54-year-old U.S. roller units new American Winter Olympics age report : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2944x1963+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F61%2F20%2F619791234b72826283a9247c7019%2Fgettyimages-2260740643.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2944x1963+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F61%2F20%2F619791234b72826283a9247c7019%2Fgettyimages-2260740643.jpg" class="img" alt="USA's Richard Ruohonen looks on during the curling men's round robin between USA and Switzerland during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Thursday." fetchpriority="high"/> USA's Richard Ruohonen appears to be like on in the course of the curling males's spherical robin between USA and Switzerland in the course of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Video games on the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Thursday. Odd Andersen/AFP through Getty Photographs conceal caption

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Odd Andersen/AFP through Getty Photographs MILAN — Wealthy Ruohonen has been making an attempt to get to the Olympics for nearly 40 years. At fifty-four years previous, he lastly made it — as an alternate for Staff Casper, the Gen-Z curlers representing the united statesat the 2026 Winter Video games.

"Simply to throw one rock can be the best second of my life. My children understand it, and my spouse is aware of it as properly. So they don't seem to be going to be mad at me for saying it wasn't my marriage ceremony day," Ruohonen mentioned, at a press convention earlier this week.

On Thursday, Ruohonen obtained his second — and set a brand new age report, turning into the oldest U.S. athlete to ever compete within the Winter Olympics. He broke an age report final set by determine skater Joseph Savage, who was 52 when he competed within the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics.

After the seventh finish, in a match in opposition to Switzerland's Staff Schwaller, the U.S. was trailing by six factors, and had little probability of successful. Ruohonen subbed in in the beginning of the eighth finish, throwing two rocks and sweeping a path for others thrown by his teammates.

"Yeah, child, good shot Wealthy," shouted skip Danny Casper, as his rock settled right into a spot because the nook guard.

The U.S. conceded the match quickly after. Staff Casper's present report is 1-1, after successful a match in opposition to Czechia Wednesday. They've seven extra matches to go within the preliminary spherical.

"We're not doing him a favor by placing him in. He deserves it," Casper mentioned after the match, "They're taking a look at me after that finish, like, ought to we put him in? Prefer it's one thing that was not the obvious resolution ever. It was already on our thoughts, and glad to get (him) in."

Ruohonen's makes an attempt to get to the Olympics date to 1988 when curling was a trial sport on the Calgary Winter Video games. Within the a long time since, he is continued making an attempt. "I've narrowly missed the Olympics quite a few instances, together with 4 years in the past…[when] my males's workforce took third. I've had a lot heartbreak," Ruohonen says.

"To get right here and throw two rocks is all I wished, and it implies that perseverance pays off," he says. "All these instances when perhaps the luck wasn't going my approach, it went my approach this time."

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