Youngest Australian Olympian and medal winner in history - all you need to know

Australian athletes have been a part of every edition of the Olympics since the modern Summer Games began at Athens 1896 and over the years, Oz have produced more than 4000 Olympians.

With abundant talent and prodigious athletes in the country, Australia have also never shied away from selecting youngsters to compete at the biggest sporting stage of them all.

At the most recent edition, Paris 2024 Olympics, skateboarder Arisa Trew is the youngest member of the Australian contingent. Chloe Covell, 14, and Ruby Trew, 15, are also part of the Australian contingent for Paris 2024.

At just 14 years and 86 days old, Arisa Trew became the youngest Australian to compete at the Olympics in over 40 years. However, she is only the seventh-youngest Australian Olympian in history.

Who is the youngest Australian Olympian?

The honour of the youngest Australian Olympian still belongs to rower Ian Johnston, who was just 13 years and 75 days old when he competed in the men’s coxed pairs rowing event at Rome 1960 with team-mates Paul Guest and Walter Howell, a men’s eights bronze medal winner from Melbourne 1956.

With Johnston at the stern as the boat’s coxswain, the Aussie team finished fourth in their heats and also in the repechage and failed to make the semi-finals.

While Johnston’s international rowing career was short-lived, he would go on to make a name for himself for his managerial talents in the business world, serving in high positions for several reputed global corporations in his professional life.

Ian Johnston, born on June 18, 1947 and brought up in Victoria, died on September 4, 2018, after a bout with cancer. Even 64 years after his appearance at Rome 1960, Ian Johnston still remains the youngest Olympian in Australia’s history.

Meanwhile, international swimming Hall of Famer Tracey Wickham is Australia’s youngest female Olympian to date. She was just 13 years and 239 days old when she made her Olympic debut in the women’s 400m freestyle event at Montreal 1976 and finished 16th.

Wickham also competed in the 800m to finish 15th and was part of the Australian 4x100m freestyle relay team which finished ninth.

Though it would be Wickham’s only Olympic appearance, the Australian swimmer went on to be known as one of the best female middle-distance swimmers the country has ever produced despite battling economic hardships.

Wickham became the 400m and 800m world champion in 1978 and over the course of her illustrious career, held the world records in 400m, 800m and 1500m fly events.

She has also won multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games and was known for her rivalry with fellow Dolphin Michelle Ford, the 800m Olympic champion from Moscow 1980 and a bronze medal winner in the 200m butterfly at the same Games.

Youngest Australian Olympic medallist

Over the course of its Olympic history, Australia have seen over 980 medallists at the Summer Games with some achieving the feat at a tender age.

Skateboarder Arisa Trew is the youngest Australian Olympic medallist in history at 14 years and 86 days old. She took the honours when she won the gold medal in the women’s park event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Arisa broke a 68-year-old record that was set by swimmer Sandra Morgan, who was just 14 years and 184 days old when she teamed up with Dawn Fraser, Faith Leech and Lorraine Crapp to win the gold medal in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay event at Melbourne 1956.

Leech, at the time, was just around nine months older than Morgan.

Meanwhile, another swimmer, Neville Hayes, is the youngest Australian man to win a medal at the Olympics. At Rome 1960, Hayes was just 16 days and 274 days of age when he won a silver medal in the men’s 4x100 m medley relay with David Theile, Terry Gathercole and Geoff Shipton. Incidentally, it was the first time the event was held at the Olympics.

Just a day later, Neville would also go on to pick up a silver in the men’s 200m butterfly event to register an individual medal at Rome 1960.

A graduate from Harvard University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School, Hayes also won two silver medals for Australia at the Commonwealth Games 1962 held in Perth.