Ranking the oldest and youngest Olympic medalists in U.S. history
By Lior Lampert
On Friday, the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will officially commence. The opening ceremony will initiate the multi-week global affair featuring a collection of the best athletes in the world.
Some participants are returning to the multi-sport outing as more seasoned Olympians. Meanwhile, others are getting their first taste of international action.
Watching participants cruise through the center of Paris down the Seine River for the Parade of Nations marks a new era. No introductory ritual has ever taken place outside of a stadium setting. Nonetheless, this historic moment serves as an opportunity to reflect on the long-standing traditions and chronicles of the Olympics.
The Olympics are a unique event, consisting of contestants from various backgrounds. Regardless of age, size, ornationality, everyone wants to represent their country to the fullest.
With that in mind, we decided to dive into the youngest/oldest medalists Olympic medalists, though we narrowed it down to Americans.
Ranking the youngest Olympic medalists in U.S. history
Name | Age | Sport |
|---|---|---|
Dorothy Poynton-Hill | 13 years, 23 days | Diving |
Marjorie Gestring | 13 years, 268 days | Diving |
Pokey Watson | 14 years, 95 days | Swimming |
Aileen Riggin | 14 years, 119 days | Diving |
Sylvia Ruuska | 14 years, 154 days | Swimming |
Helen Wainwright | 14 years, 167 days | Diving |
Kerri Strug | 14 years, 252 days | Artistic Gymnastics |
Carolyn Wood | 14 years, 259 days | Swimming |
Amanda Beard | 14 years, 266 days | Swimming |
Denise Parker | 14 years, 290 days | Archery |
Shortly after turning 13, Dorothy Poynton-Hill became the youngest Olympic medalist in U.S. history, earning silver in the 1928 Amsterdam Games' three-meter springboard competition.
More recently, fellow Americans Marjorie Gestring and Kerri Strug contributed to Team USA winning gold in their respective sports in 1996. The former was a 13-year-old diver, while the latter was a member of the gymnastics squad at 14.
Then, there's Denise Parker, the lone archer on this list. Her efforts helped America earn bronze medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Ranking the oldest Olympic medalists in U.S. history
Name | Age | Sport |
|---|---|---|
Samuel Duvall | 68 years, 194 days | Archery |
Charles Jacobus | 64 years, 99 days | Roque |
Galen Carter Spencer | 64 years, 2 days | Archery |
Eliza Pollock | 63 years, 333 days | Archery |
Robert Williams | 63 years, 241 days | Archery |
William Clark | 62 years, 174 days | Archery |
Walter Winans | 60 years, 90 days | Shooting |
Charles Woodruff | 60 years, 37 days | Archery |
Smith Streeter | 60 years, 25 days | Roque |
Everard Endt | 59 years, 112 days | Sailing |
Eliza Pollock (63), Samuel Duvall (68) and Galen Carter Spencer (64) helped deliver a gold medal to the United States in the 1904 Olympic archery team competitions. They're three of the most senior competitors of the bunch to take the podium for the red, white and blue.
Coined the "father of American roque," Charles Jacobus brought the sport to the Olympics in 1904. For those unfamiliar with the game, it is virtually a hard-surface form of croquet.
Jacobus won gold in the tournament at the St. Louis Games, though we never saw Roque on the Olympic stage again.
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