Hiroshi Hoketsu

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Hiroshi Hoketsu at the London 2012 Olympics
Four years earlier: Hiroshi Hoketsu with Whisper at the 2008 Olympic Equestrian Competitions in Hong Kong

Hiroshi Hoketsu ( Japanese 法 華 津 寛 , Hoketsu Hiroshi ; born March 28, 1941 in Tokyo ) is a Japanese dressage rider who is considered the best of his sport in his home country and has won numerous tournaments.

Professional career

Hoketsu studied at the renowned Keiō University as well as during a stay abroad at Duke University in the United States . He then became a manager at Ortho Diagnostic, a Japanese subsidiary of the US pharmaceutical and consumer goods manufacturer Johnson & Johnson . In the course of his career he rose to the position of chairman of the company. In 2003 he retired.

Athletic career

At the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964 , Hoketsu competed as a member of the show jumping team. At the age of 42, he noticed that he was having difficulty estimating distances due to deteriorating eyesight and switched to dressage. After retiring, he decided to focus on sport and moved to Aachen in 2003 to train . There he was looked after by Ton de Ridder . In April 2008 he qualified at a tournament in Hagen near Osnabrück for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , where he was the oldest participant. With his mare Whisper , he finished 35th in the individual dressage competition.

In 2010 Hoketsu took part in the World Equestrian Games , with Whisper he finished 31st in the individual ranking ( Grand Prix Spécial ) as the best Japanese , the team reached 13th place.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London , Hoketsu competed in dressage again with Whisper , he was, as in 2008, the oldest of all participating athletes and was 41st.

In 2016, Hoketsu wanted to take part in the Olympic Games again. After Whisper had to be euthanized in 2013 due to a hoof disease, he bought Brioni W and moved his training to Wolfram Wittig. Due to an illness of Brioni W , the 75-year-old Hoketsu decided not to travel to Brazil in May 2016 and missed the award as the oldest Olympic athlete of all time.

Web links

Commons : Hiroshi Hoketsu  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Veteran Japanese rider looks to return to Olympics after 44 years - Report in the International Herald Tribune
  2. ↑ Riding as a fountain of youth: Dressage rider Hiroshi Hoketsu is the oldest participant in London , Pferderevue, July 27, 2012.
  3. ↑ Result lists dressage at the World Equestrian Games 2010 in the FEI results database
  4. ↑ a b 75-year-old Japanese dressage rider missed the Olympic record , Horse Review, May 20, 2016.
  5. ↑ Hiroshi Hoketsu Acquires Brioni W as 2016 Rio Olympic Hopeful , www.eurodressage.com, January 17, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Hoketsu, Hiroshi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 法 華 津 寛 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese dressage rider
DATE OF BIRTH March 28, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Tokyo , Japan