This will be a part of a series featuring analyzing Olympic medalists in swimming by age, thanks to the data compiled by SwimmingStats guruย Daniel Takataย (@Swimming Stats).
After we took a look at the youngest Olympic champions in swimming history earlier this month, it’s now time to analyze the opposite end of the spectrumโthe oldest Olympic gold medalists in the sport’s history.
As we discovered in the earlier article, swimmers tend to peak in their early 20s, with women sometimes doing so in their late teens.
As a result of that, it’s incredibly rare to see a swimmer experience success at the highest level after their 30th birthday. There have been just 11 swimmers in history to win Olympic gold after their 30th birthday, and only five of them have done so in an individual event.
The oldest Olympic champ in history isย Anthony Ervin, who stunningly returned to the top of the podium in the men’s 50 freestyle in Rio (2016) 16 years after winning the same event in Sydney (2000) when he was. 19-year-old.
In fact, the seven oldest gold medalists have come in the last 20 years, due to legendary swimmers such as Dara Torres,ย Michael Phelps,ย Jason Lezak andย Ryan Lochte having wrapped up their careers relatively recently. American swimmers feature heavily on the list, with the strength of the U.S. relays (and funding keeping American swimmers in the sport longer than other nations in certain cases) a factor.
Torres is the oldest female Olympic gold medalist, having won relay gold in Sydney at the age of 33. Eight years later, at 41, Torres won three silver medals in Beijing, including placing second in the 50 free by .01, which would’ve made her the oldest gold medalist by six years if she had pulled out the win.
Incredibly, with Torres missing that victory by a mere hundredth, the oldest woman to win gold individually isย Inge de Bruijn, who was 11 years younger than Torres was in Beijing at the Athens Olympics in 2004 when she won the 50 free. Germany’sย Ursula Happe is the only other woman to win individual gold after the age of 30, while Phelps andย Duke Kahanamoku join Ervin as the other two men to do so.
20 OLDEST OLYMPIC SWIMMING GOLD MEDALISTS
Rank | Swimmer | Country | Olympics | Event | Time | Age |
1 | Anthony Ervin | USA | Sydney 2000 | M 50 Freestyle | 21.4 | 35 years, 78 days |
2 | Dara Torres | USA | Sydney 2000 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:58.30 | 33 years, 161 days |
3 | Jason Lezak | USA | Beijing 2008 | M 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:29.34 | 32 years, 279 days |
4 | Ryan Lochte | USA | Rio 2016 | M 4×200 Free Relay | 7:00.66 | 32 years, 6 days |
5 | Michael Phelps | USA | Rio 2016 | M 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:27.95 | 31 years, 44 days |
6 | Inge de Bruijn | NED | Athens 2004 | W 50 Freestyle | 24.58 | 30 years, 363 days |
7 | Brendan Hansen | USA | London 2012 | M 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:29.35 | 30 years, 355 days |
8 | Cecil Healy | ANZ | Stockholm 1912 | M 4×200 Free Relay | 10:11.20 | 30 years, 230 days |
9 | Lou Handley | USA | St. Louis 1904 | M 4×50 Free Relay | 2:04.6 | 30 years, 206 days |
10 | Ursula Happe | GER | Melbourne 1956 | W 200 Breaststroke | 2:53.10 | 30 years, 41 days |
11 | Duke Kahanamoku | USA | Antwerp 1920 | M 100 Freestyle | 1:01.4 | 30 years, 5 days |
12 | Gary Hall, Jr. | USA | Athens 2004 | M 50 Freestyle | 21.93 | 29 years, 329 days |
13 | Rob Derbyshire | GBR | London 1908 | M 4×200 Free Relay | 10:55.6 | 29 years, 238 days |
14 | Ana Marcela Cunha | BRA | Tokyo 2020 | W 10km Open Water | 1:59:31 | 29 years, 134 days |
15 | Angel Martino | USA | Atlanta 1996 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 4:02.88 | 29 years, 90 days |
16 | Calum Jarvis | GBR | Tokyo 2020 | M 4×200 Free Relay | 6:58.58 | 29 years, 76 days |
17 | Cate Campbell | AUS | Tokyo 2020 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:51.60 | 29 years, 73 days |
18 | Marleen Veldhuis | NED | Beijing 2008 | W 4×100 Free Relay | 3:33.76 | 29 years, 42 days |
19 | Petria Thomas | AUS | Athens 2004 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:57.32 | 28 years, 362 days |
20 | Yoshiyuki Tsuruta | JPN | Los Angeles 1932 | M 200 Breaststroke | 2:45.4 | 28 years, 317 days |
Data Notes:
- Not surprisingly, relays and sprints are a common theme, with only the 200 breaststroke (in 1932 and 1956) and the open water 10km (2021) breaking that trend.
