--- --- # These Olympic Grandmas Are the Real Rio 2016 Winners  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 9, 2016 5:15 PM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Aug 9, 2016 5:15 PM UTC It takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to reach the levels of athleticism that qualify you to [compete as an Olympic athlete](http://time.com/4424414/rio-olympics-2016-summer-athletes/?iid=sr-link1). It also takes a lot of energy and passion to be a supporter of the Games, especially if you’re a grandparent of one of the athletes. Your job? Enthusiastic cheering. Your fate? To go viral. Let’s take a look at three amazing women who [may not be playing a sport](http://time.com/4442634/ledecky-gold-world-record-rio-2016-olympics/?iid=sr-link6) this summer, but are still making a mark on this summer’s events in Rio. First up: [American swimmer Ryan Lochte’s](http://time.com/4439596/pancakes-fettuccine-and-tofu-heres-ryan-lochtes-free-for-all-daily-diet/?iid=sr-link2) grandma is no stranger to having a winning grandson. After all, he was a major medal-winning sensation in 2012\. Now 95, she’s still keeping the Olympic spirit alive. She celebrated from her nursing home in the U.S., carrying a makeshift Olympic Torch as she led a procession. “Representing #USA,” grandson Lochte said of his devoted grandma. Naturally, Lochte’s fans went wild, retweeting the video nearly nine thousand times. > [](https://twitter.com/RyanLochte/status/762788448465981440) The Internet has also gone wild for British swimmer Adam Peaty’s [social media-savvy grandmother](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/08/rio-2016-adam-peatys-grandmother-olympicnan-celebrates-win-on-twitter), who has been tweeting up a storm in support of her 21-year-old grandson. Peaty won Great Britain’s first gold medal of the games in the 100-meter breaststroke over the weekend. The 74-year-old has christened herself “#OlympicNan,” and denizens of the web have become so enamored with her earnest messages to the athlete (and expert-level use of emojis) that even Google itself sent her a tweet in recognition. > [](https://twitter.com/Mavise42Mavis/status/762385410995748864) > [](https://twitter.com/Mavise42Mavis/status/762455988771303424) > [](https://twitter.com/Mavise42Mavis/status/762471371360174080) > [](https://twitter.com/google/status/762454680530063368) (She sent out a sportsmanlike shoutout to Lochte’s grandma, too, after seeing the video that Lochte had posted.) Finally, Brazil has [its own “extreme granny.”](https://www.rio2016.com/en/news/extreme-granny-oldest-torchbearer-olympics-rio-2016-torch-relay) At 106, Aida Gemanque — who goes by Grandma Iaiá — is the oldest person in Olympic history to carry the Olympic torch, which she did in June in the Brazilian region of Macapá. She’s called the “extreme granny,” though, for a different reason: just three years ago, she solidified her status as a bona fide daredevil when she became the world’s oldest skydiver (a title verified by the Guinness Book of World Records). > [](https://twitter.com/Rio2016%5Fen/status/744276034367946752) Age is no limit for these women to contribute to the spirit of the Games. Rio 2016 Olympics: Ryan Lochte, Adam Peaty Grandmas ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4444968/rio-2016-olympic-grandmas/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4444968/rio-2016-olympic-grandmas/"},"headline":"These Olympic Grandmas Are the Real Rio 2016 Winners","datePublished":"2016-08-09T17:15:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:35:15.876Z","description":"Age is no barrier for these women to contribute to the spirit of the Games","url":"https://time.com/4444968/rio-2016-olympic-grandmas/","keywords":["Newsfeed","olympics","viral","Summer Olympics","2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4444968/rio-2016-olympic-grandmas/","name":"These Olympic Grandmas Are the Real Rio 2016 Winners"}}]}] ```