 Olympics on the qualifying team, getting the team into the eventual competition where they won the gold.
Inge Sørensen, 12
Inge was the youngest Olympic female medalist in history when she took home the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke competition at the 1936 Olympics, according to the BBC. She then went on to win the gold in 1938.
The Italian Gymnastics Team in 1928, ages 11 and 12
In the 1928 Olympics, Italy sent three young gymnasts to represent it in the Olympics: Luigina Giavotti, who was 11 years and 301 days old, Ines Vercesi, who was 12 years and 99 days old, and Carla Marangoni, who was 12 years and 269 days old.
Unknown Dutch rower boy
While Dimitrios Loundras holds the official title of youngest Olympic athlete, Olympic historians have long studied a photo of a Dutch rowing team in the 1900 Olympics in which a substitute coxswain was brought in at the last minute to replace the team's regular coxswain, Hermanus Brockmann. A young boy is seen with rowers Françoise Brandt and Roelof Klein, but his age is unknown.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
