Hiroshi Hoketsu

Hiroshi Hoketsu is a Japanese equestrian rider, born on 28 March 1941 in Tokyo, whose 44 years between Olympic appearances is the longest gap recorded. He competed in show jumping at the 1964 Summer Olympics, where he finished 40th, and he qualified for the 1988 Games but could not compete because his horse was quarantined. He returned in dressage at the 2008 Summer Olympics, finishing ninth in the team Grand Prix, and at the 2012 Games in London he qualified at the age of 71 and finished 40th in the individual dressage. A 1968 graduate of Duke University, he was the oldest athlete at both the 2008 and 2012 Games and is the oldest Olympian ever to compete for Japan.