much ashamed as he lost the lead to the foreign runner while being watched by all the Japanese through TV broadcasting.

This sense of shame must have worked deeply and badly in the mind of Tsuburaya despite his honor of earning a bronze medal, leading to his death so tragically.

There were of course other Japanese Marathon runners in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Especially Kenji Kimihara finished the race at the eighth, though he was the most hopeful marathon runner for Japan in 1964.

After various incidents, Kimihara was qualified again as one of Japanese marathon runners for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. But amazingly in the marathon race in Mexico City, Kimihara faced a similar situation to the one Tsuburaya had experienced in Tokyo.

He was the second when he cameback to the stadium where the finish line was set. But a New Zealand runner was chasing Kimihara swiftly. However Kimihara looked behind to confirm if he was safely taking lead. Kimihara saw the third runner Mike Ryan trying to get ahead of him at a higher pace. Kimihara sped up keeping the distance between him and Ryan till the finish. Kimihara won a silver medal.

Later Kimihara said that he felt in the final section in the stadium as if his old friend Tsuburaya had been telling him to just turn around and check if a competitor had been on the neck of him. So, the Japanese marathon team could maintain its honor. They didn't repeat the same mistake, owing the spirit of Tsuburuya.

With the silver medal Kimihara