Historical List of the Oldest Living Olympians
All original content © 2018 Paul Tchir.
Below is a historical list of individuals who have held the title of "Oldest Living Olympian", organized from earliest to most recent. This table is not sortable currently.
Last update: February 13, 2019.
Olympian | Oldest from... | Oldest to... | Country | Sport | Olympic year(s) | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Date of birth | Date of death | Age at death |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Robert Backhouse | No earlier than June 30, 1939* | April 10, 1940 | Great Britain | Archery | 1908 Rome | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | March 10, 1854 | April 10, 1940 | 86 years, 31 days |
Henri Léon Gréber | April 10, 1940 | 1941 | France | Art competitions | 1924 Paris | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | May 28, 1854 | 1941 | 86 years, 218 days - 87 years, 217 days |
William, Lord Desborough | 1941 | January 9, 1945 | Great Britain | Fencing | 1906 Athens | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | October 30, 1855 | January 9, 1945 | 89 years, 71 days |
George Elcock | January 9, 1945 | February 10, 1946 | Great Britain | Art competitions | 1932 Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | March 26, 1856 | February 10, 1946 | 89 years, 320 days |
Sidney Merlin | February 10, 1946 | 1952 | Great Britain | Sport shooting | 1896 Athens, 1900 Paris, 1906 Athens | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | April 26, 1856 | 1952 | 95 years, 250 days - 96 years, 249 days |
John Keyworth | 1952 | April 24, 1954 | Great Britain | Archery | 1908 Rome | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | May 9, 1859 | April 24, 1954 | 94 years, 350 days |
Thomas Fremantle | April 24, 1954 | July 9, 1956 | Great Britain | Sport shooting | 1908 Rome | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | February 5, 1862 | July 9, 1956 | 94 years, 165 days |
Louis Sparre | July 9, 1956 | October 26, 1964 | Sweden | Fencing | 1912 Stockholm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | August 3, 1863 | October 26, 1964 | 101 years, 84 days |
Charles Morris Young | October 26, 1964 | November 14, 1964 | United States | Art competitions | 1928 Amsterdam, 1932 Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | September 23, 1869 | November 14, 1964 | 95 years, 52 days |
Leonie Taylor | November 14, 1964 | July 3, 1966 | United States | Archery | 1904 St. Louis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | March 1870 | July 3, 1966 | 96 years, 94-124 days |
Charlotte Cooper | July 3, 1966 | October 10, 1966 | Great Britain | Tennis | 1900 Paris | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | September 22, 1870 | October 10, 1966 | 96 years, 18 days |
Teotan Lebedev | October 10, 1966 | November 1, 1966 | Russia | Sport shooting | 1912 Stockholm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | November 2, 1871 | November 1, 1966 | 94 years, 364 days |
George Stuart Robertson | November 1, 1966 | January 29, 1967 | Great Britain | Athletics, tennis | 1896 Athens | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | May 25, 1872 | January 29, 1967 | 94 years, 249 days |
Gerhard Gyllenhammar | January 29, 1967 | September 16, 1968 | Sweden | Art competitions | 1936 Berlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | February 7, 1873 | September 16, 1968 | 95 years, 222 days |
Mary Wesselhoeft | September 16, 1968 | March 23, 1971 | United States | Art competitions | 1932 Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | February 15, 1873 | March 23, 1971 | 98 years, 36 days |
Lucien Démanet | March 23, 1971 | March 16, 1979 | France | Gymnastics | 1904 St. Louis, 1920 Antwerp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | December 6, 1874 | March 16, 1979 | 104 years, 100 days |
Rudy Schrader | March 16, 1979 | January 18, 1981 | United States | Gymnastics | 1904 St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | March 17, 1875 | January 18, 1981 | 105 years, 307 days |
Dirk Janssen | January 18, 1981 | November 22, 1986 | Netherlands | Gymnastics | 1908 London | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | July 11, 1881 | November 22, 1986 | 105 years, 134 days |
Seibo Kitamura | November 22, 1986 | March 4, 1987 | Japan | Art competitions | 1932 Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | December 16, 1884 | March 4, 1987 | 102 years, 78 days |
