Japanese climber, 80, becomes oldest atop Everest

KATHMANDU, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Eighty year-old Japanese Yuichiro Miura Thursday became the world's oldest person to reach the Everest summit.

"He climbed the world's highest at 9:15 a.m. this morning securing new title," said Gyanendra Shrestha, an official at mountaineering department of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

The Japanese octogenarian claimed the title previously held by Nepali Min Bahadur Sherchan as the oldest to climb the mountain in November 2009.

Earlier, Sherchan had replaced Miura in the Guinness World Records. Miura first climbed the peak in 2003 at the age of 70. He did it again in May 2008 when he was 75, but failed to set a record as he reached the summit a day after Sherchan achieved the same feat at age 76.

After the Japanese citizen announced to climb the Everest, Sherchan, who is now 82 years old, also intends to do so in the climbing season. If Sherchan manages to reach the top, the record set by Miura will be renewed. "Sherchan still is in the base camp of Mt. Everest and preparing to climb," Shrestha told Xinhua.

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