Teruji Kogake

Teruji Kogake (小掛照二, Kogake Teruji; December 18, 1932 – May 9, 2010) was a Japanese triple jumper and sports administrator. He set a low-altitude world record in the triple jump in 1956 at the Japanese Olympic Trials, and finished eighth at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics while having an ankle injury.

He retired early from the sport and became the track and field coach for the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF), leading teams to the Olympics from 1964 to 1992. His selection decisions in the marathon were the subject of national debate in 1988 and 1992. He later became the vice president of both the JAAF and the Japanese Olympic Committee. He was decorated with a third class Order of the Rising Sun in 2005 for his contribution to athletics in Japan.

Career

Triple jumper

Born in Jōge, Hiroshima, Kogake began to compete in the triple jump while at high school – the track and field event had gained much popularity in Japan through Olympic gold medallists Mikio Oda, Chūhei Nambu, and Naoto Tajima. He graduated from Waseda University in Tokyo and continued to practice the event. At the 1956 Japanese Championships, which served as the Olympic Trials, he jumped what was then considered a world record distance of 16.48 m, adding some 20 cm onto the previous mark (Adhemar da Silva had jumped 16.56 m in March 1955, but this had been achieved in Mexico City and had been aided by the high altitude). Kogake's success came with a penalty in the form of an ankle injury which impeded his performance at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.