- There’s a fairly even split between men and women in the top 20โ11 men and nine womenโthough 10 of the 13 oldest gold medalists are men.
- Fourteen of the top 20 won their Olympic gold medals in 1996 or later, perhaps an indication of how in the early days, it was much less common for a swimmer to continue competing past their early 20s/college age.
20 OLDEST INDIVIDUAL OLYMPIC SWIMMING GOLD MEDALISTS
Rank | Swimmer | Country | Olympics | Event | Time | Age |
1 | Anthony Ervin | USA | Rio 2016 | M 50 Freestyle | 21.40 | 35 years, 78 days |
2 | Michael Phelps | USA | Rio 2016 | M 200 IM | 1:54.66 | 31 years, 42 days |
3 | Inge de Bruijn | NED | Athens 2004 | W 50 Freestyle | 24.58 | 30 years, 363 days |
4 | Ursula Happe | GER | Melbourne 1956 | W 200 Breaststroke | 2:53.10 | 30 years, 41 days |
5 | Duke Kahanamoku | USA | Antwerp 1920 | M 100 Freestyle | 1:01.4 | 30 years, 5 days |
6 | Gary Hall, Jr. | USA | Athens 2004 | M 50 Freestyle | 21.93 | 29 years, 329 days |
7 | Ana Marcela Cunha | BRA | Tokyo 2020 | W 10km Open Water | 1:59:31 | 29 years, 134 days |
8 | Petria Thomas | AUS | Athens 2004 | W 100 Butterfly | 57.72 | 28 years, 356 days |
9 | Yoshiyuki Tsuruta | JPN | Los Angeles 1932 | M 200 Breaststroke | 2:45.4 | 28 years, 317 days |
10 | John Jarvis | GBR | Paris 1900 | M 4000 Freestyle | 58:24.0 | 28 years, 177 days |
11 | Oussama Mellouli | TUN | London 2012 | M 10km Open Water | 1:49:55 | 28 years, 176 days |
12 | Vladimir Salnikov | URS | Seoul 1988 | M 1500 Freestyle | 15:00.40 | 28 years, 127 days |
13 | Ryan Lochte | USA | London 2012 | M 400 IM | 4:05.18 | 27 years, 360 days |
14 | Rie Kaneto | JPN | Rio 2016 | W 200 Breaststroke | 2:20.30 | 27 years, 338 days |
15 | Pablo Morales | USA | Barcelona 1992 | M 100 Butterfly | 53.32 | 27 years, 235 days |
16 | Wang Shun | CHN | Tokyo 2020 | M 200 IM | 1:55.00 | 27 years, 169 days |
17 | Maarten van der Weijden | NED | Beijing 2008 | M 10km Open Water | 1:51:52 | 27 years, 143 days |
18 | Chase Kalisz | USA | Tokyo 2020 | M 400 IM | 4:09.42 | 27 years, 140 days |
19 | Matt Grevers | USA | London 2012 | M 100 Backstroke | 52.16 | 27 years, 126 days |
20 | Katinka Hosszรบ | HUN | Rio 2016 | W 200 IM | 2:06.58 | 27 years, 98 days |
Data Notes:
- The data skews more towards men when we take out relay gold medalists, with 14 of the 20 oldest individual Olympic champions being male.
- Fourteen of the 20 were also set in 2004 or later.
- There’s a wide range of events in the top 20โall four strokes and every distance (outside of the 800 free) is represented in some capacity.
