54-Year-Old Lawyer Competed in Olympics Just by Skipping Filing Papers
KEY POINTS
- ā¢Rich Ruohonen, a 54-year-old personal injury attorney from Bloomington, Minnesota, competed as the oldest athlete in curling at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
- ā¢He balances a demanding schedule including early morning 30-mile commutes to training, 10+ hour workdays, and extensive weekend practice sessions.
- ā¢Despite his Olympic debut at 54, Rich plans to compete in the senior World Championship in April and is considering the 2030 Olympics.
Rich Ruohonen, a 54-year-old Bloomington personal injury lawyer and curling fanatic, became the oldest Team USA Olympian in 2026 while juggling a 40+ hour legal grind. Inspired by dad-long-ago demos, he's bypassed youth gloryāmaking nationals since 1998 except two years of passingāfor a first Olympic appearance as an alternate. His dawn ritual involves a 30-mile drive at 5:15 a.m., freezing gym sessions, then 10-hour court-life marathons, plus weekend marathon stone-tossing. His wife's heroic side gig includes kid wrangling, thanks to her husband choosing Calgary cold over dream-wave-stroked Mexico winters. Oh, and heās gearing up for senior world gold and maybe 2030 Olympics, if his knees donāt file a joint complaint first.
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(1 of 3)When you spend more hours in court than curling ice, being an Olympian isnāt about gloryāitās just the ultimate side hustle for lawyers with supple knees and a death wish.
Rich Ruohonen shows us all how to ruin your knees and your sleep schedule at once, all while billing by the hour.
Nothing says āliving the dreamā like waking up before dawn to curl rocks and then crying over spreadsheets till bedtime.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 3/28/2026 | Author: Lauren Finney Harden
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