We’ve always heard that life goes straight downhill at 30. By that point, your washed up, fragile, mentally lost, physically weak and your only options left in life are to join ESPN or learn the samba on Dancing With the Stars. Oh, wait; that only applies to NFL running backs. Turns out 30 years old might just be a jumping off point fro the rest us.
Equestrian rider Hiroshi Hoketsu last went to the Olympics when he 22 years old, finishing 40th in his specialty, the show jumping event. Well, Hoketsu is back in the saddle again a few Olympics later and he’s ready to show the world that age is just a number. Oh, did we mention the last time he took to the worldwide stage was in 1964?
At 67, Hoketsu would beat the previous record age for a Japanese Olympian set by fellow equestrian Kikuko Inoue, who was 63 when she rode at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
“It is more than likely Mr Hoketsu will take part in Beijing,” the Japan Equestrian Federation’s Azusa Kitano told Reuters on Thursday.
“He will be in the team dressage. He hasn’t been at an Olympics since 1964, which was 44 years ago, but he has continued riding all this time.”
The oldest Olympian was Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn who won his sixth Olympic medal at the 1920 Antwerp Games at the age of 72 years and 280 days.
The youngest athlete to participate at the Olympics was Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who competed in the 1896 Athens Olympics. He was 10.
Wow, now that’s impressive. The guy is going to be 67 and he’s still riding horses! Who does he think he is? Superman? Okay, maybe that was a poor reference.
Links:
[Reuters.com]: Age no barrier for sexagenarian horseman
One reply on “Horses get turned into glue when they get old, horse riders go to the Olympics”
Age and Equestrians — Your final comment is rather insulting.
“The guy is going to be 67 and he’s still riding horses! Who does he think he is? Superman?”
Many equestrians are in much better health physically and mentally as they age than their peers.
Riding horses provides excercise for both mind and body. We continue to be active and involved much longer in the sport than most think. Perhaps its the combination of cardio, aerobic, strength and balance it takes. It also is exceptionally therapeutic to the mind and soul.
Maybe you should try it but take the hoof out of your mouth first.