(born 9 January 1953 in

Usuki, Ōita 270px, Usuki Stone Buddhas is a city located on the east coast of Ōita Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 34,155 in 14538 households, and a population density of 120 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...

) is a Japanese 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 exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

who represented his native country at two

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

: 1976 and 1984. He won the 1985 edition of the

Tokyo Marathon The is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, Japan. It is a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon and one of the seven World Marathon Majors. The latest edition of the race took place on . It is sponsored by Tokyo Metro. History The fi ...

. 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. Career So won the 1976 edition of the Košice Peace Marathon in Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; ...

is also a retired Olympic marathoner, and finished fourth in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

(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, Ōita, Ōita on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The race has IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and is a listed course of AIMS (Associati ...

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 athletics coaches 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 for Japan Japanese twins People from Usuki, Ōita Sportspeople from Ōita Prefecture Identical twin males 20th-century Japanese sportsmen {{Japan-longdistance-athletics-bio-stub