Masanori Sugiura (杉浦 正則, born May 23, 1968) is a retired Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 Olympic baseball player from Kudoyama, Wakayama

Kudoyama, Wakayama

is a town located in Ito District, Wakayama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 5,801 and a density of 131.27 persons per km². The total area is 44.19 km².-External links:*...

, Japan

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...

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Sugiura was the ace pitcher of the Nippon Life Insurance Company

Nippon Life Insurance Company

, also known as or is the second largest Japanese life insurance company behind Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd. The company was founded in 1889 as the Nippon Life Assurance Co., Inc. In structure it is a mutual company...

 baseball team, and was chosen to join the Japanese national team in the 1992 Summer Olympics

1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

, where he won a bronze medal. He returned to the olympics four years later, winning a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

. Professional players were allowed to participate in the 2000 Summer Olympics

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

, but Sugiura was still chosen as the captain of the Japanese national team, and the captain of the entire Japanese olympic team in 2000 Summer Olympics

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

. The Japanese team did not win a medal that year.

Sugiura refused numerous offers to join the Japanese professional leagues, and retired in 2000. The Nippon Life Insurance Company

Nippon Life Insurance Company

, also known as or is the second largest Japanese life insurance company behind Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd. The company was founded in 1889 as the Nippon Life Assurance Co., Inc. In structure it is a mutual company...

 baseball team won the Intercity Baseball Tournament twice during the 10 years Sugiura played with the team. He also marked a record five career wins in the olympic tournaments.

He served as a pitching coach for his team from 2001-2004, and became the manager in 2006.