20 OLDEST OLYMPIC SWIMMING GOLD MEDALISTS โ FEMALE
Rank | Swimmer | Country | Olympics | Event | Time | Age |
1 | Dara Torres | USA | Sydney 2000 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:58.30 | 33 years, 161 days |
2 | Inge de Bruijn | NED | Athens 2004 | W 50 Freestyle | 24.58 | 30 years, 363 days |
3 | Ursula Happe | GER | Melbourne 1956 | W 200 Breaststroke | 2:53.10 | 30 years, 41 days |
4 | Ana Marcela Cunha | BRA | Tokyo 2020 | W 10km Open Water | 1:59:31 | 29 years, 134 days |
5 | Angel Martino | USA | Atlanta 1996 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 4:02.88 | 29 years, 90 days |
6 | Cate Campbell | AUS | Tokyo 2020 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:51.60 | 29 years, 73 days |
7 | Marleen Veldhuis | NED | Beijing 2008 | W 4×100 Free Relay | 3:33.76 | 29 years, 42 days |
8 | Petria Thomas | AUS | Athens 2004 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:57.32 | 28 years, 362 days |
9 | Dana Vollmer | USA | Rio 2016 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:53.13 | 28 years, 274 days |
10 | Rie Kaneto | JPN | Rio 2016 | W 200 Breaststroke | 2:20.30 | 27 years, 338 days |
11 | Amy Van Dyken | USA | Barcelona 1992 | W 4×100 Free Relay | 3:36.61 | 27 years, 214 days |
12 | Jenny Thompson | USA | Sydney 2000 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:58.30 | 27 years, 210 days |
13 | Frances Schroth | USA | Antwerp 1920 | W 4×100 Free Relay | 5:11.6 | 27 years, 140 days |
14 | Sheila Taormina | USA | Atlanta 1996 | W 4×200 Free Relay | 7:59.87 | 27 years, 129 days |
15 | Katinka Hosszรบ | HUN | Rio 2016 | W 200 IM | 2:06.58 | 27 years, 98 days |
16 | Ilona Novรกk | HUN | Helsinki 1952 | W 4×100 Free Relay | 4:24.4 | 27 years, 77 days |
17 | Bronte Campbell | AUS | Tokyo 2020 | W 4×100 Free Relay | 3:29.69 | 27 years, 72 days |
18 | Emma McKeon | AUS | Tokyo 2020 | W 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:51.60 | 27 years, 69 days |
19 | Susie O’Neill | AUS | Sydney 2000 | W 200 Freestyle | 1:58.24 | 27 years, 48 days |
20 | Dawn Fraser | AUS | Tokyo 1964 | W 100 Freestyle | 59.5 | 27 years, 39 days |
20 OLDEST INDIVIDUAL OLYMPIC SWIMMING GOLD MEDALISTS โ FEMALE
Rank | Swimmer | Country | Olympics | Event | Time | Age |
1 | Inge de Bruijn | NED | Athens 2004 | W 50 Freestyle | 24.58 | 30 years, 363 days |
2 | Ursula Happe | GER | Melbourne 1956 | W 200 Breaststroke | 2:53.10 | 30 years, 41 days |
3 | Ana Marcela Cunha | BRA | Tokyo 2020 | W 10km Open Water | 1:59:31 | 29 years, 134 days |
4 | Petria Thomas | AUS | Athens 2004 | W 100 Butterfly | 57.72 | 28 years, 356 days |
5 | Rie Kaneto | JPN | Rio 2016 | W 200 Breaststroke | 2:20.30 | 27 years, 338 days |
6 | Katinka Hosszรบ | HUN | Rio 2016 | W 200 IM | 2:06.58 | 27 years, 98 days |
7 | Emma McKeon | AUS | Tokyo 2020 | W 50 Freestyle | 23.81 | 27 years, 69 days |
8 | Susie O’Neill | AUS | Sydney 2000 | W 200 Freestyle | 1:58.24 | 27 years, 48 days |
9 | Dawn Fraser | AUS | Tokyo 1964 | W 100 Freestyle | 59.5 | 27 years, 39 days |
10 | รva Risztov | HUN | London 2012 | W 10km Open Water | 1:57:38.2 | 26 years, 345 days |
11 | Michelle Smith | IRL | Atlanta 1996 | W 200 IM | 2:13.93 | 26 years, 221 days |
12 | Lucy Morton | GBR | Paris 1924 | W 200 Breaststroke | 3:33.2 | 26 years, 146 days |
13 | Natalie Coughlin | USA | Beijing 2008 | W 100 Backstroke | 58.96 | 25 years, 355 days |
14 | Yui Ohashi | JPN | Tokyo 2020 | W 200 IM | 2:08.52 | 25 years, 283 days |
15 | Mireia Belmonte | ESP | Rio 2016 | W 200 Butterfly | 2:04.85 | 25 years, 274 days |
16 | Rebecca Soni | USA | London 2012 | W 200 Breaststroke | 2:19.59 | 25 years, 137 days |
17 | รva Szรฉkely | HUN | Helsinki 1952 | W 200 Breaststroke | 2:51.7 | 25 years, 117 days |
18 | Kirsty Coventry | ZIM | Beijing 2008 | W 200 Backstroke | 2:05.24 | 24 years, 335 days |
19 | Britta Steffen | GER | Beijing 2008 | W 50 Freestyle | 24.06 | 24 years, 275 days |
20 | Dana Vollmer | USA | London 2012 | W 100 Butterfly | 55.98 | 24 years, 259 days |
Data Notes:
- It’s notable how many women on the individual list won their Olympic gold medalists in 200-meter events.
