Older athletes (older like in the mid-late 20s or even 30s) will be stronger, faster, more disciplined, more experienced, than their 14-16 year equivalents. Is it just flexibility? There are circus contortionists and yoga enthusiasts that are incredibly flexible into their 30s or later.
I can’t think of any trait unique to gymnastics that other sports don’t also require to explain why gymnasts are so dang young, particularly the women’s. Men’s gymnastics seems to have a much older average age.
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Strength to weight ratio.
Young people have lower body weight, which makes it easier to lift yourself into gymnastic motions. As people get older and larger, their weight increases faster than their strength does.
A few other comparisons to look at:
* Simone Biles has a small size which could trick many people into thinking she is much younger.
* A male gymnast gains more strength by aging from 14-22 than a girl does, so it’s not as advantageous to be young.
* In bicycle racing, the athletes who are best at riding up mountains and hills are the ones with a high power to weight ratio, so they also have body size closer to a child.
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