Jean Elichagaray | March 4, 1987 | June 8, 1987 | France | Rowing | 1912 Stockholm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | September 3, 1886 | June 8, 1987 | 100 years, 278 days |
Willem Winkelman | June 8, 1987 | July 1, 1990 | Netherlands | Athletics | 1908 London | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | July 14, 1887 | July 1, 1990 | 102 years, 352 days |
Ole Aarnæs | July 1, 1990 | February 3, 1992 | Norway | Athletics | 1912 Stockholm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | May 27, 1888 | February 3, 1992 | 103 years, 252 days |
Jalmari Kivenheimo | February 3, 1992 | October 29, 1994 | Finland | Gymnastics | 1912 Stockholm | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | September 25, 1889 | October 29, 1994 | 105 years, 34 days |
Franciszek Strynkiewicz | October 29, 1994 | November 20, 1996 | Poland | Art competitions | 1932 Los Angeles, 1948 London | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | September 15, 1893 | November 20, 1996 | 103 years, 66 days |
Nic Roeser | November 20, 1996 | July 27, 1997 | Luxembourg | Gymnastics | 1928 Amsterdam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | November 8, 1896 | July 27, 1997 | 100 years, 261 days |
Hal Haig Prieste | July 27, 1997 | April 15, 2001 | Norway | Sailing | 1936 Berlin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | November 23, 1896 | April 15, 2001 | 104 years, 143 days |
Alida van den Bos | April 15, 2001 | July 16, 2003 | United States | Gymnastics | 1928 Amsterdam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | January 18, 1902 | July 16, 2003 | 101 years, 179 days |
James Stillman Rockefeller | July 16, 2003 | August 10, 2004 | United States | Rowing | 1924 Paris | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | June 8, 1902 | August 10, 2004 | 102 years, 63 days |
Carlo Testi | August 10, 2004 | November 12, 2005 | Italy | Art competitions | 1932 Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | November 27, 1902 | November 12, 1905 | 102 years, 350 days |
Erna Sondheim | November 12, 2005 | January 9, 2008 | Germany | Fencing | 1928 Amsterdam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | February 17, 1904 | January 9, 2008 | 103 years, 326 days |
Signe Johansson-Engdahl | January 9, 2008 | May 9, 2010 | Sweden | Diving | 1924 Paris | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | May 27, 1905 | May 9, 2010 | 104 years, 347 days |
Walter Walsh | May 9, 2010 | April 29, 2014 | United States | Sport shooting | 1948 London | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | May 4, 1907 | April 29, 2014 | 106 years, 360 days |
Hans Erni | April 29, 2014 | March 21, 2015 | Switzerland | Art competitions | 1948 London | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | February 21, 1909 | March 21, 2015 | 106 years, 28 days |
Guo Jie | March 21, 2015 | November 15, 2015 | China | Athletics | 1936 Berlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | January 16, 1912 | November 15, 2015 | 103 years, 303 days |
Ingeborg Sjöqvist | November 15, 2015 | November 22, 2015 | Sweden | Diving | 1932 Los Angeles, 1936 Berlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | April 19, 1912 | November 22, 2015 | 103 years, 217 days |
Simone Schaller | November 22, 2015 | October 20, 2016 | United States | Athletics | 1932 Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | August 22, 1912 | October 20, 2016 | 104 years, 59 days |
John Lysak | October 20, 2016 | Still living | United States | Canoeing | 1936 Berlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | August 16, 1914 | Still living | 104 years, 181 days |
*There are two candidates for Oldest Living Olympian prior to Robert Backhouse:
1. Emily Rushton, who competed in archery at the 1908 Games for Great Britain, was born sometime in 1850 and died June 30, 1939. Since her christening took place on March 4, 1850, she was definitely the Oldest Living Olympian at some point in her life.
2. John Butt, who competed in sport shooting at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics for Great Britain was born on October 30, 1850 and died at some point in 1939. He was, therefore, definitely younger than Rushton but, if he died after June 30, then he was the Oldest Living Olympian from then until his own death.
© 2018 Paul Tchir