Japan at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Japan
competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics
in Munich
, West Germany
. 184 competitors, 148 men and 36 women, took part in 113 events in 21 sports.
* Takao Kawaguchi
— Judo, Men's Lightweight (63 kg)
* Kikuo Wada — Wrestling, Men's Freestyle Lightweight
* Motoki Nishimura — Judo, Men's Heavyweight
Men's Individual Competition:
Women's Individual Competition:
Men's High Jump
Men's 1.000m Time Trial
Men's Tandem
Men's 10m Platform
Women's 3m Springboard
Women's 10m Platform
Men's foil
Men's team foil
Men's Team Competition:
Men's Flying Dutchman:
Women's Singles:
Mixed Doubles:
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. 184 competitors, 148 men and 36 women, took part in 113 events in 21 sports.
Gold
* Takao KawaguchiTakao Kawaguchi
is a retired judoka who competed in the -63 kg division.-Biography:Kawaguchi began judo at age 5 under the instruction of his father, who was a local judo instructor. He won the inter-highschool judo tournament in his senior year in high school, and entered Meiji University in 1969...
— Judo, Men's Lightweight (63 kg)
- Toyokazu NomuraToyokazu Nomurais a retired judoka who competed in the half middleweight division.-Biography:Nomura was born into a family of judoka. His father was the founder of a local judo dojo, and his brother was also an instructor who taught Olympic gold medalist Shinji Hosokawa. His nephew, Tadahiro Nomura, is the only...
— Judo, Men's Half Middleweight (70 kg) - Shinobu SekineShinobu Sekineis a retired judoka.-Biography:Sekine was born in Ōarai, Ibaraki, and entered the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department after graduating from Chuo University. He sought a spot on the Olympic judo team after seeing Isao Okano, a rival judoka also from Ibaraki Prefecture, win gold at the 1964 Summer...
— Judo, Men's Middleweight (80 kg) - Mayumi AokiMayumi Aokiis a Japanese swimmer and Olympic champion. She competed at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where she received a gold medal in 100 m butterfly...
— Swimming, Women's 100 metres Butterfly - Nobutaka TaguchiNobutaka Taguchiis an Olympic gold medalist for Japan in swimming.In 1972, he won Japan's first Olympic swimming gold medal since 1956. Japan dominated the 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won the breaststroke crown in 1928, 1932, 1936 and 1956 Olympic Games despite three radical rule changes that completely changed...
— Swimming, Men's 100 metres Breaststroke - Kiyomi KatoKiyomi Kato (wrestler)is a Japanese wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling.- Olympics :Kato competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich where he received a gold medal in freestyle wrestling, the flyweight class....
— Wrestling, Men's Freestyle Flyweight - Hideaki YanagidaHideaki Yanagidais a Japanese wrestler and Olympic champion in Freestyle wrestling.-Olympics:Yanagida competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich where he received a gold medal in Freestyle wrestling, the bantamweight class.-References:...
— Wrestling, Men's Freestyle Bantamweight - Sawao KatoSawao KatoSawao Kato is a Japanese gymnast and one of the most successful athletes of all time at the Olympic Games...
— Gymnastics, Men's Parallel Bars - Sawao KatoSawao KatoSawao Kato is a Japanese gymnast and one of the most successful athletes of all time at the Olympic Games...
— Gymnastics, Men's All-Around Individual - Mitsuo TsukaharaMitsuo TsukaharaMitsuo Tsukahara is a Japanese artistic gymnast. He was five times an Olympic Gold Medalist. His remained active in the sport after his retirement from competition...
— Gymnastics, Men's Horizontal Bar - Akinori NakayamaAkinori Nakayamais a Japanese gymnast and Olympic gold medalist. He is a graduate of Chukyo University.Winning six gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals, Nakayama was an important factor in the Japanese men's gymnastics team winning the team competition in the 1968 and 1972 summer Olympic games...
— Gymnastics, Men's Rings - Sawao KatoSawao KatoSawao Kato is a Japanese gymnast and one of the most successful athletes of all time at the Olympic Games...
