71 Year Old Japanese Dressage Rider to Compete at Olympics

 

Japanese dressage rider Hiroshi Hoketsu, the oldest competitor at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said it was a "miracle" he had earned a slot at the coming London Games.

Hoketsu was quoted by Japanese newspapers on Sunday, saying he was as fit as four years ago, and thanking his advanced age for making him a celebrity.

The Japanese Equestrian Federation said on Saturday that Hoketsu and his 15-year-old mare Whisper had topped the individual dressage rankings for Asia-Oceania and so earned a berth at the event in London.

"To put it pompously, it was a miracle," Hoketsu, who turns 71 later this month, told the Sports Hochi daily. "Last summer, I thought it would be impossible to make London, so it fills me with deep emotions."

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