Fitness
Movies & Television
11 TV Shows Every Woman Will Be Talking About
Technology
Related Content
Book Recommendations
Revealed! The Best Books Of 2025
Book Recommendations
5 Books That May Help Get You Out Of Your Reading Rut
Book Recommendations
Book Recommendations
CLOSE
Search
Popular Searches
Suggested Links
The 5 Mature Female Olympians To Watch This Year
Meet the powerhouse women about to make history on the Olympic stage.
In a competition dominated by teens and 20-somethings, this year’s Winter Games are expected to feature some of the oldest female Olympians in history, rewriting what it means to compete at the peak of your game. They’ve battled injuries, they’ve had children and some have even retired and returned to the sport. Here are some mature female Olympians to watch this year. Just a note: As of publication, all of the Olympians mentioned are expected to compete, but the full roster can change at any time.
Lindsey Vonn, 41
This overachiever is already an Olympic champion, a New York Times best-selling author and the founder of the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, which advocates for underserved girls’ sports and empowerment opportunities. The 41-year-old’s Insta page is filled with videos of her lifting weights, skiing and all dressed up for late night interviews. Yes, she’s the influencer — the one whose high profile dating stats would make anyone swoon (she’s been married to skier Thomas Vonn, and has dated Tiger Woods and hockey player P.K. Subban. But that’s not why we love her: It’s her incredible resilience. She has returned from numerous setbacks, including her recent her partial knee replacement, which transformed her into a bionic Olympian (she has a brand new titanium knee) and she’s back on her skis to win gold.
Why to watch
She is the only American woman to win a downhill gold medal in the Olympics, and she has the second-highest number of World Cup victories for any woman (82, to be exact). Technically, she retired in 2019, but she’s back.
Find her here
In her fifth Olympics, Vonn will be competing in downhill skiing.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek, 42
This is the comeback story we all needed right about now. Imagine starting your career at the age of 5, but taking a 16 year hiatus in your teens after suffering hip injuries. And then, when most of your competitors are retiring, you decide to return to your sport and you’re good enough to make it to the Olympics? We’re here for it. The American-Canadian figure skater may be one of the oldest skaters in history, but she won the World Championships in 2024, making her the oldest woman to win a world title at the age of 40.
Why to watch
Because everyone needs a Girlfriend™
Sign up to receive our free weekly newsletter every Thursday.
She’s a 42-year-old ice-skater, and if she competes this winter, she’ll be the oldest Olympic figure skater since World War II. If she wins, she’ll be the oldest medalist since the games began in 1920. She’s not shying away from ridiculously difficult tricks, like her recent back flip on.the.ice.
Find her here
Stellato-Dudek is expected to join her long-term pairs partner, Maxime Deschamps, on the ice.
Hilary Knight, 36
Not only is this Knight’s fifth Olympic ice hockey appearance, not only is she 36 (and nearly double the age of most of her competitors), but this superstar is also making huge waves off the ice. She helped create the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Assocation, and she currently sits on their board of directors. She is in the executive committee of the league’s labor union and the PWHL Players Association, and she actively promotes gay athletes after she finally came out publically as queer in 2023. When she joined the Olympic team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she held the title of youngest member of the team. She has led her team to numerous victories as captain.
Why to watch
She holds records for goals, assists and points at the IIHF Women’s World Championships.
Find her here
She plans to be front and center in the ice-hockey rink.
Katie Uhlaender, 41
On her Instagram, there’s a video of Uhlaender running on a treadmill while holding onto a weight that’s on the ground (don’t try this at home). The 41-year-old was training to compete in skeleton, where she will be sliding down an icy-track head-first on a small sled (also don’t try this at home). It’s one of the more dangerous of the Olympic sports, and you have to have a ton of bravery to slide head-first down a sheet of ice, but she’s already done this five times in the Olympics. She also helps the sport in other ways as well. Uhlaender testified on doping in sports in 2018, admitting she felt unfairly disadvantaged when she competed against others who take performance supplements. She is a strong advocate for mental health, and has overcome many physical challenges as well: a broken knee and three hip surgeries.
Why to watch
She has described her sport as a “cookie sheet with rails,” and she hits speeds of up to 89 miles.
Find her here
On the skeleton.
Claudia Riegler, 49
At a time when most people over 50 are struggling to go from sitting to standing, this 52-year-old is training by standing on a snowboard perched on a tightrope. No joke (check her Insta for proof). Twenty years ago, Riegler was dropped from her alpine ski team because she was considered “too old,” but it’s a good thing she didn’t listen. In interviews, she said she couldn’t believe they wanted her out because she was 30. She knows she’s fit and she’s never had a significant injury. “Age is just a number,” she told Olympics.com.
Why to watch
She’s a four-time Olympian, and she’s a true force to be reckoned with.
Find her here
On the downhill spine ski
More from The Girlfriend
More for you, from AARP
We are a community from AARP. Discover more ways AARP can help you live well, navigate life, save money — and protect older Americans on issues that matter.