I am
inspired by the equestrian athlete, Hiroshi Hoketsu. He was born in Tokyo
in 1941, so he is now 71 years old and still riding competitively.
Mr Hoketsu began to
practice horseback riding at 12 years old and he entered many meets. In
1964, he entered the Olympics for the first time, taking part in the Tokyo
games. After these Olympics, he went abroad to study economics at Duke Graduate
School. He returned to Japan after graduation and found a job, but he
continued to ride, changing from the steeplechase to dressage.
In 1988, he was able to enter the Seoul Olympics, but tragedy struck. His favorite horse caught a virus, so it couldn't leave Japan, and he couldn't take part in the Olympics.
Later,
although he continued to train hard, he became very active as a businessman,
until finally he became the president of a major pharmaceutical company.
After retiring, he made up his mind to compete in the Olympics again. He left Japan in 2003 to practice and train in Germany. In 2008, he entered the Beijing Olympic games as the oldest athlete. He was 67 years old.
He has continued his training and on March 1st this year, he won the national championship, and decided to enter the London Olympics. He will be the second oldest Olympic athlete ever at 71 years old.
I have practiced riding since I was a second year junior high school student, so when I saw him on TV and learned about him, I felt that he is a very wonderful person. I have stopped riding now because of university entrance examinations, but when I finish these exams, I will definitely begin riding again, thanks to his inspiration.
Page created on 7/10/2012 12:00:00 AM
Last edited 7/10/2012 12:00:00 AM
