While watching the Winter Olympics 2026 in Milan, you'll realize the adage “age is just a number” couldn’t be more true when it comes to the youngest Olympians. You may have noticed there's a a handful of athletes that are 16 years old or younger competing on the world stage, and they're not alone. Throughout the history of the Olympics, there have been a number of young athletes that have landed among the top competitors.
Dedicating years of their very young lives to their practice, these athletes are the best in their field and have had the honor of making their Olympic debuts before they could even drive. It’s not by chance that they’re qualifying for their spots, many carve their schooling around hours-long training, choosing to prioritize and hone their sporting skills as best they can.
We’ve rounded up some of the youngest Olympians to compete in the games, from Team USA's youngest for Milano Cortina Abby Winterberger to . Some competitors were as young as 10 when they pitted themselves against peers a decade or more older than them. Some have even managed to snag a coveted medal. Here's a look back at some of the youngest athletes in history to make it to the Olympic games.
Dimitrios Loundras, 10
Dimitrios Loundras was 10 years old when he competed in the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens and won a bronze medal as part of Greece's artistic gymnastics team.
Beatrice Huștiu, 11
Romanian athlete Beatrice Huștiu competed in singles figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. She placed 29th in her event.
The Italian Gymnastics Team in 1928, 11 and 12
For the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Italy sent young gymnasts to represent the country in the Olympics, including Luigina Giavotti, who was 11 years old, Carla Marangoni, who was 12, and Ines Vercesi, who turned 12 that year. The team won silver in artistic gymnastics.
Inge Sørensen, 12
Since Loundras and Giavotti were competing on teams, Denmark's Inge Sørensen became the youngest Olympic individual medalist in history when she took home the bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
Cocona Hiraki, 12
When skateboarding became an event for the first time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan's 12-year-old Cocona Hiraki won silver in women's park. She earned the silver medal again at the Summer 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Hend Zaza, 12
Syrian table tennis player Hend Zaza was the youngest Olympian at the 2020 games and was the youngest Olympic competitor since 1992.
Gaurika Singh, 13
At just 13 years old, Gaurika Singh of Nepal handled her Olympic debut with poise and maturity far beyond her years. The youngest athlete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Singh walked onto the pool deck for her 100-meter backstroke race just moments after she accidentally ripped her swimsuit. She talked to her coach over the phone for advice, changed her suit, strode into the arena, and competed. While she didn't end up advancing, she made quite the Olympic splash.
Sky Brown, 13
At age 13, Sky Brown won her first Olympic medal during her women's park skateboarding debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, taking home the bronze for Great Britain. She also earned bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rayssa Leal, 13
Brazilian skateboarder Rayssa Leal was just 13 years old during her 2020 Tokyo Olympics debut. She won the silver medal in her event, women's street. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she took home bronze.
Marjorie Gestrin, 13
Team USA diver Marjorie Gestring was 13 years old when she competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany and won gold in springboard.
Kim Yun-Mi, 13
In 1994, Kim Yun-Mi of South Korea made Olympic speed-skating history when she competed at the Lillehammer Games at the age of 13. She became the youngest Olympic champion at the Winter Games and went on to win the gold in the 3,000-meter relay.
Donna Elizabeth de Varona, 13
Donna Elizabeth de Varona was 13 years old when she competed in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay heats at the 1960 Olympics on the qualifying team, helping the team get a spot in the eventual main competition where they won the gold.
Momiji Nishiya, 13
Japanese skateboarder Momoji Nishiya competed alongside Hiraki at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She won gold in the women’s street event at 13 years old.
Hongchan Quan, 14
Chinese diver Hongchan Quan was 14 during her 2020 Olympics debut in Tokyo. She won gold in the individual 10-meter platform, and set a record in the process. Afterwards, she said that she was practicing with her coach diligently and hoped to earn money to support her mother as she battled illness. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, she took home gold in the same event as well as the synchronized version too.
Lilly Stoephasius, 14
German skateboarder Lilly Stoephasius was 14 during her Olympic debut in 2020. She placed 9th in the women’s park skateboarding event there. She returned for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where she placed 14th in the same event.
Dominique Moceanu, 14
For gymnastics fans, there are few great sports stories like that of the 1996 U.S. women's gymnastics team known as The Magnificent Seven. Dominique Moceanu, at age 14, was the youngest member of the seven. She helped the US team nab the gold.
Amanda Beard, 14
While competing in 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Team USA swimmer Amanda Beard was only 14. She walked away with two silver medals and one gold medal as part of the medley relay team.
Abby Winterberger, 15
Freestyle skier Abby Winterberger is the youngest athlete on Team USA for the Winter Olympics 2026. The 15-year-old will be competing in the women’s free ski half-pipe this year.
Katie Grimes, 15
American swimmer Katie Grimes was the youngest athlete on Team USA in 2020.
Katie Ledecky, 15
Katie Ledecky, Team USA swimmer, qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. There, she won a gold medal in the freestyle 800 meter race. She went on to return to the games in Rio, Tokyo, and Paris in the following years. Now, she has a total of nine gold medals.
Tara Lipinski, 15
The famed US skater was only 15 when she scored her first gold medal in the women's single event in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
