Oksana Chusovitina, 51, defies age by competing in her seventh Asian Games; sights set on 2028 Olympics

Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan competed in her seventh Asian Games, finishing

Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan continues to defy age, competing in her seventh Asian Games at the ongoing 2026 edition. The 51-year-old qualified for the women's vault final on Thursday, but the medal evaded her as she finished seventh. However, making an appearance in elite sport at 51 is unprecedented, and her longevity needs to be spoken about. In the final, Chusovitina also competed against 17-year-old Kang Xiang and 18-year-old Marissa.

Oksana Chusovitina competed in her seventh Asian Games in the 2026 edition. (Screengrab - SonyLiv)

She made her first Asian Games appearance 32 years ago in 1992, and at the 2026 edition, she qualified for the final with a score of 13.266.

Speaking of her journey in the Asian Games, she has won eight medals at the quadrennial event, including two golds, four silvers and two bronzes. Well, the 2026 competition is just a start, as she has her sights set on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, and if she indeed participates in the Games, she would be 53 by then.

“It’s sport, it’s gymnastics. If it’s possible, I will try to compete at LA28," she added.

All you need to know about Oksana

Born on June 19, 1975, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, Oksana's first Olympic appearance came at the 1992 Barcelona Games. The teenager was part of the gold-medal-winning team and also finished seventh in the floor exercise. Barcelona marked the beginning of an Olympic journey that would eventually stretch across eight Games.

Oksana subsequently competed for Uzbekistan at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. However, her career took a significant turn after her son, Alisher, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2002. The family moved to Germany so he could receive treatment, and Chusovitina later became a German citizen. She represented Germany at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she delivered one of the defining performances of her career, winning silver in the vault.

She competed for Germany at the 2012 London Games before returning to represent Uzbekistan. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, aged 41, she became the first gymnast to compete at seven consecutive Olympic Games. She subsequently extended that record to eight consecutive Olympic appearances at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021.

Vault has remained Oksana’s speciality. She has won nine World Championship medals on the apparatus, while five skills in the Code of Points bear her name. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2017.

Even after missing the Paris 2024 Olympics, Oksana continued competing internationally. In 2026, at the age of 50, she remained active on the FIG circuit, finishing fourth in vault at the World Challenge Cup in Tashkent.