Claudia Pechstein

The 49-year-old German will become the oldest woman to compete at a Winter Olympics in Beijing and the second athlete - and only woman - to compete in eight Winter Games. Pechstein will tie Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai for participating in the most Winter Games.

Pechstein, a five-time Olympic champion, qualified in the mass start, an event that debuted four years ago in Pyeongchang and features up to 24 skaters racing 16 laps at the same time. Many of her competitors weren’t born when she won her first Olympic medal, a bronze at the 1992 Albertville Games.