大象传媒

It is generally accepted that , but there are, of course, exceptions to every rule.

And perhaps the biggest exception is veteran Swedish shooter .

At the 1908 London Games, Swahn won his first and second gold medals at the ripe old age of 60 in the individual and team single-shot running deer events.

Four years later, in his home Games in Stockholm, he picked up a third gold medal in the team single-shot running deer to become the oldest Olympic champion.

World War I put pay to Swahn's chances of winning a medal in 1916, but remarkably, he returned to Olympic competition in 1920 at the age of 72.

He couldn't match his feats of previous Games, but he did become the oldest Olympic medallist when he won silver in the team double-shot running deer event.

For the uninitiated, no deers were harmed during Olympic competition as competitors fired at deer-shaped targets.

Between 1912-48, were also held at the Olympics and Britain's John Copley won a silver medal in 1948 in the engravings and etchings competition. He was 73, but as art isn't sport, Swahn is regarded as the oldest medallist.

It's highly unlikely that this record will ever be broken, but are there ?