A Personal Injury Lawyer Is Now the Oldest U.S. Olympian to Compete at a Winter Games

At 54 years old, Rich Ruohonen made Team USA history Thursday during a men’s curling match. And the St. Paul native is just happy to be along for the ride.

At 54 years old, Rich Ruohonen made U.S. Olympic history in Cortina when he was subbed in for Team Casper. | Andrew Milligan/PA Images/Getty Images

CORTINA d’AMPEZZO, Italy — It was getting a little dusty at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium as Phill Drobnick reached over to hug Rich Ruohonen, who at age 54 had just become the oldest U.S. Olympian to compete in the Winter Games. Ruohonen accepted the embrace from Drobnick, the director of coaching for USA Curling, then quickly defused the emotion of the moment.

“I’m never throwing another rock,” he quipped. “I’m going out at 100%.”

Ruohonen threw two perfect draws in the final end of the Americans’ 8–3 loss to Switzerland, a display of old-man strength off the bench for a young team otherwise comprised of 20-somethings. There is an inherently humorous dynamic here, with Ruohonen foisting off some cringey dad jokes and even making suggestions for team TikTok videos. 

The usual response from his teammates, according to team skip Danny Casper: “No, that’s a terrible idea.”

But getting Ruohonen in at the end of this loss, which drops the team’s record to 1–1, was a great idea. The Swiss team, which included players whose fathers had competed against Ruohonen, had taken an 8–2 lead that could have ended the match. The teams began shaking hands when it was proposed that they play one more end, so Ruohonen could make history.

“Hey, guys, I’m just going to throw two and we’ll get through this end real quick,” Ruohonen said to the Swiss. 

“Enjoy every moment of it,” they said in response.

“That’s the way curling is,” Ruohonen said. “It’s a tight-knit community and we all know each other and we all respect each other.”

Ruohonen (center) said Team USA’s Swiss opponents were gracious in allowing him to have his moment. | Andrew Milligan/PA Images/Getty Images

The personal injury lawyer from St. Paul had waited long enough for this chance. Nearly 40 years, in fact.

Ruohonen has been a fixture in American curling, competing in several international events. He’d been trying to make the U.S. Olympic curling team since 1988, when it was a demonstration sport. He kept coming up short, including a loss on the last shot four years ago. 

“That was devastating,” Ruohonen says. “I’ve had those real hard moments, finishing second and third and fourth and working so hard. And I frankly got kind of fortunate for these guys to pick me up and just bring me with them. We’ve been playing together for a year and a half and have become really close. They’re like my best friends—at my kids’ age. So I appreciate everything they’ve done for me.”

Said Drobnick of Ruohonen’s moment: “He killed it. It meant the world to him. Rich is a great friend of mine. We played together back in the day, and it just shows that if you just keep chasing that dream, you’ll get that opportunity. He’s one of the hardest working people I know, whether it’s on the ice or off the ice as an attorney. I’m so happy for him today.”

HISTORY AT THE #WinterOlympics. 🇺🇸👏

54-year-old curler Rich Ruohonen waited more than 30 YEARS to make his Olympic debut. With the USA's game out of reach, his team subbed him in, making him the oldest American ever to compete at the Winter Games. pic.twitter.com/Pqe91JClmn

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 12, 2026

Ruohonen, who had his family in the stands watching, had another satisfying moment Thursday that occurred half a world away. White House border czar Tom Homan said he was ending the surge of ICE agents in the state of Minnesota. At a curling press conference in Italy, Ruohonen articulated his opposition to ICE’s violent tactics and divisive presence in his home state. He reiterated those beliefs Thursday.

“I’d like to think [the end of the surge] has something to do with what I said, but yeah, my home, it’s been hard,” he said. “I have friends and clients that are having a tough time there. And so I’m glad it’s over. It’s about time. I just hope we can heal as a state and recover from what’s happened and all come together and show that love and the respect and empathy and integrity and like we did, frankly, in Minnesota. So it means a lot to me. 

“I think it’s O.K. when athletes voice their opinions, and I think we should. We have freedom of speech for a reason in our country, and you don’t have to agree with everything everybody says, but it’s super important that I think a lot of us are telling what we think. 

“I want to make it clear, we love our country. We love the U.S. We love what the flag represents. We do.”

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