Photo/Illutration Hiroshi Matsumoto, 83, swims 2,000 meters almost every day. "The pool is a place where I can concentrate myself. I have never found it painful," Matsumoto said in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Feb. 3. (Ryo Ikeda)

MINAMI-ALPS, Yamanashi Prefecture--At age 83, Hiroshi Matsumoto has smashed masters swimming world records 50 times and even beaten cancer twice to boot.

But the glory from such achievements isn't enough to satisfy the Saga Prefecture native, who swims 2,000 meters on a daily basis, and is determined to set another world record.

On Feb. 8, Matsumoto competed in the 25-meter butterfly during a tournament certified by the Japan Masters Swimming Association at the Chiba International General Swimming Center in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture. 

Using his entire body to make powerful strokes, he gradually picked up speed to finish in first at a time of 16.72 seconds.

It was an overwhelming victory for Matsumoto, who finished at least 5 meters ahead of the second-place swimmer. Other competitors included contestants about 10 years younger.

Matsumoto participated in four other events, winning all of them. Matsumoto's first experience swimming came when he was a pupil at a primary schoo and he took a dip in a pond at a farm near his home to beat the summer heat.

He enjoyed it so much he kept on swimming even after he noticed he was bleeding all over from being bitten by the pond's leeches.

Matsumoto became a competitive swimmer when he was a second-year senior high school student. After relocating to Yamanashi Prefecture for work, he continued swimming in a pool close to his workplace while he served as a children's coach.

He also competed at the National Sports Festival, but he couldn't achieve great results at the national level when he was young.

But time turned out to be on his side and things turned around when he reached his 60s.

At age 59, Matsumoto made his masters swimming debut and repeatedly set his personal best time as he grew older.

When he started competing within the age group for 65- to 69-year-olds after turning 65, Matsumoto achieved a new Japanese masters record in the 25- and 50-meter butterfly.

However, the following year, in 2002, Matsumoto was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had his prostate gland removed.

He felt feeble after the surgery, thinking that he might not be able to compete in swimming anymore.

But one week after he left the hospital, he found himself going for a swim in a pool. 

"I felt alive again when I swam," Matsumoto recalled.

He spent the next two years or so being treated with a female hormone. His muscles weakened, and his swim times became slower. But he kept swimming 3 to 4 kilometers every day because he didn't want to see his records broken.

When he turned 70, Matsumoto set a world record in the 50-meter butterfly.

In 2012, he was diagnosed as having squamous-cell skin cancer, or Bowen's disease, which develops in the shallow layer of the skin. But he resumed swimming soon after the surgery. His continued effort helped his rehabilitation, he said.

Matsumoto has broken masters swimming world records 50 times. The celebrated swimmer has received about 1,000 medals at competitions in Japan and abroad, which cover the walls of his home.

While some members of his close circle have quit swimming because of age, Matsumoto said he feels "motivated when I look at the medals every morning."

Currently Matsumoto is focused on making sure he swims efficiently to reduce water resistance. His goal is to set another world record at an international competition to be held in Fukuoka in 2021, the year he turns 85.

"It's still too early to call me an old man," Matsumoto said. "I'll be happy if people can find encouragement through me."

Related News