Rich Ruohonen is a two-time national champion in the United States but despite six attempts at qualifying for the Olympics, he never made it through until he did. At 54, he is now set to become the oldest Winter Olympian for USA.
Rich Ruohonen was in the fifth grade when he started curling in his home state of Minnesota in the United States. Since starting curling in 1981, he has taken only one season off from the sport and that was when he was injured. All that hard work brought good results for him as he became one his country’s biggest names in the sport.
Ruohonen won the national championship in 2008 and 2018. He also led the United States side at the 2018 World
Curling Championships and has back-to-back medals at the senior world championships in men’s curling (2024 silver, 2025 bronze).
Despite all these achievements, one dream would keep eluding him not matter how much he tried. The ticket to the Olympics always ditched him. After a lot of heartbreaks, Ruohonen thought that his time had passed. No one as old as him had represented the United States at the Winter Olympics. In 2022, he started focussing on his thriving law business after consistent failed at attempts to get into the Winter Games.
Ruohonen’s Olympic dream comes true
Danny Casper was expected to lead USA at the Winer Olympics in men’s curling. However, he was suffering from an autoimmune condition and that meant he could not continue to be part of the side. His team went on to look for a replacement and found their perfect alternative in Ruohonen. His age of 54 was not a bane but actually a boon for him as his experience would help him get into the team.
At 54, Ruohonen sneaked into his first Olympics listed as an alternate. He is set to become the oldest from the United States to compete at the Winter Olympics.
But he is not limiting himself to just being a useful team man on the field but off it as well.
Dad-like presence in Team USA
According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, Ruohonen has a dad-like presence in the team. He is preparing breakfast for the players, keeping the grocery lists in check and does more of such stuff to give his teammates the rest that they need. He is twice as old as some of his teammates and actually has kids of similar age.
A highly successful lawyer by profession, the 54-year-old is also spending out of his own pocket to help the athletes cover some of the travel and lodging expenses.
Before leaving for Milan for the Winter Games, he set the automatic email reply for his law firm: “I am out of the office. Playing in the Olympics.”
His teammates have promised him game time and that would complete his dream of not just getting to the Olympics but also contributing on the ice, like he has done for so many years.
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