TOKYO — Japanese equestrian Hiroshi Hoketsu qualified for the London Olympics at
age 70, although it’s not yet clear if he will actually compete.
The oldest Olympian
in history is Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn. He won a silver medal at the
1920 Antwerp Olympics at 72, his sixth medal in three games.
Hoketsu qualified by
winning an international dressage
meet in France on Thursday. Japanese equestrian officials said Sunday an
announcement will be made soon on whether he will ride in London. Hoketsu
will turn 71 on March 28.
Hoketsu is based in
Germany and become Japan’s oldest Olympian when he competed at the 2008
Beijing Olympics at 67.
In Beijing, Hoketsu
finished ninth in the dressage team event and 35th in the individual
competition. He also qualified for the 1988 Seoul Olympics but was unable to
compete when his horse was quarantined.
Before Hoketsu, the
oldest Japanese Olympic athlete was equestrian rider Kikuko Inoue, who
took part in the dressage in Seoul at 63.
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VOCABULARY
1.
Equestrian
(adj.) - relating to the riding of horses
2.
Qualified
(adj.) - having suitable knowledge, experience, or skills, especially for a
particular job
3.
Compete
(v) - to take part in a competition or sports event
4.
Dressage
(n) - a competition in which a horse performs a complicated series of movements
in answer to signals from its rider
5.
Quarantined
(v) - to keep a person or animal apart from others for a period of time in case
they are carrying a disease
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
Does age matter when playing sports? Why? Why not?
2.
Have you ever ridden a horse?
3.
Talk about horse racing in your country. Have
you ever gambled on a horse race?