, Akinori NakayamaAkinori Nakayamais a Japanese gymnast and Olympic gold medalist. He is a graduate of Chukyo University.Winning six gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals, Nakayama was an important factor in the Japanese men's gymnastics team winning the team competition in the 1968 and 1972 summer Olympic games...
, Eizo KenmotsuEizo Kenmotsuis a Japanese gymnast, seven times world champion and three times Olympic champion.-Olympics:Kenmotsu competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City where he received a gold medal in team combined exercises, and a bronze medal in horizontal bar....
, Mitsuo TsukaharaMitsuo TsukaharaMitsuo Tsukahara is a Japanese artistic gymnast. He was five times an Olympic Gold Medalist. His remained active in the sport after his retirement from competition...
, Shigeru KasamatsuShigeru Kasamatsuis a Japanese gymnast, world champion and Olympic champion.-Olympics:Kasamatsu received a gold medal with the Japanese team at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, a silver medal in parallel bars, and bronze medals in floor exercise and horizontal bar.-World championships:At the 1974 World Artistic...
, and Teruichi Okamura — Gymnastics, Men's Team Combined Exercises - Yoshihide FukaoYoshihide Fukaois a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.He was born in Hikone.In 1972 he was part of the Japanese team which won the gold medal in the Olympic tournament. He played all seven matches....
, Kenji KimuraKenji Kimurais a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.In 1968 he was part of the Japanese team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. He played all nine matches....
, Masayuki MinamiMasayuki Minamiwas a Japanese volleyball player born in Fukuoka, Japan. He was a member of the Japanese Men's National Volleyball Team in the 1960s and early 1970s. He won a total number of three Olympic medals during his career.-References:*...
, Jungo MoritaJungo MoritaJungo Morita is a former volleyball player from Japan, who was a member of the Japan Men's National Team that won the gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics....
, Yūzo NakamuraYuzo Nakamurawas a Japanese volleyball player who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was born in Hyōgo Prefecture.In 1964 he was a squad member of the Japanese team which won the bronze medal in the Olympic tournament. Eight years later he won the gold medal with the...
, Katsutoshi NekodaKatsutoshi Nekodawas a Japanese volleyball player.He was the member of the Japanese Men's National Volleyball team as a setter. He retired in 1980, and died of stomach cancer in 1983.-See also:*JT Thunders...
, Tetsuo NishimotoTetsuo Nishimotois a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.He was born in Hiroshima.In 1972 he was part of the Japanese team which won the gold medal in the Olympic tournament. He played four matches....
, Yasuhiro NoguchiYasuhiro Noguchiis a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.In 1972 he was part of the Japanese team which won the gold medal in the Olympic tournament. He played five matches.-External links:*...
, Seiji OkoSeiji OkoSeiji Oko is a former volleyball player from Japan, who was a member of the Japan Men's National Team that won the gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics....
, Tetsuo SatōTetsuo Satois a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.He was born in Fukushima Prefecture....
, Kenji ShimaokaKenji Shimaokais a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1976 Summer Olympics....
, and Tadayoshi YokotaTadayoshi YokotaTadayoshi Yokota is a former volleyball player from Japan, who was a member of the Japan Men's National Team that won the gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics.-National team:*1968: 2nd place in the Olympic Games of Mexico City*1970: 3rd place in...
— Volleyball, Men's Team Competition
Silver
* Kikuo Wada — Wrestling, Men's Freestyle Lightweight
- Koichiro Hirayama — Wrestling, Men's Greco-Roman Flyweight
- Katsumi MatsumuraKatsumi Matsumurais a Japanese volleyball player and Olympic champion.She was a member of the Japanese winning team at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.-References:...
, Takako IidaTakako Iidais a Japanese volleyball player and Olympic champion.She was a member of the Japanese winning team at the 1976 Olympic games.- References :...
, Mariko OkamotoMariko Okamotois a Japanese volleyball player and Olympic champion.She was a member of the Japanese winning team at the 1976 Olympic games.-References:...
, Takako ShiraiTakako ShiraiTakako Shirai is a former volleyball player from Japan, who was a member of the Japan Women's National Team that won the gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics....
