Kōkichi Tsuburaya
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Athletics | ||
 |
1964 Tokyo | Marathon |
Kōkichi Tsuburaya (円谷 幸吉, Tsuburaya Kōkichi) (born Kokichi Tsumuraya (円谷 幸吉, Tsumuraya Kōkichi); May 13, 1940 – January 9, 1968, Sukagawa, Fukushima) was a Japanese athlete who competed mainly in the Marathon. He competed for Japan in the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, where he won the bronze medal, and was overtaken within the final 100 meters by Basil Heatley of the UK.
After the Tokyo Olympics, Kokichi suffered from lumbago. On January 9, 1968, he committed suicide by cutting his external carotid artery.[1] He wrote in his suicide note, "I am too tired to run any more".
Kokichi was a 1st lieutenant in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
References
- ^ Larimer, Tim (October 2, 2000). "The Agony of Defeat". TIME Asia. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
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- 1940 births
- 1968 deaths
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Athletes who committed suicide
- Japan Self-Defense Forces
- Japanese long-distance runners
- Japanese military personnel
- Japanese military personnel who committed suicide
- Olympic athletes of Japan
- Olympic bronze medalists for Japan
- Olympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
- People from Fukushima Prefecture
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- Suicides in Japan
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