Shoji Tomihisa

Shoji Tomihisa was a Japanese track and field athlete who was also an atomic bomb survivor. He was a hibakusha, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He also holds the Japanese national record in men's 60m in the 100~104 age category. He rose to prominence and limelight after competing at the 2017 Chugoku Region Masters Athletics Championship.

Biography Tomihisa was born on Awaji Island in the Hyōgo Prefecture. He was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army at the age of 21. He faced leaps and bounds in his military career as he faced near-death experiences during his brief stint and tenure in China. Soon after returning to Japan, he received a job offer at Japanese National Railways. He was one of the survivors of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which took place in August 1945. He was eventually exposed to the radiation which was emitted from the fatal atomic bombings in 1945. It was revealed that he had to face the misery and agony of the Hiroshima bombings, as coincidentally he was engaged in rescue operations during that occasion and as a result he was directly impacted by the radiation of the atomic bombings.

Career He began his track and field athletic career journey at the age of 97 defying the odds, adversity and stereotypes despite the age factor. He was inspired by his own friend Hiromi Sadasue who was also an osteopathic physician to pursue his interest in athletics. He shattered the Japanese national record in men's 100~104 age category, when he set a new record clocking in at 16.98 seconds in the 60 meters event during the 2017 Chugoku Masters Track and Field meet which was held at Tottori Prefecture. He received the honor and invitation to take part in a nationwide torch relay at the age of 102 which was held in Hiroshima. Later, it was revealed that Tomihisa himself withdrew from taking part in carrying the Olympic flame and also cancelled his participation in running around Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park among the allotted list of runners officially chosen for the occasion as he pulled out as a precautionary measure owing to concerns related to the rapid resurgence of coronavirus infections.

In May 2022, he announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 105 and a special ceremony to mark the occasion was held at his usual practice training ground at Miyoshi Sports Park Field in Miyoshi. He made the tough decision to quit the sport after realizing that his physical strength began to wane and fade away gradually.