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
OLYMPIAN | BIRTH DATE | COUNTRY | SPORT | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL | OLYMPIC YEAR(S) |
Iris Cummings | December 21, 1920 | United States | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1936 Berlin |
Bea Ballintijn | May 9, 1923 | Norway | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1948 London |
Erna Herbers | May 2, 1925 | Germany | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1952 Helsinki |
Lies Bonnier | July 8, 1925 | Netherlands | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1952 Helsinki |
Frank O’Neill | September 30, 1926 | Australia | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1952 Helsinki |
Greta Andersen | May 1, 1927 | Denmark | Swimming | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
1948 London, 1952 Helsinki
|
Ronald Stedman | June 3, 1927 | Great Britain | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1948 London |
Ľudovít Komadel | November 1, 1927 | Czechoslovakia | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1952 Helsinki |
Bengt Rask | April 28, 1928 | Sweden | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1952 Helsinki |
Bruce Bourke | February 5, 1929 | Australia | Swimming | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1948 London |
Rest in peace 🫡