Koji Murofushi

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Koji Murofushi

Personal information
Nationality  Japan
Born (1974-10-08) October 8, 1974
Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Employer Mizuno Track Club
Height 187 cm (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight 99 kilograms (218 lb)
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event(s) Hammer throw
Medal record
Competitor for  Japan
Men's athletics
Olympic Games
Gold 2004 Athens Hammer
Bronze 2012 London Hammer
World Championships
Gold 2011 Daegu Hammer
Silver 2001 Edmonton Hammer
Bronze 2003 Paris Hammer
Asian Games
Gold 1998 Bangkok Hammer
Gold 2002 Busan Hammer
Silver 1994 Hiroshima Hammer

Koji Alexander Murofushi (室伏 アレクサンダー 広治 Murofushi Arekusandā Kōji, born October 8, 1974, in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese hammer thrower. He has been among the world elite since the 2001 World Championships, where he won the silver medal. He was the 2004 Olympic champion. In 2011, he was crowned world champion.

Career

Before the 2001 World Championships he had made his mark in Asian athletics. He started with a bronze medal at the 1993 East Asian Games. At the Asian Championships he won silver medals in 1993, 1995. He won the silver medal at the 1994 Asian Games and then took his first title 1997 East Asian Games. A silver medal at the 1998 Asian Championship was followed by a gold medal at the 1998 Asian Games.[2][3] In global events, he finished eighth at the 1992 World Junior Championships, tenth at the 1997 World Championships and ninth at the 2000 Olympic Games.

He scored gold medals at the both the 2001 Goodwill Games and the 2001 East Asian Games – setting a Games record at the latter event. After the 2001 World Championships, he proceeded by winning the 2002 Asian Championships and Asian Games as well as a silver medal at the 2002 World Cup and a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships. That year he threw 84.86 metres, which was the longest hammer throw in over ten years, putting Murofushi fifth on the all-time performer's list. Among the favorites at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he eventually won the gold medal after the disqualification of Adrián Annus, and in 2004 gained a doctorate in physical education from the Chyukyo University, in Nagoya, where he is now an associate professor in the Faculty of Sports Science.

In July 2006 he won the World Athletics Final and the World Cup. He finished sixth at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, third at the 2007 World Athletics Final, and fifth at the 2008 Olympic Games. Two medalists, Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan, were first disqualified for failing the doping test,[4] but won the appeal and had their medals reinstated.[5]

At the 2009 Japanese Championships, Murofushi retained his national title, winning his fifteenth consecutive championships at the event.[6] He increased his title total again the following year.[7]

He made a world-leading throw of 80.99 m at the Rieti IAAF Grand Prix meeting which ranked him first place in the inaugural IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge.[8] He remained ahead of second-placed Dilshod Nazarov at the end of the series, winning with a score of 238.52 (the combined total of his three best throws on the circuit).[9]

In July 2011, the Japanese Olympic Committee nominated Murofushi for the IOC's Athletes Commission, with the elections taking place at the 2012 Olympics. Although Murofushi collected more than enough votes to be elected, his candidacy was voided by the IOC due to inappropriate campaigning by the JOC during the Games.[10][11]

Personal life

Koji Murofushi comes from a hammer throwing family, as his father Shigenobu Murofushi is a former Olympian and held the Japanese record for 23 years until his son broke it, and his sister, Yuka Murofushi, throws both hammer and discus. Murofushi's mother, Serafina Moritz comes from the Hungarian minority in Romania.[12] She was a javelin thrower for Romania, European Junior champion in 1968, and Romanian senior champion in 1970.[13][14][15] She is now a glass painter, and lives in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture.[16] Thanks to his mother, Murofushi speaks Hungarian fluently.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Japanese Medalists in London 2012 Olympics". joc.or.jp. Japanese Olympic Committee. Retrieved 17 January 2014. 
  2. ↑ Asian Games – GBR Athletics
  3. ↑ Asian Championships – GBR Athletics
  4. ↑ I.O.C. Strips 2 Medalists for Doping, NYTimes, December 11, 2008
  5. ↑ CAS reinstates medals for hammer throwers, Associated Press, June 10, 2010.
  6. ↑ Murofushi captures 15th straight title. The Japan Times (June 28, 2009). Retrieved on July 2, 2009.
  7. ↑ Nakamura, Ken (June 7, 2010). Murofushi and Murakami extended their winning streak at the Japanese National Championships . IAAF. Retrieved on June 7, 2010.
  8. ↑ Rieti’s birthday party begins with Hammer Throw world lead. IAAF (August 29, 2010). Retrieved on August 30, 2010.
  9. ↑ Murofushi and Heidler take overall titles and prize of $30,000 each – IAAF World Hammer Throw Challenge. IAAF (September 8, 2010). Retrieved on September 8, 2010.
  10. ↑ Overzealous Japanese committee responsible for Murofushi’s IOC ban. japandailypress.com. June 20, 2013
  11. ↑ CAS reject Murofushi appeal against IOC election block. Reuters. May 22, 2013
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Elcserélt nemzet – magyar olimpikonok más ország színeiben" (in Hungarian). Heti Válasz. August 13, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2012. 
  13. ↑ Bryan Walsh (June 14, 2004). "To the Hammer Born". Time. Retrieved March 23, 2008. 
  14. ↑ Andru Nenciu (December 13, 2008). "Ciocan norocos". ProSport. Retrieved September 28, 2009. 
  15. ↑ Absente de cinci stele – Cotidianul. Cotidianul.ro (August 9, 2005). Retrieved on August 27, 2010.
  16. ↑ 室伏選手の母がガラス絵７０作品:トピックス:中日新聞女性向けサイト：オピ・リーナ(Opi-rina). Opi-rina.chunichi.co.jp. Retrieved on August 27, 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Koji Murofushi.
Asian Games champions in men's hammer throw
World best year performance in men's hammer throw
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