- It speaks to how young female swimmers peak given that three swimmers on the individual list are ranked in the 20 oldest before having even turned 25.
20 OLDEST OLYMPIC SWIMMING GOLD MEDALISTS โ MALE
Rank | Swimmer | Country | Olympics | Event | Time | Age |
1 | Anthony Ervin | USA | Rio 2016 | M 50 Freestyle | 21.40 | 35 years, 78 days |
2 | Jason Lezak | USA | Beijing 2008 | M 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:29.34 | 32 years, 279 days |
3 | Ryan Lochte | USA | Rio 2016 | M 4×200 Free Relay | 7:00.66 | 32 years, 6 days |
4 | Michael Phelps | USA | Rio 2016 | M 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:27.95 | 31 years, 44 days |
5 | Brendan Hansen | USA | London 2012 | M 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:29.35 | 30 years, 355 days |
6 | Cecil Healy | ANZ | Stockholm 1912 | M 4×200 Free Relay | 10:11.20 | 30 years, 230 days |
7 | Lou Handley | USA | St. Louis 1904 | M 4×50 Free Relay | 2:04.6 | 30 years, 206 days |
8 | Duke Kahanamoku | USA | Antwerp 1920 | M 100 Freestyle | 1:01.4 | 30 years, 5 days |
9 | Gary Hall, Jr. | USA | Athens 2004 | M 50 Freestyle | 21.93 | 29 years, 329 days |
10 | Rob Derbyshire | GBR | London 1908 | M 4×200 Free Relay | 10:55.6 | 29 years, 238 days |
11 | Calum Jarvis | GBR | Tokyo 2020 | M 4×200 Free Relay | 6:58.58 |
29 years, 76 days
|
12 | Yoshiyuki Tsuruta | JPN | Los Angeles 1932 | M 200 Breaststroke | 2:45.4 | 28 years, 317 days |
13 | Malcolm Champion | ANZ | Stockholm 1912 | M 4×200 Free Relay | 10:11.2 | 28 years, 246 days |
14 | John Jarvis | GBR | Paris 1900 | M 4000 Freestyle | 58:24.0 | 28 years, 177 days |
15 | Oussama Mellouli | TUN | London 2012 | M 10km Open Water | 1:49:55 | 28 years, 176 days |
16 | Vladimir Salnikov | URS | Seoul 1988 | M 1500 Freestyle | 15:00.40 |
28 years, 127 days
|
17 | Fabien Gilot | FRA | London 2012 | M 4×100 Free Relay | 3:09.93 | 28 years, 93 days |
18 | Chris Fydler | AUS | Sydney 2000 | M 4×100 Free Relay | 3:13.67 | 27 years, 313 days |
19 | Tom Jager | USA | Barcelona 1992 | M 4×100 Free Relay | 3:16.74 |
27 years, 297 days
|
20 | Nathan Adrian | USA | Rio 2016 | M 4×100 Medley Relay | 3:27.95 |
27 years, 250 days
|
20 OLDEST INDIVIDUAL OLYMPIC SWIMMING GOLD MEDALISTS โ MALE
Rank | Swimmer | Country | Olympics | Event | Time | Age |
1 | Anthony Ervin | USA | Rio 2016 | M 50 Freestyle | 21.40 | 35 years, 78 days |
2 | Michael Phelps | USA | Rio 2016 | M 200 Butterfly | 1:53.36 | 31 years, 40 days |
3 | Duke Kahanamoku | USA | Antwerp 1920 | M 100 Freestyle | 1:01.4 | 30 years, 5 days |
4 | Gary Hall, Jr. | USA | Athens 2004 | M 50 Freestyle | 21.93 | 29 years, 329 days |
5 | Yoshiyuki Tsuruta | JPN | Los Angeles 1932 | M 200 Breaststroke | 2:45.4 | 28 years, 317 days |
6 | John Jarvis | GBR | Paris 1900 | M 4000 Freestyle | 58:24.0 | 28 years, 177 days |
