There's a common myth that gymnastics is dominated by *teenagers* - an assumption that leads to journalists calling Simone Biles a "senior citizen" because she's... 24. 🧵 
Both media and a lot of casual fans assume that adolescence is the perfect age for (female) gymnasts. Once a gymnast is in her 20s, she's basically like an expired cartoon of milk.
Or, per this story, anyone over 21 is "over the hill." ⛰️
Or, per this story, anyone over 21 is "over the hill." ⛰️
(Side note: I would love to know which "major international prizes" 14 and 15 year old gymnasts are supposedly "scooping up," given that the minimum age for competing in senior international elite competitions is... 16).
But in reality, teenagers don't dominate Olympic-level gymnastics - at least not in 2021.
The *average* age of the 98 women competing in Tokyo is 21 years and 11 months.
olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/07/14/oly…
The *average* age of the 98 women competing in Tokyo is 21 years and 11 months.
olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/07/14/oly…
Nor is Simone Biles, at 24, exceptionally old within her cohort of gymnasts. In fact, 27 of the gymnasts who will appear in Tokyo are 24 or older. More than a quarter!
Some of the "senior citizens" competing in Tokyo include:
Sanne Wevers (29), the reigning Olympic Balance Beam champion, who debuted the hardest move on uneven bars just a few weeks ago (the clear hip nabieva half).
Sanne Wevers (29), the reigning Olympic Balance Beam champion, who debuted the hardest move on uneven bars just a few weeks ago (the clear hip nabieva half).
Alexa Moreno (26), the first Mexican gymnast to medal at a World Championships, and the 2018 Bronze Medalist on Vault. A near-lock for the vault final.
Ellie Black (25), one of the best All Around gymnasts in the world, and soon-to-be 3X Olympian. The first Canadian gymnast to win an All-Around medal at a World Championship (silver in 2017).
(Pictured below doing a "Men's" floor routine)
(Pictured below doing a "Men's" floor routine)
Vanessa Ferrari (30), 2006 World Champion, 5 time World Medalist, attending her *fourth* Olympic Games, with one of the hardest floor routines in the world.
(fun fact: Ferrari and I share the exact same birthday. Scorpio power!)
(fun fact: Ferrari and I share the exact same birthday. Scorpio power!)
Mai Murakami (24), the first Japanese woman to win a gold medal on floor at Worlds (2017), and the first Japanese woman to win a silver in the All Around (2018).
A big threat for several finals, especially floor and AA.
A big threat for several finals, especially floor and AA.
Elisabeth "Eli" Seitz, 27. A soon-to-be three-time Olympian, Seitz is the 2017 World bronze medalist on UB. We'll likely see her in the UB finals in Tokyo.
In 2019, Seitz placed 6th in the All Around at Worlds, the highest placement for a German gymnast since reunification.
In 2019, Seitz placed 6th in the All Around at Worlds, the highest placement for a German gymnast since reunification.
Giulia Steingruber (27), the first swiss woman to win an olympic medal in gymnastics. Steingruber is the 2016 bronze medalist on vault and the 2021 European vault champion. Look for her to make the vault final.
Kim Bui (32), who, in addition to making the German Olympic team for the third time, is finishing her master's thesis in technical biology. Bui is particularly good on uneven bars and floor, and has an outside shot at making the UB final.
Mykayla Skinner (24), who made the USA Olympic team after three tries. Skinner performs two of the hardest vaults in the world (the Amanar and the Cheng), and has a good chance to make the vault final.
Roxana Popa (24). After three years away from the sport of gymnastics, Popa returned in 2019 to help Spain qualify to the Olympics for the first time since 2006 - and to make her first Worlds final on floor.
And, of course, Oksana Chusovitina (46). Duh! 2x Olympic Medalist, 11x World Medalist, 8-time Olympian, living legend.
What's incredible about Chuso isn't just that she's still competing - it's that she's *competitive*. She consistently makes World and Olympic vault finals.
What's incredible about Chuso isn't just that she's still competing - it's that she's *competitive*. She consistently makes World and Olympic vault finals.
This list only scratches the surface of "older" gymnasts we'll see in Tokyo, from Vera Van Pol, to Danusia Francis, to Larisa Iordache, and Simone Biles herself.
The "older" crowd of gymnasts are world and Olympic medalists and champions. They are record-makers and record-breakers; they lead their teams; they are inventors of new skills.
They are athletes at the peak of their abilities, and they are legion.
They are athletes at the peak of their abilities, and they are legion.
So maybe journalists could stop writing sentences that imply gymnasts are tired old crones if they're over the age of 19? Perhaps?
... or is that too much to ask?
... or is that too much to ask?
Why is the myth of teenage gymnasts so persistent? My best guess is that it's a combo of:
1. misinformation (media writing the same stories over and over again)
2. misogyny!
1. misinformation (media writing the same stories over and over again)
2. misogyny!
Note for example how Dave Lease talks about Aliya Mustafina (then 21) in the runup to the Rio Olympics: "she's what we refer to as [tired old shit]."
Mustafina went on to win three medals, but that's not the point. The misogyny is the point.
Mustafina went on to win three medals, but that's not the point. The misogyny is the point.
For anyone interested, I compiled a chart that shows the age of individual medalists (not team) + top 10 all arounders since 1954. You can see the age dropped precipitously from the 70s onwards, but steadily been increasing since the 2000s.
Obviously, this data is just a snapshot of what's going on with age in women's gymnastics - only medalists and AAers at the Olympics - but it does show broad trends.
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