Kurao Hiroshima

Kurao Hiroshima (廣島 庫夫, Hiroshima Kurao, 5 December 1928 – 11 May 1996) was a Japanese long-distance runner who specialised in the marathon. Born in Kitago, Higashiusuki District, Miyazaki, he went on to represent his country twice at the Olympic Games: he finished 33rd in the marathon at the 1956 Summer Olympics and returned for the same event four years later at the 1960 Rome Olympics, taking 31st position with a time of 2:29:40.^[1]

Outside of the Olympics, Hiroshima experienced much success on the Japanese marathon circuit. He made his first impact at the Japanese national championships: becoming the national champion for the first time in Tokyo in 1953 and for a second time in Fukuoka in 1955.^[2] Between 1953 and 1959 he often registered within the world's top twenty fastest marathon runners of the year.^[3] He was a three-time winner of the Lake Biwa Marathon, with victories in 1955, 1957 and 1959.^[4]

His achievements at the Fukuoka Marathon singled him out as one of the best Japanese runners of his generation: his winning time of 2:21:40 in 1957 was a new Japanese record,^[5] the fifth fastest in the world that year.^[6] He became the first runner to win twice in Fukuoka when he took the title again two years later.^[5]

At the Beppu-Ōita Marathon, he was also the first athlete to win on multiple occasions (in 1956 and 1958).^[7] He also proved himself adept at the 20 kilometres distance when he won the Kashima Yutoku 20K in both 1955 and 1957.^[8]

Although Hiroshima was largely focused on running in Japan throughout his career, he competed at the Boston Marathon in 1954 and just missed out on a podium place in fourth position.^[9]