Japanese rider in 70s gets Olympics berth

Japanese rider Hiroshi Hoketsu, the oldest competitor at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has won an individual dressage slot at the upcoming London Games when he will be 71, officials said on Saturday. Hoketsu, who turns 71 later this month, has topped the International Equestrian Federation's individual dressage rankings for Asia-Oceania, earning himself a place in London, the Japanese Equestrian Federation (JEF) said. "We will make a formal decision on his selection as soon as possible," JEF spokeswoman Azusa Kitano told AFP. "I understand he is willing to go." Hoketsu, who is based in Germany and rose up the rankings after winning an event at an international dressage meeting in France on Thursday, was not immediately available for comment. Hailed as the "hope of old men," Hoketsu has already competed in two Olympics, 44 years apart. He finished 40th in showjumping at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and in Beijing he placed ninth in team dressage and 35th in individual dressage. At 67 years and four months he was the oldest athlete in any event at Beijing, and also the oldest to appear for Japan in any Olympics. He was also picked as a substitute for the 1984 Los Angeles Games but did not compete, and had to withdraw from the 1988 Seoul Olympics when his horse had a quarantine problem. Before Hoketsu competed in Beijing, the oldest Japanese Olympian was Kikuko Inoue, a grandmother of five who took part in the dressage at Seoul aged 63 years and nine months. The oldest Olympic competitor ever was Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, who took part in the 1920 Antwerp Games at the age of 72 years and 10 months and won a silver medal.