, Makiko FurukawaMakiko Furukawais a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.She was born in Inzai, Chiba.In 1968 she was a squad member of the Japanese team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament....
, Keiko HamaKeiko Hamais a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.She was born in Chiba Prefecture....
, Toyoko IwaharaToyoko Iwahara, is a female Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.In 1968 she was part of the Japanese team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. She played all seven matches....
, Sumie OinumaSumie Oinumais a female Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.She was born in Tokyo....
, Seiko ShimakageSeiko Shimakageis a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.She was born in Sakata.In 1972 she was part of the Japanese team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. She played all five matches.-External links:*...
, Michiko ShiokawaMichiko Shiokawais a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.In 1972 she was part of the Japanese team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. She played all five matches.-External links:*...
, Noriko YamashitaNoriko Yamashitais a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.She was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture.In 1972 she was part of the Japanese team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. She played all five matches....
, and Yaeko YamazakiYaeko Yamazakiis a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.She was born in Ōmuta.In 1972 she was part of the Japanese team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. She played two matches.-External links:*...
— Volleyball, Women's Team Competition
Bronze
* Motoki Nishimura — Judo, Men's Heavyweight
- Nobutaka TaguchiNobutaka Taguchiis an Olympic gold medalist for Japan in swimming.In 1972, he won Japan's first Olympic swimming gold medal since 1956. Japan dominated the 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won the breaststroke crown in 1928, 1932, 1936 and 1956 Olympic Games despite three radical rule changes that completely changed...
— Swimming, Men's 200 metres Breaststroke
Archery
In the first modern archery competition at the Olympics, Japan entered three men and one woman. Their highest placing competitor was Yoshiko Akayama, at 17th place in the women's competition.Men's Individual Competition:
- Hiroshi KajikawaHiroshi Kajikawais a former archer who, at his peak, represented Japan in the 1972 Munich Olympics. He previously held the 90 meter world record in the FITA Gents Round....
— 2381 points (→ 19th place) - Masashi Hibino — 2344 points (→ 29th place)
- Shinji Nakamoto — 2287 points (→ 38th place)
Women's Individual Competition:
- Yoshiko Akayama — 2301 points (→ 17th place)
Athletics
Men's 5000 metres- Keisuke Sawaki
- Heat — 13:44.8 (→ did not advance)
- Takaharu Koyama
- Heat — 14:12.6 (→ did not advance)
Men's High Jump
- Hidehiko Tomizawa
- Qualifying Round — 2.15m
- Final — 2.05m (→ 19th place)
- Kuniyoshi Sugioka
- Qualification Round — 2.06m (→ did not advance)
Boxing
Men's Light Flyweight (– 48 kg)- Yoshimitsu Aragaki
- First Round — Lost to Asen Nikolov (BUL), 0:5
Cycling
Track CompetitionMen's 1.000m Time Trial
- Takafumi Matsuda
- Final — 1:10.00 (→ 20th place)
Men's Tandem
- Yaichi Numata and Yoshikazu Cho → 12th place
Diving
Men's 3m Springboard- Junji Yuasa — 316.95 points (→ 24th place)
Men's 10m Platform
- Junji Yuasa — 276.00 points (→ 19th place)
Women's 3m Springboard
- Taeko Kubo — 236.25 points (→ 24th place)
Women's 10m Platform
- Keiko Otsubo — 168.24 points (→ 23rd place)
Fencing
Five fencers, all men, represented Japan in 1972.Men's foil
Fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's foil
The men's foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the sixteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from August 29 to 30 1972. 57 fencers from 25 nations competed.-Results:...
- Hiroshi NakajimaHiroshi Nakajima (fencer)is a Japanese fencer. He competed in the individual and team foil events at the 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:...
- Ichiro SerizawaIchiro Serizawais a Japanese fencer. He competed in the individual and team foil events at the 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:...
- Kiyoshi UeharaKiyoshi Ueharais a Japanese fencer. He competed in the individual and team foil events at the 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:...
Men's team foil
Fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's team foil
The men's team foil was one of eight fencing events on the fencing at the 1972 Summer Olympics programme. It was the thirteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held from September 1 to 2, 1972...
