Johanna QUAAS, the world's oldest senior gymnast, experienced the 100th Jahnturnfest 2024 (‘My favourite competition...!’) not as an active competitor this time, but as the official representative of this special anniversary in Germany:
"Oh it was lovely," said the ex-senior gymnast from Halle / Saale, "... to meet so many friends and acquaintances again that I had been with for many years. I would have loved to climb the parallel bars again myself, but unfortunately I haven't done any official competitions for a while now. No, really, there has to be an end to it, but my lifelong sport, my competitions, especially apparatus gymnastics, have given me such a marvellous life, and I've been able to perform to my current age!"
" ... and to receive such a high national honour as a senior in sport makes me very happy! I would like to thank all those who have accompanied me on my life's journey. First and foremost to my family, who have always put up with and supported their 'sometimes a bit "gymnastics-crazy granny'. And, of course, to the many gymnastics and sports friends who felt so comfortable with me in training and competitions, as if they were a second family. This sense of togetherness was and is much more important than any medals or records! So my tip to all senior citizens: don't stop being active in an age-appropriate way. Many thanks to all the well-wishers!"
- Your 'Hannchen'
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"Thank you for all the congratulations ...!"
I would like to thank everyone very much for all the congratulations on the occasion of my 98th birthday. Also to my guests at my little celebration, with whom I am so closely connected through my sport. I am now particularly looking forward to the 100th Jahnturnfest in Freyburg/Unstrut in August 2024 and, as a representative of this historic event, I hope that it will also be a special destination for many gymnastics fans on the third weekend in August!"
During the celebrations, the birthday party received very good news: Saxony-Anhalt's Minister President Rainer Haseloff invited Hannchen to a reception in Magdeburg to present her with the insignia and certificate of the Federal Cross of Merit, which was awarded to her on 10 July this year by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier for her achievements and importance in the world of gymnastics.
"And now I am looking forward to the major event in 2024, shortly after the Olympic Games in Paris, to the 100th JAHNTURNFEST in the city of the German gymnastics father, Friedrich Ludwig JAHN, in Freyburg" (2024, August 15 - 18):
* Youtube (01611)
* Johanna Quaas (97 y.)-: "During my last visit 3 weeks ago to Freyburg, the city of the German "Father of Gymnastics" Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, for the 99th Jahnturnfest in August 2023, I met the organizers of the 1st Senior Women's International Meet Germany vs. Japan. (< Photo, left).
This is to take place on October 6 in Einbeck, Lower Saxony / GER. In the meantime, teams from the USA and Great Britain have also registered for this and our German men are even already doing their rematch against Japan, because their international match premiere already took place in Tokyo in 2022.
For the 97th birthday of the world's oldest gymnast, Halle's "Kaffeehaus Wittekind" was quite well attended today! An impressive double-digit number of well-wishers celebrated Germany's best-known gymnastics grandma Johanna QUAAS. "My relatives were there, my wives from the sauna group and a whole lot of gymnasts from my club Post Halle," said the agile lady, "... and the atmosphere was just great!"
Hannchen Quaas still goes to age-appropriate exercise training at least once a week, but her daily bed exercises in the morning followed by her little fitness programme in the fresh air on her balcony are part of her fixed life rituals - just as she was used to all her life, even if the spectacular gymnastic exercises are now history. She has long since recovered from her fracture of the neck of the femur, which occurred on Whit Sunday 2021, and has already been out and about again on her bicycle in suitable weather. Now I would like to greet all participants of the 60th "BLUME-Festival" on Gran Canaria, where I have already taken part several times, and I wish you beautiful days.
For next year, I'm even talking about a trip to the USA, where the opening of a gymnastics museum dedicated to the German gymnastics father Friedrich Ludwig Jahn is imminent. "I am still able to travel, that would be a great thing," says the still fun-loving senior.
Often asked whether the German gymnast from Chemnitz Lea Marie QUAAS, who is now in Liverpool as a seventeen-year-old her debut at the World Championships said gymnastics senior Johanna QUAAS (97): "... I am often asked, but no, she is not a granddaughter of mine, or otherwise not related, but of course I wish Lea a good international performance at the World Championships and keep my fingers crossed for her just as firmly as for our Hallens boys, Lukas Dauser and Nils Dunkel, even if they will have a hard time this year in the German team, which is weakened in terms of replacements ...!"
Shortly before her 97th birthday, the world's oldest competitive gymnast has just returned from a visit to the training camp of the Saxony-Anhalt Sports Federation, where she was not only a passive guest of honor at the Osterburg Sports School: When Hannchen gets a whiff of the gymnasium air, she is still unstoppable ...:
Germany's 96 years old senior gymnast Johanna QUAAS was overjoyed about the success of the two golden girls to the European Championships in Munich:
"What this Elisabeth Seitz has done for a big and long gymnastics career is unique, now even crowned with gold, is incredible! My warmest congratulations! I also know what hard work it is to stay on the apparatus for so long! And the fact that an 18-year-old is also top shows which development impulses this Emma Malewski has received in the Chemnitz gymnastics school. As a former coach, I know how long-term such development work must be done! Especially we age group gymnasts appreciate this, because all of us have been staying on the apparatus for decades, for the sake of health and performance.