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World’s oldest Ironman plans to keep competing into his 90s

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Hiromu Inada, the world’s oldest Ironman says he hopes to keep competing into his 90s.

The 87-year-old Inada already has a certificate on his wall that confirms his status as the world’s oldest Ironman, but the Japanese man is still pounding away on his training bike.

In 2018 at the age of 85 years and 328 days, Inada went to Kailua-Kona in Hawaii and set a new mark for the oldest person to complete the world championship Ironman.

It was a feat beyond most people decades younger than him.

The cancellation of this October’s Ironman because of the coronavirus pandemic has not dulled his ambition, and Inada is maintaining his gruelling training schedule for a return to Hawaii next year.

“My goal is next year’s world championship in Hawaii,” he told Reuters at his training facility in Chiba, east of Tokyo.

“I will absolutely participate in it, and I absolutely want to break the world record of completing the race at the oldest age again. This is my current and biggest goal.”

An Ironman race is widely considered one of the toughest endurance events in sports, requiring athletes to swim 3.86 km, bike 180.25 km and run a full 42.19 km marathon.

Slender and tanned from hours training outside, Inada looks like a man who has been competing in endurance tests all his life, but he only took up the sport in retirement.

After working for public broadcaster NHK, Inada began swimming and running, and bought a bike age 69.

He competed in his first triathlon a year later.

After the death of his wife soon afterwards, Ironman competitions became an obsession for Inada.

In 2015, at age 82, he took part in the Hawaii Ironman, bidding to become the oldest finisher on record.

But he fell just short: his time was five seconds too slow to be officially registered.

Inspired by support from the Hawaiian public, Inada returned the next year and completed the race in a qualifying time, earning his Guinness World Records certificate.

“Until then, I had thought I would give up if I felt I had enough of it,” Inada said.

“But since then, I have in my mind that I absolutely cannot give up, and I absolutely must complete (Ironman races). Otherwise, I feel sorry for those who support me.”

Inada trains every day, waking up at 4:30 a.m. and hitting the swimming pool by 6 a.m.

Inada sees the extended lead-in to his next trip to Hawaii as on opportunity to rest a sore knee and tweak his preparation technique.

“I hope I can try new things to build my fitness,” he said.

“I hope I can adjust my physical peak to the postponed race. So, I will rather think it was good that it was delayed.”(Reuters/NAN)

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Transfer: Gabriel Jesus Could Leave Arsenal as Napoli Show Interest

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Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus could leave the club this summer, with Italian side Napoli reportedly interested in signing the Brazilian forward.

According to Sky Italia, Napoli’s new manager, Massimiliano Allegri, is a long-term admirer of Jesus and is keen to explore the possibility of bringing him to Serie A.

Jesus and Allegri share the same agent, Giovanni Branchini, who was reportedly spotted at Napoli’s pre-season training camp in Castel di Sangro on Friday.

A meeting could reportedly take place to discuss a potential move for the Arsenal forward.

Napoli’s interest could depend on their ability to offload one of their existing strikers. The club would reportedly need to find new destinations for Lorenzo Lucca, who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, or Romelu Lukaku before making a move for Jesus.

Arsenal are reportedly willing to consider offers of around £18 million for the 29-year-old, who has entered the final year of his contract with the Gunners.

Jesus joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022 and could now be heading for a new challenge in Italy if Napoli’s interest develops into a formal transfer.

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Transfer: Liverpool Agree Loan Deal for Barcelona Defender Araujo

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Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign Uruguay international Ronald Araujo on loan.

According to Sky Sports, the deal could be completed this weekend, with the 27-year-old defender set to move to Anfield on a straight loan arrangement.

Araujo renewed his Barcelona contract last year, extending his stay at the Catalan club until 2031.

However, the defender endured a difficult campaign last season and was subsequently granted an extended leave of absence from the team.

The proposed move to Liverpool would give Araujo an opportunity to revive his career in a new league and country.

The Uruguay international joined Barcelona from Uruguayan club Boston River in 2018 before making his first-team breakthrough a year later.

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LaLiga: Mourinho Introduces Four New Rules at Real Madrid

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Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly introduced a series of new rules at the club after identifying what he considered bad habits within the dressing room.

Mourinho returned to the Spanish giants for a second spell this summer and has already begun implementing changes to improve discipline and professionalism within the squad, according to AS.

One of the new measures concerns players’ diets. The Portuguese manager has reportedly ended the freedom for players to eat whatever they choose, with the club’s nutritionist now responsible for overseeing their meals.

Under the new system, menus will be carefully structured and determined according to the nutritional needs of the players.

Mourinho has also introduced a disciplinary measure for players who arrive late to training. Such players will reportedly be required to undergo individual gym sessions.

Another rule concerns injury rehabilitation. Players recovering from injuries will now be expected to complete their rehabilitation at the club’s training ground under the supervision of Real Madrid’s medical and fitness staff rather than working independently with external personnel.

The changes are part of Mourinho’s reported efforts to establish greater discipline and control within the Real Madrid squad following his return to the club.

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