Apolo Ohno may be the most recognized American participating in this year’s games. Not only is he a Dancing with the Stars champion, but he’s competing in his third Olympics. And unless you haven’t been listening to any of the commentary, you’re probably aware that he is attempting to win more medals in the Winter Olympics than any other American. With his win Saturday night in the 1,500 meters Short Track, he tied Bonnie Blair for six total medals. Even if Ohno does not surpass Blair, his performance may be more impressive considering that he has competed across Olympic games that were all four years apart. Blair benefited from the short gap between the 1992 and 1994 games.

But why am I calling him an old fogey? At 27 Ohno isn’t even close to the oldest person to win a medal in the Winter Olympics. Norway’s Martin Stixrud took the bronze medal in men’s figure skating during the 1920 games at age 44.5. And it’s not just a product of time. In 2006, Hilde Gjermundshaug-Pedersen of Norway won a bronze medal in cross country skiing.

Ohno is old for a short track skater. Though winning medals at 27 isn’t unprecedented in short track skating—seven medals winners (out of 66 total) have been older than 27, including my Australian cousin Steven Bradbury (we’re not really cousins)—it’s well above the average age of winners of 22.58.

The chart below shows that the average age of medal winners differs considerably across sports, ranging from figure skating (22.51) to cross country skiing (28.18). And the average age of short track medal winners is barely above figure skating winners.

The nearly six-year range in the mean age of winners begs begs for an explanation, and there is a good one. Studies of aging in sports have found that sports that demand quick burst of speed and power tend to peak earlier than sports that rely on more endurance and mental fortitude. And when we look at the list, the disparity of the age of winners is consistent with this finding.

It’s also interesting that the average age of short track winners is three years below speed skaters. This may explain why we don’t see much crossover between the sports. Though they both involve ice skating, the athletic skills needed to win in a short environment with many turns and frequent contact are different than those needed in a setting with fewer turns, longer straightaways, and little contact.

The simple averaging of ages across sports is a bit simplistic, and will need further breaking down, which I will be doing in future posts. But, when you look for favorites across sports, their ages may provide some useful information.

It’s also clear that if Ohno surpasses Blair, his accomplishments are even more impressive given his age.

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