Japan’s Oldest Olympic Medalist Shiro Hashizume Dies At Age 94

On March 9th, Japanese Olympian Shiro Hashizume died of prostate cancer at 94 years of age. Hashizume was the oldest living Japanese Olympic medalist.

Hashzume earned the silver medal in the men’s 1500m freestyle at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, with the competition marking Japan’s first participation since World War II.

Nicknamed ‘Fujiyama’s flying fish’ Hashizume got his swimming start at Nihon University, a storied program still turning out world-class swimmers.

According to Asian media, Hashizume founded a swimming school after his competitive retirement, ‘devoting himself to the development and popularization of the sport.’ He also served as a finance committee member and advisor to the Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF).

Hashizume was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1992.

The news comes on the heels of British Olympic swimmer Trevor Harrop‘s death. Harrop, one of the last surviving members of the 1948 British Olympic swim team, died on April 9th, just ten days short of his 95th birthday.

10 OLDEST LIVING OLYMPIC SWIMMERS

Data Courtesy: Oldest Olympians Project