European gymnasts: Some stats about age at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp

The youngest and oldest competitors competing at the most recent World Championships were separated by 21 years. The average age was 24.4, with more than half of the male athletes aged 20 to 24. According to statistics, the average age of male gymnasts competing in various Olympic Games finals has steadily climbed since 1988, reaching 25 years old in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.* The minimum age for male gymnasts to compete in senior competitions is 18: the acquisition of most difficult aspects generally begins only after the athlete reaches a particular level of strength.*

Radomyr Stelmakh of Ukraine was the youngest competitor in Antwerp (18), while the oldest was Harutyun Merdinyan of Armenia (39), who became European Champion on Pommel Horse at age 37 in 2022 in Munich. Although there is no age to defy gravity, it appears that most senior guys stick to Pommel Horse… yet there is an exception to every rule, as the highest average age in event finals was for Rings.

*Igor Jelaska of the University of Split · Faculty of Kinesiology, Croatia
Age effects among elite male gymnasts

More:
Men’s Gymnastics Scores at the 2023 World Championships (PART 1)
Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Scores at the 2023 World Championships (PART 2)