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News & Media

July 30, 2021

Mary Hanna and Calanta represent Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

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The Tokyo Games have just begun, but the Olympics oldest competitor, 66-year-old Australian equestrian Mary Hanna, is already looking ahead to 2024.

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Hanna, who is competing in her sixth Olympics, has four grandchildren and is 54 years older than Tokyo’s youngest competitor. She says she plans to ride in the 2024 Paris Games—if her health and her body allow.

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“It’s only three years away.” Hanna said after competing in dressage qualifiers on Saturday. “Unless my body really breaks down, I’m certainly aiming for Paris.”

Dressage is one of the three equestrian disciplines and are the only Olympic events that do not differentiate competitors by gender. The sport has often featured athletes 50 and older.

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“I don’t know what else to do with myself.” Hanna said after she competed in dressage qualifiers on Saturday. “I’ve been doing this for so long now. Look, riding’s one of those amazing sports where you can do it no matter what your age is, or your gender.”

“You always dream that your next horse, your next competition, that you’re going to make it better. You just keep striving to do the absolute best you can. The Olympics is a lot about participation, too, so just being here is great.”

July 23, 2021

Mary Hanna speaks to Sunrise
ahead of Tokyo Games

Australia’s oldest Olympian is gearing up for her sixth Olympic Games.

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66-year-old Mary Hanna has travelled to Tokyo 2020 to compete in dressage after previously travelling to Rio, London, Athens, Sydney and Atlanta in 1996.

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Watch Hanna speak to Sunrise about the Tokyo Olympics here.

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July 23, 2021

Mary Hanna dominates the
2021 Dressage by the Sea Competition

Well we wondered if she could make it all four Grand Prix class wins over the two Dressage by The Sea events on board her stunning 14yo Westfalian mare, ‘Syriana’ (Sir Donnerhall x Bonnie) and make it, they did!

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Today, before a large crowd in the grandstands and the V.I.P area, Mary and ‘Syriana’ won the Cox Architecture Grand Prix Freestyle.

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5 days after her 15th birthday, the beautiful mare moved effortlessly through the paces to a wonderful freestyle soundtrack that had the large crowd tapping their feet and feasting with their eyes. It was fabulous. The high score from our Judges was 81.35% by the Judge at H and the final score awarded by the panel was 78.320%, just below the 78.385% she was awarded for her freestyle win last week in event 1 of Dressage By The Sea 2021.

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