Old-stagers rolling back the years

On the snow and ice of Beijing 2022, a number of athletes are competing against those 10 or 20 years their junior. In addition to chasing their Olympic dreams, these veterans are also racing against Father Time.

Here's a look at some of the older athletes who are rolling back the years.

Pechstein, who will turn 50 on Feb 22, two days after the Beijing 2022 closing ceremony, has become the first-ever woman to compete in eight Winter Olympics. She served as one of Germany's two flagbearers at the opening ceremony.

In the women's 3,000m speed skating, she competed against 22-year-old Chinese Ahenaer Adake. Pechstein finished last in the 20-strong field and saw her 20-year Olympic record shattered by Dutch phenom Irene Schouten, but the five-time gold medalist said she was still delighted.

"I was not too fast, but I smiled when I crossed the finish line because today I've achieved my goal to race in my eighth Olympic Games and it was important for me," she said.

Mourao made her Olympic debut in mountain biking at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and competed at the 2008 Beijing Games. The versatile athlete has competed in cross-country skiing and biathlon at the Winter Games, becoming the only Brazilian athlete to have participated at eight Olympic Games and the only cross-country skier who was born in the 1970s at Beijing 2022.

"In 2008, I wasn't a very mature athlete, mentally," Mourao said. "Today－perhaps because I've become a mother twice and had all these other experiences－I'm more focused on myself and my performance and can better channel my energy into what I want to do."