PARIS, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The aim of the Olympic Games has always been to promote integration no matter of religion, skin color or nationality and also between the ages, so perhaps it is fitting that the Paris Olympic Games also sees a big diversity in the ages of competitors, with a 59-year age gap between the youngest and the oldest competitor at Paris.
Chinese skateboarder Zheng Haohao is one of the youngest competitors in Paris, aged just 11 after sealing her place in the Games at the Pre-Olympic competition, which took place in Shanghai and Budapest.
Perhaps the bumps and falls make skateboarding a young person's sport, as the event, which debuted at the Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, did so with the youngest ever podium in Olympic history, with Japan's Nishiya Momiji, claiming gold at 13 years old, Brazil's Rayssa Leal, taking silver at the same age, ahead of the relative 'veteran' who was 16-year-old Nakayama Funa.
Zheng now has the chance to be the youngest ever gold-medalist, with that honor currently held by Marjorie Gestring, after the American won gold in springboard jumping at the age of 13 years and 268 days in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
At the other end of the spectrum, Australian equestrian Mary Hanna, who is due to celebrate her 70th birthday in December.
Hanna is the emergency reserve for Australia in dressage, drawing the curtain on an Olympic career that began in 28 years ago in Atlanta 1996 and which saw her become the oldest Australian ever at the games, eight years ago in Rio.
Whereas skateboarding is the pursuit of the young, dressage is clearly for the more 'experienced' athlete, with Canadian duo, Jill Irving and Mario Deslauriers aged 61 and 59 respectively.
However, even if Hanna rides to glory, she won't be the oldest ever medal winner: that honor goes to Britain's John Copley, who won silver at the age of 73, although his event of 'Art, Mixed Painting, engravings and Etchings,' is probably the least strenuous Olympic event ever.
Meanwhile the oldest athlete to win gold was Oscar Swahn, who won his medal in the 1912 Men's 100-meter team running deer single shot event. He was 64 years and 258 days old, and you will be pleased to know they didn't shoot at real deer. ■