Oksana Chusovitina Wins Silver on 50th Birthday, Defying Age in Gymnastics
Uzbekistan’s gymnastics legend Oksana Chusovitina celebrated her 50th birthday in remarkable fashion, claiming a silver medal in the vault at the Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in Tashkent. Her achievement comes 33 years after she first became an Olympic champion, proving her enduring talent in a sport where most athletes retire in their twenties.
Chusovitina first tasted Olympic glory as part of the Unified Team, representing post-Soviet nations, with a team all-around gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Over her extraordinary career, she has competed at eight Olympic Games and is also a three-time world champion.
At the World Challenge Cup, Chusovitina narrowly missed out on gold, finishing behind 18-year-old Bulgaria’s Valentina Georgieva—32 years her junior. Competing on home soil one day after her birthday, the Uzbek star demonstrated that age has not slowed her competitive drive.
Before the Tokyo 2020 Games, Chusovitina had competed at every summer Olympics since 1992, aiming to equal Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze’s record for most consecutive Olympic appearances. Unfortunately, an injury at the Asian Championships prevented her from qualifying for the milestone.
Chusovitina’s legacy is already secure, with her induction into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2017. She remains the only inductee to continue competing at the highest level. Reflecting on her longevity, she once explained: “I could have stopped at 25, 19, or 30, but I didn’t. I realised with age I didn’t get worse, I only got better, like fine wine.”
Her dedication to competing at home in Tashkent led her to withdraw from the Asian Championships final earlier this season to ensure her participation. She also claimed gold at the Baku World Cup and bronze at the Cottbus World Cup in 2025.
Chusovitina’s Olympic journey has been extraordinary. After her Barcelona gold, she represented Uzbekistan for three Games before moving to Germany when her son was diagnosed with leukaemia. Gaining German citizenship, she competed for Germany at the 2008 Beijing Games, winning a silver medal in the vault, and also represented Germany in London 2012. She returned to Uzbekistan for the Rio 2016 Olympics and the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Even after briefly retiring post-Tokyo, she returned to competition just 67 days later. “I just realised, I felt that I can do this. Why should I leave the sport if it brings me joy?” she said.
Looking to the future, Chusovitina has her sights set on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. By then, she will be 53 years old, yet she has not ruled out a ninth Olympic appearance. “My number one goal is to get to Los Angeles. But I go step by step, from one competition to the next. If it happens, it happens. If not, then no. But I will try, and I will give it everything I’ve got,” she added.
Oksana Chusovitina’s story is a testament to resilience, passion, and the enduring power of talent, inspiring generations of gymnasts and sports fans around the world.
