She is the American skating star who has waited a long time for her chance to shine in a sport dominated by teenagers whose careers are often over before they are old enough to vote.
But Mariah Bell is rewriting the history books as she competes in the Beijing Winter Olympics at the age of 25, becoming the oldest American women’s singles skater since 1928.
She secured her place when she became the oldest women’s national champion since 26-year-old Beatrix Loughran in 1927, winning her first national title at a record ninth attempt.
“Age is literally a number. It means nothing. If you have a dream, there is no limit on the time you have to achieve that dream, for sure,” said Bell.
The skater, who trains at Great Park Ice in Irvine, California, with coaches Rafael Arutyunyan and former US men’s star Adam Rippon, is aware of what she has achieved at her age.
“I’m 25, so it’s not like I’m ancient. In skating it kind of is,” Bell said after the medal ceremony last month in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Showing that age is just a number is part of what keeps me going. There’s a lot to say about experience. You can tap into that and really use that to your advantage in competitions.”
Bell’s success comes after a difficult 2021 in which her engagement got broken off, which she talked about candidly after winning last month.
“In the summer I was kind of hit with like the end of this relationship I did not see coming. And I felt lost, and I was broken for a little bit and I decided that this was something that I was completely capable of and I wasn’t going to let this dream slip away,” she said.
“I really just leaned into my support system, and you know, I’m so grateful for all the highs and all the lows, I wouldn’t change a thing.
“And to be through all of that and be 25 and to be on the Olympic team is a dream come true.”
Rippon who also trained under Arutyunyan in southern California, made his first and only Olympic team in 2018 at the age of 28.
In doing so he became the oldest American Olympic rookie since 1936, and understands what Bell is out to prove.
“Our goal is to go there and for her to show that being 25 is amazing,” Rippon said.
“That you can be 25, and you can be in the best shape of your life.”
Rippon was known for his fire work ethic in comparison to his younger opponents and says that he has imparted that on Bell.
“I basically treated her like I was (dog trainer) Cesar Millan, and she was a troubled dog that needed direction,” he said.
“I was super tough on her and made her do a million more things than she was used to doing in practice.”
And Bell is grateful for the mentorship Rippon has provided.
“His schedule really doesn’t allow him to work with many other people,” Bell told NBC Sports.
“But he’s also like, I don’t really want to coach. I just want to help you, which I’m so fortunate for.”
Bell goes into the Olympics as the eighth highest rated skater expected to compete there, with Russia’s Kamila Valieva the heavy favorite to earn women’s singles gold.
