| Koji
Murofushi As a son of the five-time Asian Hammer throw champion Shigenobu Murofushi, who was born on October 8, 1974 was destined to be a hammer thrower, even though he started in junior high school as a sprinter and long jumper. However, after throwing the hammer (junior implement) nearly 50m in his first attempt, he took up the hammer throw in high school. Murofushi has headed the Japanese hammer throw performance list since 1993. His winning streak at the national championships began in 1995. On April 26, 1998 he finally set a long-awaited national record. He threw a hammer 76.65m to surpass his father's record (75.96m), which had stood for almost 14 years. In 1998 he improved his own national record five more times. The last of these records, 78.57m, was recorded at the Asian Games in Bangkok, when he defeated Andrey Abduvaliyev, the 1992 Olympic hammer throw champion to win the gold medal. In the 1999 World University Games, Murofushi finished sixth, improving his eighth place finish of 1997. However, unlike 1997 when he was tenth at the World Championships in Athens, he failed to qualify for the final in Sevilla. By 1999, an 80m throw was a topic of discussion among the media and fans alike. After improving his national record to 79.17m in 1999, on May 13, 2000 he improved his record twice, first to 79.20m and then to 80.23m. It was his first throw over the magical 80m mark. Subsequently, he improved his national record thrice to 81.08m, the last of which was recorded in the Super meet in Yokohama on September 9, 2000. Finishing 9th in Sydney, eleven days later Murofushi finished second in the GP finalCurrently, his father Shigenobu is coaching, while his sister Yuka also throws the hammer and discus.   |