Hiroko Nagasaki

Summary

Hiroko Nagasaki (長崎 宏子, Nagasaki Hiroko, born 27 July 1968) is a Japanese former swimmer who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics[1] and in the 1988 Summer Olympics.[2]

Hiroko Nagasaki
Personal information
NationalityJapanese
Born(1968-07-27)27 July 1968
Akita, Akita, Japan
Height169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
ClubAkita Athletic Club
College teamUniversity of California, Berkeley
Brigham Young University
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Japan
Pan Pacific Championships
Silver medal – second place 1985 Tokyo 100 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1985 Tokyo 200 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 1985 Tokyo 4×100 m medley relay
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1982 New Delhi 100 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1982 New Delhi 200 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1982 New Delhi 4 × 100 m medley relay
Silver medal – second place 1986 Seoul 100 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1986 Seoul 200 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1986 Seoul 4 × 100 m medley relay

Nagasaki was named to the Japanese national swimming team at the age of twelve, making her the team's first ever primary school student. However she did not participate in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow as Japan joined the boycott of the games in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.[3] After the 1984 Summer Olympics, she dropped out of Akita Kita High School [ja] to study abroad, first at the University of California, Berkeley, and later at Brigham Young University.[4] Along with Kim Chen and Atlee Mahorn, she was one of three UC Berkeley students who competed for non-US teams at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[5]

Nagasaki retired from swimming after the 1988 games and worked for the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC). In 1995, she married Ryōichi Kasuga [ja], her former boss at the JOC. The couple went on to have three daughters.[6] She was one of the torchbearers in the Akita leg of the 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay.[3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "1984 Olympic Games Swimming - Women's 100 Meter Breaststroke" – via www.youtube.com.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Hiroko Nagasaki". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  3. ^ a b "元競泳日本代表の「天才少女」、亡き父に感謝を込めて聖火つなぐ". Yomiuri Shimbun. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  4. ^ "長崎宏子 2度目の五輪後に引退「アラフィフって最強」". The Nikkei. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  5. ^ "UC Berkeley Athletes to Compete in Summer Olympics" (PDF). The UCSD Guardian. 29 September 1988. p. 3. Retrieved 3 September 2021. Three current UC Berkeley athletes performed for different homelands. Hiroko Nagasaki of Japan and Kim Chen of Taiwan both swam the women's 100-and 200-meter breaststroke, while sprinter Atlee Mahorn ran for Canada's men's track team.
  6. ^ "競泳「長崎宏子」ブロードウェイ女優になりたい娘の夢を応援中". Smart Flash [ja]. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2023.