Dubbing himself the "hope of old men," Japanese equestrian ace Hiroshi Hoketsu is ready to show he has improved with age when he trots out to his second Olympics in 44 years.

At the age of 67 years and four months in August, he will be the oldest Japanese ever to compete in the Olympics and undoubtedly one of the most senior athletes at the Beijing Games.

Hoketsu, who placed 40th in show jumping at the Tokyo Olympics, said: "I believe I can finish in a more respectable position."

"But it will be a bit tough to be in the top eight," Hoketsu added in an interview.

His target is more realistically making the last-25 cut.

Since earning an Olympic berth in dressage in February, Germany-based Hoketsu has been hounded by Japanese media in a frenzy which has somewhat embarrassed the retired corporate chief.

"I don't feel comfortable being fussed about just because of my age," said Hoketsu, who scored the highest points among four Japanese when they finished second to Australia in regional Olympic qualifiers in the team dressage.

Before Hoketsu, the oldest Japanese Olympian was Kikuko Inoue who also competed in dressage at the 1988 Seoul Games aged 63 years and nine months.

Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn was the oldest ever Olympic competitor. He took part in the 1920 Antwerp Games when he was 72 years and 10 months old, and won a silver medal, his sixth medal from three Games.

Age is not such a factor in dressage, said Hoketsu, who switched to the discipline when he was 35 - one of the more stately but the less physically demanding Olympic sports.

"In show jumping, you use your eyes to gauge the distance between the obstacle and yourself. This ability decreases as you get older," Hoketsu said.

"It is not the case in dressage. You don't have to pull on your physical strength much. I think it is a sport which you can do at a fairly advanced age if you have a chance and an agreeable horse."

After retiring as the president of a US-affiliated drug firm in Tokyo in 2003, he has based himself in Aachen to concentrate on the sport, which he took up when 12, while his wife and their adult daughter stayed home.

He goes out with his horse for several hours in the morning and afternoon. And he has some secrets to keeping fit at 62 kilograms (137 pounds), unchanged for 44 years ago.

"For one-and-a-half hours in the evening, I train myself in stretching and muscle building. I got some tricks to keep the muscles I use in riding," he said.

Hong Kong, where the Olympic equestrian events are staged, won't be the end of the road for Hoketsu.

"It's up to fate and fortune. But for now I will keep on riding as long as me and my horse remain fit and fine," he said.

Hoketsu was born in Tokyo into a family which allegedly has its roots in a clan of pirates who infested the Inland Sea in the medieval ages.

After graduating from Tokyo's elite Keio University and Duke University in the United States, he climbed a corporate ladder while sparing early morning hours for training at a suburban equestrian club.

Twenty years after the Tokyo Olympics, Hoketsu was picked as a substitute for the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

He had to pull out from the 1988 Seoul Games after his horse had a respiratory problem. He then focused on competing at home, winning five straight national championships until 1992.

While based in Aachen, he qualified for the 2006 World Equestrian Games but his horse was injured in training a day before the competition.

Later that year, he found chestnut mare Whisper, now 11, which has inspired him anew to riding.

"If I competed at the 2006 worlds and felt contented, I would have come home. It is hard to tell what is lucky or unlucky."

His German trainer Ton de Ridder said: "Hoketsu has been fighting for this dream for the last five years and his perseverance and attitude are admirable.

"I am very happy for him," he said on the International Equestrian Federation website. "It also proves that new things are possible in dressage, at any age - even at 67."