Meet 58-year-old Laura Kraut, the oldest American competing at Paris Olympics 2024

With the Paris Olympics approaching in 15 days, Laura Kraut, a 58-year-old athlete, will represent the United States as the oldest member of the American squad set to participate in equestrian show jumping at the French Games.

Laura Kraut began taking riding lessons at the tender age of three, which later nurtured her into a competitive equestrian elite. She shot to fame in 1992 after being named a substitute on the American team for the Barcelona Olympics that year.

However, she did not get the chance to compete at the event, and her big Olympic break came at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, where she competed with her equine partner Liberty.

Even though she could not earn a podium finish, the equestrian impressed the audience with her skills, finishing sixth in the team jumping event at the Australian event. Her first major Olympic title victory came at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when the American show jumping team earned gold in the team event. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kraut secured another medal in the team jumping event.

Besides her Olympic glory, the South Carolina native has also won two world championship medals and a Pan American Games team event gold. Apart from that, she has amassed a long list of accolades like the $425,000 Lugano Diamonds CSI5, $38,000 Brickenden Trophy, the $75,000 Speed Final, and the list goes on.

Laura Kraut got married to the legendary British equestrian, seven-time Olympian Nick Skelton and the two also run a profitable training business.

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Laura Kraut reveals the secrets behind her success

Equestrian - Olympics: Day 14

The 2021 International Equestrian of the Year Laura Kraut was encouraged by her mother to take up equestrian lessons, and building compatibility with the equine athletes (horses) was the first thing that she had to master, which she started to develop from a young age.

This bond with the horses helped her be so successful in her career. Speaking about this, Kraut told CNN in 2019:

"You get to know what they are like when they’re nervous, when they’re anxious or aggressive. It’s like getting to know another person, you learn their personality and what makes them tick."

Laura Kraut added that she rides her horses according to their preferences, and she avoids forcing her decisions on her equine partners. At her training center, she makes sure that the horses feel comfortable at all times.