(born 9 January 1953 in

Usuki, Ōita is a city located on the east coast of Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It is famous for its Usuki Stone Buddhas, a national treasure, and its soy sauce production. Recently it has become known for having the look and feel of a Japanese castle to ...

) is a retired

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

from Japan, who represented his native country at two

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

: 1976 and 1984. He won the 1985 edition of the Tokyo Marathon. His twin brother

Takeshi So is a retired long-distance runner from Japan, who represented his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. He won the 1976 edition of the Košice Peace Marathon in Czechoslovakia. His twin brother is also a retir ...

is also a retired Olympic marathoner, and finished fourth in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

(1984). Some road racing authorities consider his winning run at the

Beppu-Ōita Marathon The is an annual men's marathon race that takes place every February between the cities of Beppu and Ōita on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The race has IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and is a listed course of AIMS (Association of Interna ...

in 1978 (2:09:05.6) to have been a marathon world best.

Achievements

*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

Notes

References

External links

1986 Year Ranking
*
1953 births Living people Japanese male long-distance runners Japanese male marathon runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Japan Japanese twins Sportspeople from Ōita Prefecture Twin sportspeople Identical twins {{Japan-athletics-bio-stub