"Sixty? Age Is Just a Number"…Senior Athletes Who Heated Up the Olympics [Paris Olympics]

Athletes Overcoming Age to Take the Stage
Passion Burning for Olympic Medals
"Age Is Just a Number"

Photo by Sohoo.com

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, in events such as shooting, air pistol, and table tennis, older athletes around the age of 60 showed passionate determination to win medals. These competitors, who performed on stage regardless of their age, although they failed to secure medals, also revealed their fighting spirit for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics to be held four years later.

Leonel Martinez (60) ranked 28th out of 30 participants in the men's trap shooting event at the 2024 Paris Olympics held on the 29th and 30th of last month (local time) at the Ch?teauroux Shooting Center in France, failing to advance to the finals. Although he did not win a medal, he was applauded simply for participating. This was his second Olympic appearance in 40 years. After competing at age 20 in the 1984 LA Olympics, he retired and focused on his family and a business manufacturing medical supplies, but after watching the Pan American Games held in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2011, he picked up a gun again.

Martinez especially said that his condition is better now at age 60. He stated, "I don't believe the saying that you shouldn't start something new in your 40s or 50s. Age is just a number," and revealed that his goal is to compete in the 2028 LA Olympics.

Photo by Turkish Archives SNS

Yusuf Dikets (51) won a silver medal in the mixed 10m air pistol final at the Paris Olympics held on the 30th of last month (local time) at the Ch?teauroux Shooting Center in France. This is his first Olympic medal in his life.

He competed paired with Cheval Ilaida Tarhan (24) and attracted attention with his shooting pose, keeping his hands in his pockets. Notably, in the final, he did not wear any special equipment such as goggles or earplugs. His background is also unique. Dikets is a retired soldier who enlisted as a non-commissioned officer in the Turkish Gendarmerie in 1994 and served for six years. He started shooting in 2001 at the Gendarmerie Sports Club and was selected as a national representative in the 10m and 50m air pistol events in 2012, winning 10 gold, 10 silver, and 6 bronze medals at the ISSF World Championships, European Championships, and ISSF World Cups.

In an interview with Turkish media, Dikets said, "I didn't need special equipment. I am a natural shooter," and added, "I want to win a gold medal at the 2028 LA Olympics."

Photo by Nisiarian SNS capture

Nisiarian (61), representing Luxembourg in table tennis, passed the first round of singles on the 28th of last month but was eliminated after losing to world number one Sun Yingsha in the second round on the 31st, ending the tournament with regret. Originally from Shanghai, he has a history of winning the World Championship in 1983. After early retirement, Nisiarian married a Swedish table tennis player and moved to Luxembourg in 1991. He picked up the racket again during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He gained attention for competing against Shin Yubin, who is 41 years younger, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, leaving the message, "Today I am younger than tomorrow. Keep challenging."

Zheng Ziying (58), originally from Guangzhou, China, competed in table tennis representing Chile, marking his first Olympic appearance in 39 years. On the 27th of last month in Paris, France, he lost 1-4 in sets to Mariana Sahakian (Lebanon) in the women's singles preliminary round at the Paris Olympics. Although he was defeated, his table tennis career attracted much attention.

Zheng started playing table tennis at age 9, influenced by his mother who was a table tennis coach, and was selected as a national representative at age 16, gaining recognition. However, he did not participate in the 1984 LA Olympics and retired at age 20, moving to Chile three years later. Zheng picked up the racket again due to the impact of COVID-19. With outdoor activities restricted, he started playing table tennis to alleviate boredom and qualified for the Olympic women's singles as an amateur player. Zheng also expressed his determination to challenge the Olympics again in four years, saying, "It won't be easy, but if I don't get injured, I will keep playing."

Jill Irving (61), Canada's Olympic equestrian representative, won a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games. Irving, who has been riding horses for 50 years, is making her first Olympic appearance this time. She was also a strong candidate for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but the event was postponed by a year due to COVID-19, and the horse she was riding aged, preventing her from competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.