In ASIAD history, the men's hammer throw event is associated with a special family of Japanese sports. Former athlete Shigenobu Murofushi and his son Koji Murofushi together won 7 ASIAD gold medals, creating a journey that lasted more than 30 years.
Mr. Shigenobu participated in the 1966 Bangkok ASIAD and won a silver medal in hammer throwing. 4 years later, he continued to step onto the highest podium, starting a 5-time consecutive championship streak from 1970 to 1986. The last gold medal Mr. Shigenobu won was at the age of 41.
The Japanese Olympic Committee calls him the "Asian Iron Man", having participated in the Olympics 3 times and won the Japanese national championship 10 times in a row. He also served as captain of the Japanese sports delegation twice at ASIAD 1982 and 1986.
Koji Murofushi - Mr. Shigenobu's son initially pursued running and long jumping. Only in high school did he try his hand at hammer throwing and quickly showed his talent. Former athlete Shigenobu then directly trained his son.
On April 26, 1998, Koji reached 76.65m, breaking the Japanese record of 75.96m set by his father nearly 14 years ago. In the same year, he continued to win a gold medal at the Bangkok ASIAD with a result of 78.57m.
Koji's ASIAD journey has many similarities with his father. He won a gold medal at his first ASIAD in Hiroshima in 1994, before winning in Bangkok in 1998.
At Busan 2002, Koji successfully defended the championship and set a congress record with a result of 78.72m. He was also chosen as captain of the Japanese delegation, like his father 20 years ago.
After ASIAD, Koji continued to make his mark in the Olympic and world arenas. He won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, becoming the first Japanese hammer thrower to win the Olympics, before winning the world championship in 2011 and a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
From Mr. Shigenobu's first gold medal in 1970 to Koji's last coronation in 2002, the Murofushi family has stood 7 times on the highest podium of ASIAD.
At ASIAD 2026 at home in Japan, two generations of Murofushi continue to appear together, this time in a role associated with the ceremony of lighting up the congress flame.