- Shiro MaruyamaShiro Maruyamais a Japanese fencer. He competed in the team foil event at the 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:...
, Masaya FukudaMasaya Fukudais a Japanese fencer. He competed in the team foil events at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:...
, Hiroshi NakajimaHiroshi Nakajima (fencer)is a Japanese fencer. He competed in the individual and team foil events at the 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:...
, Kiyoshi UeharaKiyoshi Ueharais a Japanese fencer. He competed in the individual and team foil events at the 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:...
, Ichiro SerizawaIchiro Serizawais a Japanese fencer. He competed in the individual and team foil events at the 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:...
Handball
Men's Team Competition- Preliminary Round
- Lost to Yugoslavia (14-20)
- Lost to Hungary (12-20)
- Defeated United States (20-16)
- Classification Matches
- 9th/12th place: Lost to Norway (17-19)
- 11th/12th place: Defeated Iceland (19-18) → 11th place
Modern pentathlon
Men's Individual Competition:- Masaru Sakano — 4627 points (→ 31st place)
- Yuso Makihira — 4583 points (→ 33rd place)
- Akira Kubo — 4371 points (→ 49th place)
Men's Team Competition:
- Sakano, Makihara, and Kubo — 13569 points (13th place)
Rowing
Men's Single Sculls- Hideo Okamoto
- Heat — 8:20.82
- Repechage — 8:27.36 (→ did not advance)
Sailing
Men's Finn:- Kazuoki Matsuyama — 176.0 (→ 27th place)
Men's Flying Dutchman:
- Akira Yamamura and Takashi Yamamura — 128.0 (→ 19th place)
Volleyball
Men's Team Competition- Preliminary Round (Group B)
- Defeated Romania (3-1)
- Defeated Cuba (3-0)
- Defeated East Germany (3-0)
- Defeated Brazil (3-0)
- Defeated West Germany (3-0)
- Semifinals
- Defeated Bulgaria (3-2)
- Final
- Defeated East Germany (3-1) → Gold Medal
- Team Roster
- Kenji KimuraKenji Kimurais a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.In 1968 he was part of the Japanese team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. He played all nine matches....
- Yoshinide Fukao
- Junko Morita
- Seiji Ohko
- Tadayoshi YokotaTadayoshi YokotaTadayoshi Yokota is a former volleyball player from Japan, who was a member of the Japan Men's National Team that won the gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics.-National team:*1968: 2nd place in the Olympic Games of Mexico City*1970: 3rd place in...
- Katsutoshi NekodaKatsutoshi Nekodawas a Japanese volleyball player.He was the member of the Japanese Men's National Volleyball team as a setter. He retired in 1980, and died of stomach cancer in 1983.-See also:*JT Thunders...
- Yasuhiro NoguchiYasuhiro Noguchiis a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.In 1972 he was part of the Japanese team which won the gold medal in the Olympic tournament. He played five matches.-External links:*...
- Kenji ShimaokaKenji Shimaokais a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1976 Summer Olympics....
- Yūzo NakamuraYuzo Nakamurawas a Japanese volleyball player who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was born in Hyōgo Prefecture.In 1964 he was a squad member of the Japanese team which won the bronze medal in the Olympic tournament. Eight years later he won the gold medal with the...
- Tetsuo NishimotoTetsuo Nishimotois a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.He was born in Hiroshima.In 1972 he was part of the Japanese team which won the gold medal in the Olympic tournament. He played four matches....
- Massao Minami
- Tetsuo SatōTetsuo Satois a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.He was born in Fukushima Prefecture....
