Quick Facts
Biography
Johanna Quaas (née Geißler; born November 20, 1925 in Hohenmölsen) is a German gymnast. As of 2018 she is the oldest gymnast in the world. Quaas is a regular competitor in the amateur competition Landes-Seniorenspiele, staged in Saxony, Germany.
Career
She started gymnastics at an early age and appeared in her first competition in 1934. After completion of school, she worked in the obligatory social year (Pflichtjahr). In 1945, she finished her job training as gymnastics coach in Stuttgart. Afterwards, she moved to Weißenfels, where she started to train handball as gymnastics was banned by the Allied Control Council. In 1947, this ban was removed and she started again with gymnastics. In 1950, she started to study at University of Halle-Wittenberg. Afterwards, she trained coaches at the Institut für Körpererziehung. She co-authored the gymnastics text book "Gerätturnen".
During this time, she trained at the HSG Wissenschaft Halle. In 1961, she also coached gymnasts at SC Chemie Halle, including Barbara Dix-Stolz and Christel Felgner-Wunder, who were later nominated to start at the 1964 Summer Olympics. At age 57, Quaas again started with training in 1982 and won at the VII. Turn- und Sportfest der DDR in Leipzig. After the German reunification, she also started at all Deutsche Turnfeste since 1990.
Quaas rose to prominence in 2012, when several YouTube clips showed her training at age 86 during the Turnier der Meister in Cottbus. The clips became instant viral hits and generated 3.2 and 3.4 million views.
German and international newspapers and TV stations reported on the then-86-year-old gymnast. Quaas was invited to German TV show Gottschalk Live and her story was covered in at least 188 Chinese newspapers.
On September 13, 2012 it was announced that Quaas would receive an entry in The Guinness Book of Records as oldest gymnast in the world.
Personal life
In 1963, she married gymnast coach Gerhard Quaas, with whom she has three daughters.
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