Olympic Medalists Span Decades in Age at 2026 Winter Games

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The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina will feature a wide range of ages among its competitors, from 15-year-old freestyle skier Abby Winterberger to 54-year-old curler Richard Ruohonen. An analysis of over 6,200 Olympic medalists from 1924 to 2022 shows the average age has steadily risen from 24 to 28 in the past 40 years, with women's average age climbing from 23 to 28. Curling stands out as the sport with the oldest medalists on average at 33, while short track speed skating has the youngest at 22. The data also reveals persistent gender differences, with female medalists about a year younger than males on average.

Why it matters

The wide age range of competitors at the 2026 Winter Olympics reflects broader trends in the Games, where the average age of medalists has been rising over time. This highlights how the Olympics are no longer defined by a single generation, but draw participants from across the age spectrum. The data also sheds light on how different sports attract athletes of varying ages, with factors like physical demands and experience playing a role.

The details

The analysis by the Get the Facts Data Team looked at the ages of over 6,200 Olympic medalists from the first Winter Games in 1924 through 2022. It found that the youngest winter Olympic medalist ever was 13-year-old Kim Yun Mi of South Korea, who won gold in the women's 3,000-meter short track relay in 1994. The oldest was 58-year-old Carl August Verner Kronlund of Sweden, who competed in curling at the inaugural 1924 Winter Olympics.

• The analysis covered nearly a century of Winter Olympics from 1924 through 2022.
• The average age of winter Olympic medalists has risen from 24 to 28 over the past 40 years.
• The average age for female medalists has climbed from 23 to 28 during this time period.

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