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90-year-old Japanese alpinist summits Mt. Fuji in wheelchair
Ninety-year-old Japanese alpinist Yuichiro Miura reached the summit of Mt. Fuji with a group of friends and family on Thursday, having used a wheelchair for the three-day ascent.
Miura arrived at the peak at around 7:20 a.m. amid good weather and cold winds and expressed gratitude to those who had supported his endeavor. While the 3,776-meter Mt. Fuji, the tallest peak in Japan, is a popular hiking destination, few nonagenarians attempt the climb.
His triumph on Mt. Fuji comes after struggles with his health. In June 2020, Miura, then 87, was hospitalized for about eight months due to spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma -- when the nerves in the neck are compressed and cause paralysis of the hands and feet.
The alpinist, who in 2013 became the oldest person to conquer Mt. Everest at age 80, aspired to climb Mt. Fuji as a means of rehabilitation.
"Thanks to everyone, I was able to fulfill my wish of reaching the summit. It's wonderful," he said.
Miura in his specially-designed mountaineering wheelchair began his ascent at around 5:15 a.m. Thursday from the 9th station lodge on the Fujinomiya Trail just as the sun peeked over the horizon. With the help of his climbing party who dragged the chair up, he reached the summit around two hours later.
"I was able to climb with fun company. The view was so stunning that I will never forget it," Miura said.
Some 40 students from Clark Memorial International High School, where Miura acts as honorary principal, greeted the alpinist at the top when he arrived. They joined him at the 9th station lodge the previous day and summited earlier.
"It made me realize that he's admired by so many people," said 18-year-old student Tomoya Sano, adding that he found the support Miura received particularly memorable.
Much of the three-day ascent consisted of him riding his wheelchair that was dragged by a rope. He suffers from an acute feeling of pins and needles in his legs when he moves his body.
On Tuesday, Miura left the 5th station lodge with his son Gota, 54, and spent a night each at the 7th and 9th stations.
The alpinist is known for successfully skiing down Mt. Fuji in 1966 using a parachute to slow his descent. In 2003, 2008, and 2013 -- at the ages 70, 75, and 80 -- Miura successfully reached the 8,848-meter summit of Mt. Everest.
The oldest person to have reached the summit of Mt. Fuji is Teiichi Igarashi, who was 101 years and 10 months old when he achieved the feat in 1988, according to an association that certifies national records.
注释：
alpinist: n
表示" 登山运动员"，means "a mountain climber who specializes in difficult climbs"，如：Equipped in a manner which would make a modern alpinist shudder at the thought. 他们的装备如此的简陋以致使一名现代的登山者不寒而栗。
nonagenarian: n
表示" 九十多岁的人"，means "someone whose age is in the nineties"，如：For a nonagenarian, he puts great faith in youthful optimism. 就一个90多岁高龄的人而言，他有着一颗年轻乐观的心。
epidural: adj
表示"〈解〉硬(脑)膜上的；硬脑膜外的"，如：Epidurals are now often used during childbirth.现在分娩时常用硬膜外注射。
hematoma: n
表示"[医]血肿"，means "a localized swelling filled with blood"，如：The hematoma will usually subside in time.
血肿通常随时间消逝。
epidural hematoma: 表示"硬膜外血肿"
rehabilitation: n
表示" 修复；复原；复兴"，means "the restoration of someone to a useful place in society"，如：Drug rehabilitation is a long and painful process. 戒毒是一个漫长而痛苦的过程。
中文简要说明：
日本一名登山冒险家3年前因病住院，四肢瘫痪的他以登上富士山顶为复健目标。3年后，这名高龄90岁的老人在亲友帮助支持之下，周四（31日）清晨以乘坐轮椅的方式顺利登上标高3776富士山顶。能够实现这个心愿，他满怀感谢，在日本最高峰看到的风景令他永生难忘。
综合日本共同社、《产经新闻》报导，担任北海道深川市克拉克纪念国际高中（Clark Memorial International High School）名誉校长的三浦雄太郎，3年前颈椎硬膜外血肿入院8个月，颈部神经受到压迫导致手脚瘫痪，当时87岁的他以攀登富士山为目标持续复健。
三浦以3天时间自富士山五合目向上攀登，全程他多半坐在专门设计的登山用轮椅上，由旁人以绳索拖拉前进，偶尔持登山杖步行。三浦的身体移动时，腿部会有剧烈的刺痛感。社群平台X有网友发文分析，三浦这趟登山至少要有12人呈V字形队伍随行协助，方可达标。
三浦一行人在七合目、九合目各住一宿，周四清晨5时15分开始攻顶，清晨7时20左右在晴空万里的寒风中，由54岁次子豪太搀扶缓步走向山顶的鸟居，先一步攻顶的克拉克高中登山社约40名学生以掌声相迎，见证三浦攻顶的一刻。三浦说：「托各位的福，我终于能够实现登顶的心愿，太棒了。」他还表示，能与儿孙朋友们一起欣赏宏伟的美景，「我此生永难忘怀」。
富士山是日本国民旅游热门目的地之一，不少外国人也受到吸引专程造访，但年过90攻顶富士山的例子很少。根据日本全国纪录，至今攻顶富士山最高龄的人是五十岚贞一，他在1988年以101岁又10个月的年纪成功登上富士山顶峰。
三浦1966年使用降落伞以滑雪板成功在富士山滑降而出名。2003年、2008年、2013年，三浦先后以70岁、75岁和80岁之龄攻上海拔8848米的世界最高峰圣母峰，2013年那次也让他成为攻上圣母峰的最高龄纪录保持人。
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