{"id":30049,"date":"2026-09-26T22:03:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T22:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=30049"},"modified":"2026-09-26T22:03:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T22:03:59","slug":"at-my-peak-why-japans-90-year-old-bodybuilder-wont-stop-the-guardian-newspaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=30049","title":{"rendered":"\u2018At my peak\u2019 Why Japan’s 90-year-old bodybuilder won’t stop | The Guardian – newspaper"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
<\/p>\n

The Guardian<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

September 26, 2026<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\n

Last month, a day before Toshisuke Kanazawa won yet another major competition, the champion bodybuilder celebrated his 90th birthday.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0Justin McCurry<\/p>\n

\"\u2018At <\/p>\n

\n

Today, as he sips green tea at the gymnasium he runs in Hiroshima, Kanazawa\u2019s eyes twinkle mischievously when he recalls his victory over seven other men in the 85+ category at the Japan Masters Bodybuilding Championships – his 19th national title and, he insists, not his last.<\/p>\n

Born in Shimane prefecture on the Japan Sea coast in 1936, Kanazawa was a gifted swimmer who excelled at the 1500 metre freestyle at high school. After a muscular issue crushed his dream of competing in the Olympics, Kanazawa set his sights on professional bodybuilding.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother was supportive, but my father was dead against it – he thought young men should work,\u201d he says. \u201cI told them I wanted to be the best in Japan but would need a few years to achieve that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He spent the next five years living as a near-recluse, training for six hours a day and surviving on simple meals cooked by his mother. The cash he earned from an occasional delivery job went on milk and cheese.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\n
<\/p>\n
\"The<\/div>\n

<\/a> <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

This story is from the September 26, 2026 edition of The Guardian.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.<\/p>\n