30 Olympic athletes who dominated their events

27. Claudia Pechstein

Like Dara Torres, Claudia Pechstein of Germany is an accomplished athlete who just doesn’t seem to realize that aging is inevitable, even for Olympic icons. At age 46, Pechstein is closer to 50 than she is to 40 obviously, and yet she made headlines worldwide last May when she made a surprise public announcement.

No, she wasn’t retiring from competitive speed skating, as many had hitherto expected. On the contrary, Pechstein announced her intention to try to qualify for her seventh Winter Games. If all goes according to plan, the German speedster will seek to add to her already-impressive collection of shiny hardware – another medal puts her in the double digits – at the 2018 tournament in South Korea. Pechstein currently has five golds, two silvers, and two bronzes, which already makes her the most successful Olympic speed skater of all time.

Her detractors might point to her two-year ban from the sport based off alleged blood doping and claim her achievements are tainted because of it, but the real truth behind that controversy remains up for debate. Until such time as Pechstein is definitively proven to be a cheater, her position is secure atop the pantheon of winter sports.

Next: 26. Nadia Comăneci