Johanna Quaas is declared as the world’s oldest gymnastics athlete since her name was recorded in the Guinness World Record on September 13, 2012. Until now the title still continues. The woman who was born November 20, 1925, is still active in gymnastics at the age of 93 years old.
Johanna first started her career in the gymnastics world from an early age. She loved the sport since she was still in school at the age of 9 years old. Her first appearance was shown in a gymnastic competition in Germany in 1934. Since joining the competition, Johanna began to be enamored with the gymnastics.
Unfortunately, Johanna’s love story with the gymnastics did not go smoothly. Many obstacles in her path to always be faithful to the sport. When she just started the love story, Johanna had to stop doing the sport because at that time was the beginning of World War II.
When World War II began, all children and young people in Germany had to serve the government in various ways. In that case, Johanna chose to provide her services by helping with agricultural work.
After the war ended, gymnastics sports are no longer allowed in East Germany because the government there will focus on other sports activity. For that, Johanna who loves sports also switched from gymnastics to handball. Unexpectedly, she became a member of the team that won the Eastern German Championship in 1954.
After that, Johanna married and had three children. Got to switch sports, Johanna cannot forget her love of the gymnastics. She also decided to go back to gymnastics and become an instructor for young athletes. The ban on gymnastics had been lifted so that she could restart. The revocation of the ban was made in 1947.
At the age of 57 years, in 1982, Johanna met with two old friends who also pursue gymnastics sport. They finally decided to try to practice and compete professionally again. The two old friends are five and four years younger from Johanna. However, the two friends are now already died.
In that year, Johanna won many regional competitions. Up to now, she has managed to bring 11 medals from the sports championships in Germany which are held every five years.
The proudest moment for her when she was able to win the gymnastics championship when she was 84 years old. At that time no other participants were her age. The committee eventually put Johanna with the age group 70-75 years old. Johanna won it by one point ahead of the others.
Johanna’s life principle is that if a person is healthy, it will be easier for them to dominate life. Where there is movement, that’s where life is. That’s what she believed to date so she never gave up in doing gymnastics despite her age.
This healthy grandma who actively exercises is still practicing for an hour every day. In addition to gymnastics, Johanna also likes other fun activities, such as climbing, swimming, and dancing.
As we know that gymnastics require the flexibility of muscles and ligaments. Usually, the flexibility will fade with age. Another case with Johanna, she claimed never to fear falling or getting injured while doing gymnastics. For her, gymnastics is her way of avoiding vulnerable conditions of fall and this sport is the best prevention tool she uses.
By often doing gymnastics, Johanna can keep her body healthy. Her body remained in shape without taking any medicine and she was rarely ill. Nutritional supplements are also not consumed. Healthy life recipe is pure with exercise, sleep enough for six hours a day, and eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
Johanna once said that her face may be full of wrinkles, but her soul is still young. Her age is not a barrier for her to continue to adopt a healthy lifestyle and therefore that keeps her active even though she has become a grandmother to two grandchildren and a great-grandson.
The message that she believes that we should always exercise. Life will exist if we keep moving. If there are still doubts about keeping the body fit at an older age, Johanna Quaas who will prove it.
