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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On a similar note, I don’t think any of the Olympic female skateboarders were older than 20. Several top performers were 14 years old. Probably similar to the gymnastics question and I was wondering the same thing. It would stand to reason you’d get better with age/experience so why were they all so young?
The sport and the training are *super hard* on the body… your joints take a beating simply preparing for the Olympics. It’s like using your car as a race car everyday as opposed to a daily commuting vehicle… it just wears down much quicker.
As for the male/female age difference, I’d imagine it simply comes down to genetics/evolution and how male’s bodies evolved to be more tolerant to physical abuse (on average) for more years than females, considering the built-in systems that come with the ability to bear children for females into middle age and the need to hunt into middle age as a male.
There gets to be a point where your joints can’t really take the beating anymore. Contortion/yoga doesn’t beat down your joints the same way that tumbling does. Older adults can and still do gymnastics, just not typically at a high level. Also gymnast start at a very young age. By 16 they’ve already put 10ish years of pressure on their growing joints.
In recent years gymnasts have been trending older. Speaking for the American team, USA Gym had a large culture of abuse and girls were typically too injured and burnt out by 18 to keep competing. This has changed for the better as 4 out of the 5 women on the Olympic team this year are returning Olympians and over the age of 20 (Simone is 27). Healthier, safer environment = women staying in the sport for longer.
Consider watching Athlete A (Netflix) or At the Heart of Gold (HBO, but also on YouTube) if you’re interested in what caused the culture shift in American gymnastics.
One of the reasons I’ve heard given is that girl’s bodies continue to change into their early to mid twenties. Compared to a 14 year old girl, a 24 year old woman is going to have wider hips and larger breasts. This radically shifts the center of gravity.
I’m no athlete but I’ve had my center of gravity shift drastically in the last three years. I now have a difficult time walking and sometimes I fall over. And I’ve been walking for nearly six decades.
And of course, the injuries and wear and tear. I wince when I see them perform, because I know they’re going to pay for it with lifelong pain.
This is a favorite topic for me! Pre puberty women are on average stronger and have better upper body strength. Once puberty happens the hormones change center of gravity and the way we build muscle. Young girls were both flexible and strong in a very specific way. Then they raised the minimum age for the Olympics. Initially it was seen as bad because women “peeked” at like 14-16. Except that was all wrong. When women had to stay healthy until 18, it changed training. Simone biles would have been burned to the ground and never reached her full potential if she could have been an Olympian at 14. Forcing women to train longer and stay healthy longer changed the sport and unlocked a lot of skill only physically and mentally mature adults can access. I’m also psyched about the new figure skating age minimum, I think we may see our first figure skating biles who totally changes the game in the next 5-10 years.
I just read this fascinating article about why gymnasts are getting older. Eligibility rule changes, scoring changes giving more points for powerful moves, NCAA sponsorship rule changes, fallout from Nassar and Karyoli. Very interesting stuff.
https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/elite-gymnasts-are-aging-up#:~:text=The%20average%20age%20of%20medal,year%2C%20the%20trend%20has%20continued.
Square-cube law. It’s easier for smaller people to move their own body weight around. Until they reach adulthood, younger people are smaller than older people. Male gymnasts get a big strength boost from puberty,
so they will usually be physically mature. Female gymnasts don’t get that, in fact puberty will often degrade their potential. So from a physical standpoint, the younger and smaller they are, the better. There are actually minimum age limits for major competitions, and cases where countries have falsified the ages of female competitors to get around those rules.
Same reason an adult thinks twice about jumping off a med height step. You used to never think about it, till that time you twisted your ankle… gymnasts fall… a lot. They also fall after reaching a level of very difficult and dangerous tricks… fear creeps in. I’m a skiier since I was 4. I don’t fall often, but when I do… it’s epic! And now it probably means injury… so I’m more careful.
It’s a combination of physical and mental… and mental is huge in gymnastics.
Aside from the joints thing, I’d say that younger girls are just skinnier and don’t have fully mature bodies yet. Lots of their routines rely on having essentially prepubescent bodies which gives them a better strength to weight ratio. This has become such a stereotype as well that girls are usually trained to peak at young ages and sustainability into older age isn’t prioritized.
The key to success in girls gymnastics = flexibility
The key to success in mens gymnastic = strength
Young girls are more flexible. Older men stronger. Thats why.
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