20. November 2025  
Halle, GER  
AG

Johanna Quaas celebrates her 100th Birthday

One hundred years ago today, Johanna QUAAS, the world's ‘oldest active competitive gymnast’ according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was born in Hohenmoelsen, a small city in Germany /Saxony-Anhalt, nearby Leipzig. At the age of 3, her father introduced her to sports in the garden on homemade gymnastics equipment. She continued to exercise even during the most difficult times of World War II, later becoming a sports teacher, active field handball player and GDR champion, and later a gymnastics coach and university lecturer, and she has continued to exercise to this day in a manner appropriate for her age.


 At the beginning of the new millennium, ‘Hannchen’ won the German senior gymnastics championship title 11 times in a row. Even during the GDR era, she hardly ever missed a gymnastics festival, and after reunification she continued to compete in all gymnastics festivals, winning her absolute favourite competition, the ‘Jahnturnfest’ in Jahn-City Freyburg/Unstrut, many times.
Johanna QUAAS has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records since 2013 as the world's oldest active competitive gymnast, even though she has not competed in any official competitions for the last five years.
She was honoured with a special award by former gymnastics world star Nadia COMANECI and was the only senior gymnast to be inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, joining the ranks of international artistic gymnastics stars. She was celebrated in Hollywood on the TV show ‘For Ever Young’ and was also honoured there by world star Simone BILES ...!
Even in the year of her 100th birthday, her day still begins with her special ‘Quaas bed gymnastics’ and her age-appropriate fitness programme on the balcony
(c) gymmedia