NAGOYA (Kyodo) Tomiyasu Ishikawa, a 71-year-old climber in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, has received a certificate from Guinness World Records recognizing him as the oldest person to have conquered the tallest peaks on the world's seven continents, he said Saturday.
The certificate says Ishikawa reached the summit of 4,897-meter Mount Vinson Massif, the tallest mountain in Antarctica, on Jan. 21 at age 71 years and 60 days and joined the seven summiteer club.
"I'm relieved because I accomplished my goal (of climbing the tallest peaks)," Ishikawa said. "I'd like to enjoy climbing a mountain without any pressure next time."
Ishikawa climbed Mount Everest in 2002 at age 65, breaking the record at that time for the oldest to scale the 8,848-meter peak. He went on to conquer the tallest peaks on all seven continents and scaled 5,895-meter Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, the sixth peak, last September.