Shozo Sasahara, a gold medalist in men's wrestling at the Melbourne Olympics and president of the Japan Wrestling Association, has passed away.
he was 93 years old.
Mr. Sasahara is from Yamagata City.
He started wrestling in college, won the freestyle featherweight championship twice in a row, and won the world championship held in Tokyo in 1954 with overwhelming strength.
He developed a unique technique called "Matasaki", in which he attacks the opponent's legs from behind, and was feared by overseas athletes, who called him "Sasahara's Legscissors".
At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, he served as the flag bearer for the Japanese team, defying the pressure of being "sure to win the gold medal" and winning the gold medal.
After retiring from playing, he coached at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where he won five gold medals.
From 1989, he served as the president of the Japan Wrestling Association for 14 years, and served as vice president of the JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee), etc., and made efforts to spread and develop the sport.
According to the Japan Wrestling Association, he passed away in the early hours of the 5th due to old age.
he was 93 years old.
His funeral and farewell ceremony will be held at his family funeral, and a farewell party will be held at a later date.