70-Year-Old Japanese Equestrian Wins Olympic Spot

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now, we do not know what songs make Hiroshi Hoketsu move, but the Japanese equestrian does move gracefully on a horse. Just shy of his 71st birthday, he has won a spot at the London Olympics for dressage, where you lead a horse through a series of very precise movements. Japanese officials are still deciding whether they'll let him compete.

Hoketsu is already Japan's oldest Olympian. He was 67 when he competed at the 2008 Games in Beijing. Now that may seem like quite a feat, but it turns out he's not the oldest Olympian ever. That honor belongs to the Swedish shooter, Oscar Swahn. Mr. Swahn won a silver medal at the 1920 Games in Antwerp when he was 72.

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.