95-year-old Japanese man with the oldest speed skin in the world

When IIchi Marumo competes in the first international competition Seven years ago in MoscowJapan’s Speedskateri moved down the ice on a rapid pace of running. It took the finish line three times longer to pass more than those days.

It was not important because Mr. Marumo was three times older. He was 88 years old and his age was still fast enough to win a silver medal in the ages of 85 and above.

Since then, only gold won. Now 95, in the last competition in January, a national competition in Japan, competed in a category created for him only: 95 or more.

So far, everyone has a category for himself.

“I earn a gold medal every time I look like,” Mr. Marumo spoke in Chinoa, a small town in the central mountains of the main island of Japan. As evidence, he removed a plastic purchase bag consisting of more than 20 gold medals, including Dutch and Canada.

A small man with a little bent legs and feet a smile, Mr. Marumo skates all his life, most people still began to a competitive career when they still feel lucky to be old. On the wall, the board from Guinness declared it The world’s oldest man competitive speed skin. Is the closest rival A Norwegian Skater are five years old. (The most ancient Currently active female rival one 80-year-old Dutch skater.)

The collection is a remarkable thing near a life. Mr. Mrumo World War II was awarded to teach Kamikaze mission to make a profit of how to gain a celery by the teaching of Japan, which is grown by the Armenian emperor, and published a short monthly magazine dedicated to traditional Japanese poetry.

Being speed skin at the age is no longer included in speed. In a suit of the comection and a skytighting race, he attaches to the ice and shifts from the ice. Again, he is welcomed with the enthusiastic applause he returned with a wave and smile.

Racing was not even the idea: a friend convinced him to do it as a kind of courage. Now he sees as a fun way to spend the rest of it.

“I did not expect to be an international competitor,” Mr. Marumo said.

It became a great popularity in Japan, and demographically saw enthusiasm for the great sports of an elderly society. The country produces the world’s oldest rivals, including two Japanese women, including winter events, including two Japanese records down to the oldest and Cut skiers. But it’s still five or more older than Mr. Marumo.

“In Japan and maybe the world’s great winter sports are the poster,” he said. Kenji Takai, Director Japan Winter Masters Sports Association. “He inspires people who are trying to do.”

Mr. Marumo and their compatriot Silver-haired athletes push the boundaries of high sports. Speedskating is usually used for those 30 years old, but more than three times older than age.

At the Masters level, Speedskating is divided into age categories, which are five years long, so entrants are able to compete with other skits of physical power similar. Mr. Marumon’s first local race, the Japanese Skating Federation of the 86-year-old Japanese skating federation in 2016, including three new age categories for him, including the current 95 and ended.

“I hope that for those 100 years old, we continue to create a fourth new category,” Mr Takay said.

Mr. Marumo said he wanted to skate when he was 100 years old. A few fell, but the worst one came in the last race in January. The road was outdoors and when the pistol starts when a blizzard blasts. Mr. Marumo fell early and couldn’t get up. On the contrary, then dragged to the finish line throughout the ice.

He took him To complete for 17 minutes A 500-meter course.

“My left leg freezes from pain,” he said, “But I had to understand.”

After that, he said he retired from the sport before conducting an operation for hernia. However, since then, he has second thoughts and now he is strongly felt stronger, he says he will compete again.

Mr. Marumo, in about 1940, when he was about 10 years old, in those days, the hand-made metal knives in the wooden sandalet and competed against primary school classmates along the frozen rice paddies. Childhood 15 years old, Japan’s II World War II ended when he was sure to volunteer for suicide missions that started against the Gerabics. The two-seat bomber, who is a battleboat, was taught to be a two-seater radiom that ended before the war aircraft was sent.

He said they taught the second chance to make the most of life. Several celery growing up to the farm where he grew up. Herbal was rare in Japan, but he realized how he flourish it in local land, transforming it into a money product in this Alps. In 1970, Emperor Hirohito recognized Mr. Marumo with a award to promote agriculture.

He also turned into a short poetry type of tank. Mr. Marumo said the courageous rhythms were like war songs that convinced the death of the rhythms to die during the war, but used poems to celebrate peace. In 2002, he has been edited since then and took over the magazine dedicated to the tank.

After the war, he mainly kept the ice skating for training. As a member of a city council in the late 1980s, Mr. Marumo convinced the leaders to build their own accelerator rink. However, he did not imagine that the race would be competitive.

When a friend was convinced to enter a race, he was 86 years old. “There is no one else in your age,” he said. “You will only receive a medal to show.”

Being a competitive racer said he did not change his way of life. Skating remains its main source of exercise and it does not make less or no extra exercise. “My philosophy does not exceed it,” he said.

The trip can be tedious, especially if he accepts long flights, but the forgetfulness makes it difficult. Once his passport, he caused him to miss him and almost all the competition without his passport.

Still, Mr. Marumo said he was bent in Speedskating, which was turned into a new way to celebrate a short time in a short time and said he was not ready to give up.

“Once I retired,” Mr. Marumo. “I don’t want to do it again.”