7 | Oussama Mellouli | TUN | London 2012 | M 10km Open Water | 1:49:55 | 28 years, 176 days |
8 | Vladimir Salnikov | URS | Seoul 1988 | M 1500 Freestyle | 15:00.40 | 28 years, 127 days |
9 | Ryan Lochte | USA | London 2012 | M 400 IM | 4:05.18 | 27 years, 360 days |
10 | Pablo Morales | USA | Barcelona 1992 | M 100 Butterfly | 53.32 | 27 years, 235 days |
11 | Wang Shun | CHN | Tokyo 2020 | M 200 IM | 1:55.00 | 27 years, 169 days |
12 | Maarten van der Weijden | NED | Beijing 2008 | M 10km Open Water | 1:51:52 | 27 years, 143 days |
13 | Chase Kalisz | USA | Tokyo 2020 | M 400 IM | 4:09.42 | 27 years, 140 days |
14 | Matt Grevers | USA | London 2012 | M 100 Backstroke | 52.16 | 27 years, 126 days |
15 | Arne Borg | SWE | Amsterdam 1928 | M 1500 Freestyle | 19:51.8 | 26 years, 354 days |
16 | Adam Peaty | GBR | Tokyo 2020 | M 100 Breaststroke | 57.37 | 26 years, 210 days |
17 | Pieter van den Hoogenband | NED | Athens 2004 | M 100 Freestyle | 48.17 | 26 years, 157 days |
18 | Lars Frรถlander | SWE | Sydney 2000 | M 100 Butterfly | 52.00 | 26 years, 119 days |
19 | Kosuke Kitajima | JPN | Beijing 2008 | M 200 Breaststroke | 2:07.64 | 25 years, 327 days |
20 | Jeff Rouse | USA | Atlanta 1996 | M 100 Backstroke | 54.10 | 25 years, 230 days |
Data Notes:
- The ranking shows that it’s more common for male swimmers to achieve success at a later age than women, but not by much. The 20th-oldest individual male champion is just under one year older than the 20th-oldest female champion.
- In our earlier article looking at the youngest Olympic champions in history, only two of the 20 youngest men on the individual list came from 2000 or laterโIan Thorpe (2000) and Kyle Chalmers (2016). In the oldest category, 13 of the top 20 come over that time period. That tells us it’s much more common for swimmers to be successful at an older age now than previously.
That Adam Peaty’s already 16th on the men’s list makes me wish I could have placed a zillion bets on him not winning a gold ever again after Tokyo.
(This is the exact type data I was just guessing at when I started being a Debbie Downer about his chances, lol.)
Ervin! Always amazed by his acceleration at 35 meters. One of my favorite Olympic races.
Ervin ๐
Im new in the swim world but I think that its great that there are some of these people who are still within the sport regardless of their age.
Going 1:54 in the 200 im in your 30โs ๐๐
Facts
American swimming will never be the same without Phelps and Lochte
Why list McKeonโs medley relay gold in one list and then her 50 free gold in another when they were on the same day – actually within about 10 minutes of each other? I would have just listed her individual both times.
High Chance Ana Marcela (If healthy) Surpass all on Paris
It seems like the swimmers competing highly in their 30s are good throughout their life, with few exceptions.
Am I wrong?