Olympic trivia: Who is the youngest skater ever to win an Olympic gold medal?

[Mathman]

Olympic trivia: Who is the youngest skater ever to win an Olympic gold medal?

Hint: It was at the 1998 Olympics at Nagano.

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

That's right! It was 13-year-old Korean speed skater Yoon-mi Kim, in the 3000 meter ladies team relay.

 

[emma]

i admit, you got me...had no idea...thought we were starting a Tara thread.

 

[Doggygirl]

i admit, you got me...had no idea...thought we were starting a Tara thread.

Me too!! Good one MM!

DG

 

[CDMM1991]

Haha it was an especially tricky one because you said skater hehe

 

[emma]

So...i'm supposed to be working but keep...well taking breaks...I just can't wrap my ahead around a 13 year old having the power to skate that fast (to be gold), wow, that is super impresive.

MM are you a fan of speed skating too?

 

[Mathman]

I think short track is very exciting, more so than speed skating proper. But the problem is, like in figure skating, so much depends on the referees. There is so much jostling for position and pushing and shoving that it seems like every race is decided by a disqualification, or at least that they have to wait out a string of protests before the winner is declared.

MM

 

[gkelly]

I knew it wasn't Lipinski because Scott Allen won an Olympic bronze in 1964 at age 14.

OK, now who was the youngest figure skater competing at the 1998 Olympics?

Oh, and does the ISU have the same age rules for speed skating and figure skating?

 

[gkelly]

Oh, sorry, I see that you did specify gold medals in the title question after all.

 

[Grgranny]

Guess I would rather watch the weeds grow than speed skating.
Of course, right now, it won't be growing when it's hot. Maybe just watch it burn up.

 

[chania36]

Tara Lipinski

 

[gkelly]

OK, now who was the youngest figure skater competing at the 1998 Olympics?

As far as I know Evgenia Filonenko (pairs) was the youngest figure skater at Nagano. She was a couple months younger than Lipinski. But didn't win any medals.

http://home.snafu.de/eberl/archiv/photodir/skaters/pairs/filonenko-marchenko_ukr.shtml

 

[slutskayafan21]

I really believe it will take over 100 years for a younger one to win in figure skating than Tara Lipinski. First of all I dont think the age rule will change anytime soon, which makes it officialy impossable to do. Secondly the sport will change and return to a slightly older woman peaking, than the 94-2002 era, it already has started heading that way.

Does anybody really think the Olympic Champion next year wont come through an over-20 woman?

The short track winner won it in a relay, which I find less impressive, but that is just my own view. To me it does not compare to Fu winning the individual Olympic diving gold at the 92 Summer Olympics at 12.