While the only numbers that matter at the end of the meet are the scores, taking a closer look at gymnasts’ ages will provoke the thoughts of any Gym Nerd. Here, Princess of Sexy Data Taylor Anderson compiled the ages of medalists competing at Worlds the year before the Olympics. The tabs below are separated by competition, with the final tab showing the combined average ages from all the competitions.
Here are the key takeaways:
- Medalists have gotten older over time, indicative of rule changes.
- Overall, Vault medalists are the oldest on average (19.48), while Bars medalists are the youngest (16.36).
- The average individual champion has gone from 15.83 in 1991 to 18.3 in 2015.
For gymnasts, age might just be a number. What do you think this means for the sport?
