Everest: Japanese Man Oldest To Reach Summit
Yuichiro Miura, who is 80, says he feels "totally exhausted" as he speaks to his team after reaching the highest place on earth.
7:25am Thursday 23 May 2013
Yuichiro Miura (R) and his son 8,000 metres below the summit
An 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer has become the oldest man to reach the top of Mount Everest - but his record may be short-lived.
Yuichiro Miura said: "This is the world's best feeling." But he confessed to feeling "totally exhausted".
Mr Miura had previously conquered the 8,850-metre (29,035-foot) peak when he was 70 and again when he was 75.
The climber and his son Gota called their support team from the summit to report the news. They reached the peak at 9:05 am local time.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed Mr Miura's daughter Emili talking to them on a speaker phone in Tokyo. She clapped when her brother told her they had reached the top.
Yuichiro Miura had also reached the top at 70 and 75
The climbers planned to stick around the summit for about half an hour, take photos and then start to descend.
Before him, the oldest person to reach the top of the world's highest mountain was Nepal's Min Bahadur Sherchan, who accomplished the feat at the age of 76 in 2008.
Mr Sherchan, now 81, is preparing his own attempt on the summit next week, meaning Mr Miura's record may soon be broken.
The Himalayan mountain range
On his expedition's website, Mr Miura explained his attempt to scale Everest at such an advanced age.
"It is to challenge (my) own ultimate limit. It is to honour the great Mother Nature," he said.
