Japanese Bodybuilder Toshisuke Kanazawa Competes at 90, Sets Sights on Return at 93

Four decades above the age threshold, still on stage

Toshisuke Kanazawa, 90, competed against men nearly 40 years younger at the IFBB World Fitness and Bodybuilding Championships in Santa Susanna, Spain, finishing outside the podium places but leaving with another ambition: to return to the world stage at 93.

The Japanese bodybuilder appeared on Friday, October 30, during the championship gathering scheduled for October 29 to November 2, 2026. He entered the masters category for athletes aged 50 and older, putting him 40 years above its minimum age.

Backstage in the Catalan coastal town, Kanazawa warmed up with his team and applied spray tan before presenting his physique under the lights. His preparation followed the same pattern as that of younger competitors: get ready, take the stage and perform the poses that display years of muscle development.

Kanazawa, whose career includes national titles and an international appearance in 1967, explained why he still wants to compete:

"I like to try doing things that nobody else has done, and more than anything I want to pursue bodybuilding for the rest of my life," Kanazawa said.

His appearance brought together two very different periods of his sporting life. He first became a Japanese champion in his twenties, stepped away at 34 and returned at 50. Four decades after that comeback, he is still preparing for competitions rather than simply maintaining a connection to the sport.

What the Spanish appearance involved

Santa Susanna, on Spain's Costa del Maresme, hosted the IFBB gathering alongside its world congress. The programme brought together bodybuilding, fitness and fitness challenge competitions, with three competition stages operating simultaneously.

Kanazawa's category grouped competitors by a minimum age rather than placing him exclusively alongside other people in their nineties. Some opponents were almost four decades younger. At home in Japan, by contrast, his recent success came in a category for athletes older than 85.

Bodybuilding centres on presenting muscular development through poses. That makes posing practice part of the preparation itself, alongside the exercises used to build and maintain muscle. Kanazawa's routine includes both, as well as mobility work.

He did not finish among the medal winners in Spain. His exact placing was not given, and no specific event or entry date has been announced for the return he hopes to make at 93.

From swimming to Mr. Japan

Kanazawa began as a swimmer before switching his attention to bodybuilding at 20. Four years later, he won his first Mr. Japan title in 1960. He won the title again in 1963.

Those victories established him nationally while bodybuilding had a much smaller presence in Japan than it does today. By 1967, he was competing internationally, placing fourth in his category at the Mr. Universe contest.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, then 20, won the amateur competition at the 1967 Mr. Universe event. Kanazawa's fourth place belonged to his own category, placing the Japanese athlete's early international career in the same era as one of bodybuilding's most recognisable figures.

Kanazawa then stopped competing at 34. His eventual return at 50 followed a break of 16 years, creating a second competitive career that has lasted much longer than his first.

• Age 20: Left swimming to concentrate on bodybuilding.
• 1960 and 1963: Won Mr. Japan titles.
• 1967: Finished fourth in his category at Mr. Universe.
• Ages 34 to 50: Spent 16 years away from competition before returning.
• October 30, 2026: Competed in Santa Susanna at 90.
• Age 93: Hopes to make another international appearance before probably retiring from competition.

A comeback motivated by his wife

Kanazawa's return was connected to his wife's illness. She enjoyed watching him compete, and he wanted to encourage her through his renewed commitment to training and show what sustained discipline could achieve.

At 50, he returned to the gym and also changed his eating habits, giving up meat and fish. The comeback developed into decades of competition in Japan's masters divisions, which organise contests for older athletes.

His recent national achievements include victory in the category for competitors older than 85 at the All Japan Masters Fitness Championship in Hiroshima. The principal career tally puts him on 19 national titles after a victory in August 2026; another published tally gives 17, comprising 15 Japan Masters titles and two Japan Championship titles.

Both totals describe repeated success across national competitions. The more useful comparison with Spain is the age category: in Hiroshima he competed against athletes over 85, while the Spanish category began at 50. His latest international appearance therefore placed him in a much broader age range.

Training includes machines, poses and mobility

Kanazawa's preparation relies heavily on exercise machines. His training also includes strength work, posing and mobility, with sessions described as lasting up to three hours a day and allowing substantial rest for each muscle group.

Those activities serve different parts of his competitive preparation. Strength exercises develop the muscles he presents on stage. Posing rehearses how to display them, while mobility work helps him move into and hold the required positions.

Rest is part of that schedule, too. His plan for the next three years includes recovery as well as intensive preparation for another competition. His proposed return at 93 gives him a longer target rather than an immediate succession of appearances.

Kanazawa also avoids alcohol and tobacco. Together with his training and eating routine, those choices form the daily habits he describes as central to his continued participation.

The Japanese meals he credits

Brown rice, natto and miso soup are the foods Kanazawa names when explaining how he has maintained his physique. He says he has followed this traditional Japanese pattern of eating since returning to bodybuilding at 50.

Natto is made from fermented soybeans. Miso soup takes its name from miso, a fermented paste commonly made from soybeans. Alongside brown rice, these are ordinary foods in Japanese cooking, rather than unusual ingredients developed for competitive athletes.

Kanazawa, speaking about the connection he sees between his meals and his health, said:

It's really the classic Japanese way of eating. And thanks to that, I've gone 90 years without ever getting sick.

The statement describes his own assessment of his health and the benefits of his routine. His account of food sits alongside a much longer history of regular training, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, and preparing for competitions.

His dietary change also coincided with his comeback. Giving up meat and fish at 50 was one part of the new routine he adopted when he decided to compete again, rather than a recent adjustment made for the championship in Spain.

One more appearance, then probable retirement

Kanazawa's wish to continue bodybuilding for life comes with a more limited plan for competition. He is considering another appearance at 93, followed by retirement from the stage.

The Japanese competitor described that possibility in cautious terms:

"I'm thinking I might give it one more go at 93. After that, I'll probably have to retire," he said.

He has also spoken about the visible changes that come with age, including wrinkles and attitudes in Japan towards how older bodies look. In a sport built around presenting the body, those concerns are part of his thinking about how long to keep competing.

His ambitions extend beyond the next contest. He hopes to remain healthy until 100, while continuing to make bodybuilding part of his life. Leaving competition and giving up the activity are different decisions in the future he describes.

The example he wants to set

Kanazawa wants older people to see his persistence and stay active themselves. His message focuses on deciding what to pursue and continuing the work needed to reach that goal.

The veteran athlete explained the attitude he hopes to pass on:

"Once you set your mind to something, you need to develop the mental strength and determination to see it through no matter what," Kanazawa said.

His career gives that message a specific history: an early period of success, a 16 year absence, a comeback motivated by his wife and another 40 years of involvement after turning 50. Spain added an appearance against much younger competitors, even without a medal.

Kanazawa said his hopes for other older people reach beyond his own results:

I want people to work hard just as I have. I believe that if they do, we'll see more people like me even as they get older. That's what I hope for, and I want to be a good role model.

Key Points

• Toshisuke Kanazawa competed at 90 in the IFBB championships in Santa Susanna, Spain, on October 30, 2026.
• He entered a category for athletes aged 50 and older and finished outside the podium places.
• He won Mr. Japan titles in 1960 and 1963 and placed fourth in his category at Mr. Universe in 1967.
• He returned to bodybuilding at 50 after a 16 year break, motivated by his wife's illness.
• His routine includes machine training, posing, mobility work and a diet featuring brown rice, natto and miso soup.
• He hopes to compete again at 93 and will probably retire from competition afterward.