is a retired Japanese freestyle swimmer who won seven gold medals at the Asian Games in 1958–1962. She competed at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics in five sprint events in total with the best result of seventh place in the 4×100 m medley relay. Nationally Sato won four consecutive titles in the 100 m (1958–1961) and seven consecutive titles in the 200 m (1955–1961). From 1954 to 1962 she set 97 national records in freestyle events ranging from 50 to 1500 m, which remains an all-time record on its own. In 1963, Sato retired from competitions and next year married

Yoshihiko Osaki was a Japanese swimmer. He competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the 200 metre breaststroke and a bronze medal in the medley relay. In 1984, Osaki helped establish the Japan Masters Swimming Association and served on i ...

, a fellow swimmer who also competed at the 1960 Olympics. She took his last name and since then is known as Yoshiko Osaki. She resumed competing in 1984, in the masters category. Since 1985 she took part in all World and Pan Pacific championships, winning 20 world and 17 Pan Pacific titles and setting 93 world records in the freestyle, butterfly and medley events. She also set 104 national masters records and won 123 national titles. In 2005, she was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

, in the masters category. Her late husband was also an avid masters swimmer and chairman of the Japanese Masters Swimming Association. The couple had a son and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sato, Yoshiko 1938 births Living people Olympic swimmers for Japan Swimmers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Asian Games gold medalists for Japan Asian Games swimmers for Japan Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan Japanese female freestyle swimmers Medalists at the 1954 Asian Games Medalists at the 1958 Asian Games Medalists at the 1962 Asian Games Swimmers at the 1954 Asian Games Swimmers at the 1958 Asian Games Swimmers at the 1962 Asian Games Sportspeople from Nara Prefecture 20th-century Japanese sportswomen Asian Games bronze medalists in swimming Asian Games gold medalists in swimming