difference with other sports

With rare exceptions, the "peak age" of most sports is either very spread out or, with most strength and endurance sports, is past puberty.

Sure, there's the occasional 14-year-old swimmer, but there's also the 41-year-old swimmer.

In female gymnastics, and probably some other sports that rely on control and agility, and which are helped by low body mass, the peak is before the end of puberty.

Other "graceful" sports, including some forms of dance, rhythmic gymnastics (an exhibition sport in the '80s), and in some cases figure skating or horse-riding sports may share the same benefit of limber, lightweight bodies. Pole-vaulting might also share this advantage, but there is a trade-off between body mass and raw strength.

You don't see this advantage in strength- or endurance sports such as boxing, most track-and-field events, and the like.

In some events age shouldn't be too big a factor - you would expect to see competitors from 8 to 80. Table tennis, style-based swimming competitions such as diving and synchronized swimming (another former exhibition sport), target-shooting, and the like are not affected in a big way by raw strength or body weight.

Anyone know what the age limit for being a horse jockey in horse-racing in America is? Anyone know why there is a lower age limit, other than "dangerous occupation" laws that prevent minors from being paid to do dangerous labor?