Yoshinori Sakai

was the Olympic flame torchbearer who lit the cauldron at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

He was chosen for the role to symbolize Japan's postwar reconstruction and peace. At the time he was a member of Waseda University's running club.

The nineteen year old was coached in the ceremonial duty by Teruji Kogake, a triple jump world record-holder turned coach [ [http://www.tokyo2016.or.jp/en/special/legacy1964/2_1.html Tokyo 2016 website] ] .

After the Olympic games, he won a gold medal in 1600 m relay and a silver in 400 m at 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok. He joined Fuji Television in 1968 as a journalist and worked mainly in the fields of news and sports. [cite web|url=http://www.joc.or.jp/stories/tokyo/20040422_tokyo01.html|title=JOC - 東京オリンピックから40年 (Forty years from Tokyo Olympics)|date=2004|author=Masuda, Masafumi|language=Japanese|accessdate=2008-08-12] He has never competed in the Olympics.

ee also

* Olympic Flame
* 1964 Summer Olympics

References

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Final Summer Olympic Torchbearer
Yoshinori Sakai
before="Giancarlo Peris" "Rome 1960"
after="Norma Enriqueta Basilio de Sotelo" "Mexico City 1968"
years=Tokyo 1964