Yoshi Oyakawa

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Yoshi Oyakawa
Yoshi Oyakawa at the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial near Kaimana Beach
Personal information
Full nameYoshinobu Oyakawa
Nickname"Yoshi"
National teamUnited States
Born (1933-08-09) August 9, 1933 (age 90)
Kona, Hawaii, U.S.
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight154 lb (70 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke
ClubHawaii Swim Club
Hilo Aquatic Club
College teamOhio State University
CoachMike Peppe
(Ohio State)
Charles "Sparky" Kawamoto
(Hilo Aquatic Club)
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki 100 m backstroke
Representing Ohio State
NCAA
Gold medal – first place 1952 Princeton Team event
Gold medal – first place 1952 Princeton 200 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1953 Columbus 100 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1953 Columbus 200 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1953 Columbus 300 yard medley relay
Gold medal – first place 1954 Syracuse Team title
Gold medal – first place 1954 Syracuse 100 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1954 Syracuse 200 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1954 Syracuse 300 yard medley relay
Gold medal – first place 1955 Oxford Team title
Gold medal – first place 1955 Oxford 100 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1955 Oxford 200 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1955 Oxford 300 yard medley relay

Yoshinobu Oyakawa (Japanese: 親川 義信,[1] born August 9, 1933) is an American former competition swimmer, 1952 Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in the 100-meter backstroke. He was the first Hawaiian islander to win an Olympic medal, and is considered to be the last of the great "straight-arm-pull" backstrokers. He still holds the world record in this technique.[2][3][4][5]

Oyakawa was born in Kona, Hawaii to the Rev. and Mrs. Edward Oyakawa and raised in Papaikou. He has an older sister, Dorothy, and an older brother, Ensie Michio.[6] Oyakawa may have done his earliest swimming in Pake Pond in Papaikou. He first attended East Honolulu's Kalanianaole High School, known as Kalani High School prior to Hilo High School in the Southeast Central coastal portion of the island of Hawaii.[7] A 1951 graduate, he began competitive swimming as a Sophomore at Hilo High around 1948 under Coach Charles Kiyoishi "Sparky" Kawamoto at the Hilo Aquatic Club. He won his first Hawaiian 100-meter AAU backstroke championship swimming for the Hilo Club in 1950, and repeated in 1951.[6] His 1951 100-meter backstroke time of 1:07.5 in the Hawaiian AAU meet was America's best that year in a long course pool.[4]

College[edit]

Beginning in the Fall of 1951, Oyakawa attended Ohio State University under a swimming scholarship, under Head Coach Mike Peppe, along with 1952 Olympic medalist, Honolulu's McKinley High School swimmer Ford Kono. While at Ohio State, Oyakawa won six Big Ten, seven NCAA, and nine NAAU championships. After graduating Ohio State in March, 1956, Oyakawa enrolled in the U.S. Air Force.[2][6][3][4]

Olympics[edit]

Oyakawa placed fourth in the 200-meter backstroke at the National AAU Indoor Meet. But on July 5, 1952 at the more significant Olympics trials in New York, he swam an Olympic record time of 1:05.7 in the 100-meter backstroke finals, bettering the old record by .2 seconds and finishing ahead of the entire field of American trial competitiors.[8]

Travelling with the U.S. team later in July, he represented the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, where as a strong favorite he won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke event, breaking the fifteen-year standing record of American Adolph Kiefer, which had been set in 1936.[9] In a close race, he swam a 1:05.4, finishing .8 seconds ahead of the French team's silver medalist Gilbert Bozon, and 1 second ahead of America's bronze medalist Jack Taylor.[3]

He returned to Olympic competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where he was elected co-captain along with Ford Konno.[10] He finished 8th in the 100-meter backstroke competition.[2]

Coaching[edit]

Oyakawa became a teacher and coached swimming at Oak Hills High School from 1960 to 1985.[11] He led Oak Hills to 23 conference championships and was named League Coach of the Year 23 times and Southwest Ohio Swimming Coach of the Year 12 times.[12]

Honors[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "tida-net.okinawa". Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Yoshi Oyakawa, 1973 ISHOF Honor Swimmer". U.S. Masters Swimming. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Yoshi Oyakawa, Olympedia Biography". www.olympedia.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Nakaji, Bert, "Oyakawa First Big Islander to Win Olympic Games Title", Honolulu Star Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2 August 1952, pg. 7
  5. ^ a b "Yoshi Oyakawa (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Luna, Martha (January 16, 1956). "Oyakawa Will Be Bidding for Olympic Win Again". Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
  7. ^ "First Athlete-Coach Team is Selected in Annual Contest", Hilo Tribune-Herald, Hilo, Hawaii, 31 December 1952, pg. 9
  8. ^ "Oyakawa Cops Olympic Backstroke Finals in Record 1:05.7", Honolulu Star Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, 5 July 1952, pg. 6
  9. ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Yoshi Oyakawa. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  10. ^ "Oyakawa, Yoshinobu | Hawaiʻi Sports Hall of Fame". www.hawaiisportshalloffame.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "Hawaii Swimming Legacy: Yoshinobu Oyakawa". Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Oak Hills Athletic Hall of Fame Information, 2005-2015" (PDF). Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "Oyakawa Day Scheduled by Hiloites Today". The Honolulu Advertiser. September 12, 1952.
  14. ^ "tBBC - Ten questions With Yoshi Oyakawa". BuckeyePlanet. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  15. ^ "Gold-en Days of Summer Olympics past: Part 2". From Woody's Couch. August 2, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  16. ^ "Inductees by Class Year | Hawaiʻi Sports Hall of Fame". www.hawaiisportshalloffame.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.

External links[edit]


Records
Preceded by Men's 100-meter backstroke
world record-holder (long course)
April 1, 1954 – February 27, 1955 		Succeeded by



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