The Oldest Olympic Athlete Was This 72-Year Old Man

When I learned that the oldest member of the American Olympic team is 54 years old, I asked myself who was the oldest Olympic athlete ever.

It was Oscar Swahn, who represented Sweden at the age of 72 at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. This was Swahn's third attendance, having also participated in the Olympic games in 1908 and 1912 (the 1916 games were cancelled due to an international dispute occurring during that year).

Swahn was a crack shot with a rifle. He participated in the men's double-shot 100 meter running deer event. That meant firing two shots at a moving deer-shaped target 100 yards away. In a team version of this event, Swahn won the silver medal in 1920.