Water polo
Men's Team Competition- Preliminary Round (Group C)
- Lost to Spain (4-6)
- Lost to Soviet Union (1-11)
- Lost to Bulgaria (4-7)
- Lost to Italy (5-12) → Did not advance
- Team Roster
- Yukiharu Oshita
- Hirokatsu Kuwayama
- Toshio Takahashi
- Shuzo Yajima
- Hiroshi Hashimoto
- Koji Nakano
- Naoto Minegishi
- Tatsuo Jihira
- Takashi Kimura
- Yoshihiro Yasumi
- Toru Arase
Badminton (demonstration sports)
Men's Doubles:- Ippei KojimaIppei KojimaIppei Kojima is a former Japanese badminton player who won a record eight Japanese national men's singles titles and some major international titles between the mid 1960s and the mid 1970s. His game was marked by exceptional foot speed, great tenacity, and power surprising for a man who was about...
and Suresh GoelSuresh GoelSuresh Goel was Indian national badminton champion and a recipient of Arjuna award. He was noted for his extremely deceptive strokesSuresh Goel was born at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh in 1943...
of IndiaIndia at the 1972 Summer Olympics- Bronze:* Govin Billimogaputtaswamy, Charles Cornelius, Manuel Frederick, Ashok Kumar, Kindo Michael, Galesh Mollerapoovayya, Krishnamurty Perumal, Ajitpal Singh, Harbinder Singh, Harmik Singh, Kulwant Singh, Mukhbain Singh, and Virinder Singh — Field hockey, Men's Team...
-
- 1st round - Lost to Ng. Boon Bee and P. Gunalan of MalaysiaMalaysia at the 1972 Summer Olympics-Athletics:Men's 100 metres*Zainuddin Wahab* First Heat — 10.80s -Road Competition:Men's Individual Road Race* Abdul Bahar-ud-Din Rahum — did not finish...
(8 - 15, 1 - 15)
- 1st round - Lost to Ng. Boon Bee and P. Gunalan of Malaysia
Women's Singles:
- Noriko NakayamaNoriko NakayamaNoriko Nakayama is a former Japanese badminton player, the first true international badminton star from that nation, who won numerous Japanese national and major international titles from the mid 1960's to the early 1970s. She claimed seven of these at the Danish Open, two in singles and five in...
→ Gold Medal
-
- 1st round - defeated Ulla StrandUlla StrandUlla Strand was a retired female badminton player of Denmark who excelled from the early 1960s to the early 1970s...
of DenmarkDenmark at the 1972 Summer OlympicsDenmark competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 126 competitors, 114 men and 12 women, took part in 74 events in 17 sports.- Gold:*Niels Fredborg — Cycling, Men's 1000 metres time trial-Archery:...
(11 - 5, 11 - 9) - Semi–Final - defeated Gillian GilksGillian GilksGillian Gilks is a former badminton player from England who won numerous major titles in all three events between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s.Tall and slender in her badminton prime, with elegant, accurate strokes, Gilks is the most successful player ever in the...
of Great Britain (11 - 3, 8 - 11, 11 - 9) - Final - defeated Utami Dewi of IndonesiaIndonesia at the 1972 Summer OlympicsIndonesia competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.-Archery:Women's Individual Competition:* Tjoeij Lin Alienilin - 2100 points -Diving:Women's 3m Springboard:...
(11 - 5, 11 - 3)- Hiroe YukiHiroe Yukiwas a Japanese badminton player. She won numerous major international titles from the late 1960s to the late 1970s.- Persons :...
→ bronze medal
- Hiroe Yuki
- 1st round - defeated Joke van BeusekomJoke van BeusekomJoke van Beusekom is a retired female badminton player of the Netherlands.-Career:Nationally, she was the most successful Dutch female player, winning a record 25 Dutch titles and playing, between 1967 and 1983, 67 times for the Dutch team.Internationally she was most successful in women's...
of NetherlandsNetherlands at the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe Netherlands competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 119 competitors, 90 men and 29 women, took part in 72 events in 16 sports.-Medalists:...
(11 - 3, 11 - 2) - Semi-Final - lost to Utami Dewi of Indonesia (5 - 11, 9 - 11)
- 1st round - defeated Ulla Strand
Mixed Doubles:
- Kojima and Nakayama
-
- 1st round - lost to TalbotDerek TalbotDerek Talbot is a former English badminton player. One of Britain's best ever "all-rounders," he won multiple English National Championships, as well as numerous international titles, in badminton's three events - singles, doubles, and mixed doubles...
and Gilks of Great Britain (9 - 15, 4 - 15)
- 1st round - lost to Talbot