Age is just a number: The oldest, youngest athletes at the Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO — Age is just a number.

And perhaps no sporting event embodies that more than the Olympics, where one athlete isn't even a teenager yet, while others are decades older and could reasonably be grandparents in their own rights.

The Tokyo Olympics are no exception to this.

From the greener faces seen in table tennis, swimming and skateboarding, there are athletes with, well, let's call it more life experience in equestrian, shooting and, table tennis.

Per International Olympic Committee records, there are 11,300 athletes in Tokyo. Get to know some of those on the opposite sides of the age spectrum.

Hend Zaza, Syria

Age: 12

Sport: Table tennis

A prodigy who grew up in a country torn apart by Civil War, Zaza trained in China once restrictions during the pandemic loosened. She would have made her Games debut at 11 if not for the postponement.

Her stay in the Olympics was short-lived, though, as she dropped her first-round match against Jia Liu, who at 39 was more than three times her age.

Rayssa Leal, Brazil

Age: 13

Sport: Skateboarding

Leal will be in action Monday (Tokyo time) in the women's street event. At recent world championships, she's placed second (Brazil, 2019) and third (Rome, 2021).She could become the youngest medalist at these Games with similar runs here.

She received some advice from Tony Hawk before the competition.

Sky Brown, Great Britain

Age: 13

Sport: Skateboarding

Born to a British father and Japanese mother, Brown will return to her birth country for these Olympics. Tony Hawk has called has called her a unicorn. In May of last year she suffered a scary fall that left her with a fractured skull, but she's all set to compete Aug. 4 in women's park.

Katie Grimes, United States

Age: 15

Sport: Swimming

Grimes finished second behind Katie Ledecky, who was also 15 during her London 2012 Olympic debut, at this year's U.S. swim trials in the 800 freestyle to make it Tokyo. She's the youngest U.S. Olympics swimmer since Amanda Beard made the 1996 team at 14.

Claire Curzan, United States

Age: 17

Sport: Swimming

In the same event as fellow teenager Torri Huske (100 meter fly), Curzan qualified at the age of 16 and turned 17 on June 30. On Saturday in Tokyo, she swam a 57.49 to finish 10th in the preliminaries and qualify for semifinals Sunday, but she did not advance to the finals.

Mary Hanna, Australia

Age: 66

Sport: Equestrian

Competing in her sixth Olympics, Hanna's best finish came when her home country hosted the Games in Sydney at the turn of the century. She also doesn't want Tokyo to be her last major competition, as she has her sights set on the 2022 world championships in Denmark.

Abdelkebir Ouaddar, Morroco

Age: 56

Sport: Equestrian

Adopted by the Morrocan royal family, Ouaddar began riding horses and began a journey that led him to the Olympics. He finished 50th in jumping in Rio five years ago. He's also not the oldest male rider in these Games; Andrew Hoy, 62, of Australia is.

Nino Salukvadze, Georgia

Age: 52

Sport: Shooting

Salukvadze's best showing in the Olympics came in her first — back in Seoul 1988, when the country she competed for was referred to as the "Soviet Union." She won gold in the 25 meter pistol and silver in the 10 meter air pistol. She'll compete in both events Sunday.

Salukvadze also owns the distinction of competing in the same Olympics as her child, son Tsotne Machavariani. This will be her ninth Games.

Xia Lian Ni, Luxembourg

Age: 58

Sport: Table tennis

The China native has lived in Luxembourg for nearly three decades now. Her husband is not only her coach, but also her training partner. In four Olympics, she's never advanced past the third round at the Olympics.

Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2021 Olympics youngest, oldest athletes competing in Tokyo Games