Koji Murofushi Facts for Kids

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Koji Murofushi

Koji Murofushi at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics

Personal information

Nationality

Japanese

Born

October 8, 1974 (age 50)
Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

Employer

Mizuno Track Club

Height

187 cm (6 ft 2 in)

Weight

99 kilograms (218 lb)

Sport

Country

Japan

Sport

Athletics

Event(s)

Hammer throw

Achievements and titles

Personal best(s)

84.86 m (2003)

Medal record

Men's athletics

Representing Japan
Olympic Games
Gold	2004 Athens	Hammer throw
Bronze	2012 London	Hammer throw
World Championships
Gold	2011 Daegu	Hammer throw
Silver	2001 Edmonton	Hammer throw
Bronze	2003 Paris	Hammer throw
Asian Games
Gold	1998 Bangkok	Hammer throw
Gold	2002 Busan	Hammer throw
Silver	1994 Hiroshima	Hammer throw
Asian Championships
Gold	2002 Colombo	Hammer throw
Silver	1993 Manila	Hammer throw
Silver	1995 Jakarta	Hammer throw
Silver	1998 Fukuoka	Hammer throw

Koji Alexander Murofushi, OLY (広治アレクサンダー室伏, Kōji Arekusandā Murofushi, born October 8, 1974) is a former Japanese hammer thrower and sports scientist. He has been among the world elite since the 2001 World Championships, where he won the silver medal. He was the 2004 Olympic champion. In 2011, he was crowned world champion.

Career
Personal life
Record
- Competition record
Distance progression
See also

Career

Murofushi was born in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Before the 2001 World Championships he had made his mark in Asian athletics. He started with a bronze medal at the 1993 East Asian Games. At the Asian Championships he won silver medals in 1993, 1995. He won the silver medal at the 1994 Asian Games and then took his first title 1997 East Asian Games. A silver medal at the 1998 Asian Championship was followed by a gold medal at the 1998 Asian Games. In global events, he finished eighth at the 1992 World Junior Championships, tenth at the 1997 World Championships and ninth at the 2000 Olympic Games.

He scored gold medals at both the 2001 Goodwill Games and the 2001 East Asian Games – setting a Games record at the latter event. After the 2001 World Championships, he proceeded by winning the 2002 Asian Championships and Asian Games as well as a silver medal at the 2002 World Cup and a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships. That year he threw 84.86 metres, which was the longest hammer throw in over ten years, putting Murofushi fourth on the all-time performer's list. Among the favorites at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he eventually won the gold medal after the disqualification of Adrián Annus.

Murofushi had an undergraduate degree in physical education and completed his doctorate in 2007 at Chukyo University. Murofushi was accepted a faculty appointment at Chukyo University as associate professor of physical education in 2011. Murofushi joined Tokyo Medical and Dental University in 2014 and serving professor in physical education and director of sports science center.

In July 2006 he won the World Athletics Final and the World Cup. He finished sixth at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, third at the 2007 World Athletics Final, and fifth at the 2008 Olympic Games. Two medalists, Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan, were first disqualified for failing the doping test, but won the appeal and had their medals reinstated.

At the 2009 Japanese Championships, Murofushi retained his national title, winning his fifteenth consecutive championships at the event. He increased his title total again the following year.

He made a world-leading throw of 80.99 m at the Rieti IAAF Grand Prix meeting which ranked him first place in the inaugural IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge. He remained ahead of second-placed Dilshod Nazarov at the end of the series, winning with a score of 238.52 (the combined total of his three best throws on the circuit).

In July 2011, the JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee) nominated Murofushi for the IOC Athletes' Commission, with the elections taking place at the 2012 Olympics. Although Murofushi collected more than enough votes to be elected, his candidacy was voided by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) due to inappropriate campaigning by the JOC during the Games.

In August of the year, Murofushi won the gold medal at the world championships, making him the oldest winner of the men's hammer world title. He also won the International Fair Play award at the same world championships.

He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal.

He was appointed as sports director for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in June 2014.

Personal life

Koji Murofushi was born on October 8, 1974 in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan and is of Japanese-Romanian descent. He comes from a hammer throwing family, as his father Shigenobu Murofushi is a former Olympian and held the Japanese record for 23 years until his son broke it, and his sister, Yuka Murofushi, throws both hammer and discus. Murofushi's mother, Serafina Moritz (born 1950) is a Hungarian of Romanian origin. She was a javelin thrower for Romania, European Junior champion in 1968, and Romanian senior champion in 1970. She is now a glass painter, and lives in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. Thanks to his mother, Murofushi speaks Romanian.

Record

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing Japan
1992	World Junior Championships	Seoul, South Korea	8th	65.78 m
1993	East Asian Games	Shanghai, China	3rd	66.78 m
1993	Asian Championships	Manila, Philippines	2nd	65.54 m
1994	Asian Games	Hiroshima, Japan	2nd	67.48 m
1995	Asian Championships	Jakarta, Indonesia	2nd	69.24 m
	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	35th (q)	67.06 m
	Universiade	Fukuoka, Japan	15th	67.58 m
1997	East Asian Games	Busan, South Korea	1st	73.40 m
	World Championships	Athens, Greece	10th	74.82 m
	Universiade	Catania, Italy	8th	73.46 m
1998	Asian Championships	Fukuoka, Japan	2nd	74.17 m
1998	Asian Games	Bangkok, Thailand	1st	78.57 m
1999	Universiade	Palma de Mallorca, Spain	6th	77.14 m
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	14th (q)	75.18 m
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	9th	76.60 m
2001	East Asian Games	Osaka, Japan	1st	79.68 m
	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	2nd	82.92 m
	Goodwill Games	Brisbane, Australia	1st	82.94 m
2002	Asian Championships	Colombo, Sri Lanka	1st	80.45 m
2002	Asian Games	Busan, South Korea	1st	78.72 m
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	3rd	80.12 m
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	1st	82.91 m
2007	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	6th	80.46 m
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	5th	80.71 m
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	1st	81.24 m
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	3rd	78.71 m
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	6th	78.03 m