I'm the oldest US Olympian ever to compete. I had to keep my full-time job, and worked over 40 hours while on the road.
Rich Ruohonen became the oldest Team USA Olympian at 54. Courtesy of Team USA Fifty-four-year-old Rich Ruohonen is a personal injury attorney based in Bloomington, Minnesota. He was on Team USA's men's curling team and is the oldest athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics 2026. While he's not sure he'll compete in the Olympics again, he still competes in curling. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rich Ruohonen . It has been edited for length and clarity. I started curling when I was about 12 years old. My dad taught my brother and me. Curling was a demonstration sport back then. I played in college and in law school, but not at a level close to what I play now. I've been playing pretty competitively for the last 25 years. I made my first men's national championship team in 1998 and then again in 2001. I've been to the last 21 out of 23 national championships; I won two of them. I've also been in Olympic trials. But the 2...