At 84 she found a way to feel young again, through cheerleading

Fumie Takino found a new passion in life, cheerleading. Photos: AFP

Strutting her stuff in a gold-hemmed mini-skirt, white leather boots and shaking silver pom-poms, octogenarian Fumie Takino has discovered the fountain of youth – as a born-again cheerleader.

Normally associated with perky young women gyrating furiously, Takino and her troupe of spirited grannies tweak the nose of old age, even if their rambunctious rendition of Dreamgirls leaves them painfully out of breath and their pink tank tops dripping with sweat.