Yoshio Kinoshita is living proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
The 81-year-old rides the ramps at his local skate park in Osaka almost every morning, picking up tips from skateboarders decades younger than him.
“They are all my teachers,” said Kinoshita, who worked as a technician in the construction industry before retiring.
Photo: Reuters
He still works part time as an attendant in a bicycle parking lot.
“At first I was holding on to the railing,” he said, before he progressed to mastering a 180-degree turn and other tricks.
Kinoshita picked up skateboarding just two years ago, when he bought a board he saw at a market selling unclaimed goods left on the railway.
LIFE-CHANGING BUY
The ￥800 (US$7.13) skateboard was a spur of the moment purchase that changed the Japanese octogenarian’s life.
In a country that has the most aged society in the world, with more than 35 percent of its population expected to be 65 and older by 2050, Kinoshita recommended skateboarding as a way to prevent dementia.
“It’s a sport with a sense of tension,” he said. “Rather than zoning out, I think skateboarding improves the ability to think even just by a little bit.”
“For [old] people like me who try to learn new things, if we don’t practice it little by little every day we will forget how to do it immediately,” he said. “That’s why I think I have to [come here] and practice every day.”
Kinoshita, who has two children and two grandchildren, said he watched skateboarders at the Tokyo Olympics this summer in awe. All three medalists in the women’s street skateboarding competition at the Games were in their teens, including the country’s own gold medalist, 13-year-old Momiji Nishiya.
“They are really incredible,” Kinoshita said. “To be honest, I can’t beat those five-year-old, four-year-old or three-year-old kids. That’s for sure.”
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
Jemimah Rodrigues on Thursday hit an unbeaten 127 as India pulled off a record chase of 339 against Australia to set up a Women’s World Cup final against South Africa. Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, put on 167 runs for the third wicket as India won with nine balls and five wickets to spare at DY Patil Stadium, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The hosts finished on a total of 341-5 in reply to Australia’s impressive 338 and ensured there would be a new name on the 50-over trophy tomorrow. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations
Jannik Sinner on Thursday eased past Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 at the Paris Masters to set up a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton, while reigning champion Alexander Zverev earned a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round. A maiden crown in the French capital would return Sinner to No. 1 in the world rankings after current incumbent Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit at the hands of Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The Italian four-time Grand Slam champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament as he hones in on what would be a fifth title of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
RSS