SPORTS | Striving for excellence
12 August 2008
U.S. Olympians: Aged to Perfection
Older U.S. Olympians continue to hold their own in competitions
This article is excerpted and reprinted with permission of the U.S. Olympic Committee from Issue 3, Day 2 (Wednesday, August 6, 2008) of the USA Daily newsletter.
When Libby Callahan, a sport pistol shooter, steps into the field of competition at the 2008 Olympic Games, she’ll be making history and also highlighting a trend in the United States team for the games.
At age 56, Callahan will become the oldest woman to compete in the Olympic Games for the United States.
“It’s not a big deal to me,” Callahan said. “It’s a non-factor in my performance. To me it’s just a stat. I still wanted to compete at the highest level regardless of age.”
Callahan is one of five U.S. Olympians who are over age 50. The eldest U.S. Olympian in 2008 is John Dane III, a sailing athlete who is 58 years old. Callahan checks in as the second-oldest (and oldest female) at 56, followed closely by archer and five-time Olympian Butch Johnson at 55. Equestrians Debbie McDonald (53) and Karen O’Connor (50) round out the quintet that’s lived more than a half-century.
They’re not alone when it comes to redefining the upper limits of age for elite American athletes: 16 other U.S. athletes are over 40 years old. While the bulk of the over-40 crowd is in sports like equestrian, shooting and sailing, ones that showcase a more veteran talent pool, there are others like swimmer Dara Torres and track and field’s Joanne Dow and Jeff Hartwig who have shown that age is not a hurdle in more mainstream sports. (See “Olympic Swimmer Tackles Fifth Olympic Games at 41.”)
At the other end of the age spectrum are the U.S. diving team’s Mary Beth Dunnichay and Haley Ishimatsu, both 15 years old.
