Shigeru So

Shigeru So (宗 茂, Sō Shigeru) (born 9 January 1953 in Usuki, Ōita) is a Japanese retired long-distance runner who represented his native country at two Summer Olympics: 1976 and 1984. He won the 1985 edition of the Tokyo Marathon. His twin brother Takeshi So is also a retired Olympic marathoner, and finished fourth in Los Angeles, California (1984).

Shigeru So

Personal information
Born	(1953-01-09) 9 January 1953 (age 72) Usuki, Ōita, Japan
Sport
Country	Japan
Sport	Athletics
Event	Marathon
Achievements and titles
Personal best	Marathon: 2:09:05 (Beppu-Ōita 1978)

Some road racing authorities consider his winning run at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in 1978 (2:09:05.6) to have been a marathon world best.^{[nb 1]}

Achievements

• All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  Japan
1973	Nobeoka Marathon	Nobeoka, Japan	1st	2:17:29
1974	Fukuoka Marathon	Fukuoka, Japan	16th	2:18:32
1975	Fukuoka Marathon	Fukuoka, Japan	16th	2:15:50
1976	Lake Biwa Marathon	Ōtsu, Japan	3rd	2:18:05
	Olympic Games	Montreal, Canada	20th	2:18:26
	Fukuoka Marathon	Fukuoka, Japan	4th	2:14:59
1978	Beppu-Ōita Marathon	Beppu-Ōita, Japan	1st	2:09:06
	Lake Biwa Marathon	Ōtsu, Japan	3rd	2:17:13
	Fukuoka Marathon	Fukuoka, Japan	3rd	2:11:41
1979	Lake Biwa Marathon	Ōtsu, Japan	1st	2:13:26
	Open Spartakiada Marathon	Moscow, Russia	2nd	2:13:20
	Fukuoka Marathon	Fukuoka, Japan	2nd	2:10:37
1980	Fukuoka Marathon	Fukuoka, Japan	5th	2:10:23
1981	Beppu-Ōita Marathon	Beppu-Ōita, Japan	1st	2:11:30
	Fukuoka Marathon	Fukuoka, Japan	3rd	2:10:19
1983	Tokyo Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	10th	2:13:18
	Fukuoka Marathon	Fukuoka, Japan	3rd	2:09:11
1984	Olympic Games	Los Angeles, United States	17th	2:14:38
1985	Tokyo Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	1st	2:10:32
	1985 World Marathon Cup	Hiroshima, Japan	17th	2:12:27
	Beijing Marathon	Beijing, PR China	1st	2:10:23
1987	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	21st	2:14:53
1989	Beppu-Ōita Marathon	Beppu-Ōita, Japan	5th	2:12:49

Notes

1. The International Association of Athletics Federations has published a progression of road racing world bests and records that were widely recognized prior to ratification and official acceptance by the IAAF. According to that progression, Derek Clayton's 2:08:34 performance in Antwerp on 30 May 1969 was a world best at the time.^[1] Other road racing authorities, including the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, consider Clayton's performance to have occurred on a short course and recognize other athletes in the progression for world best in the marathon.^[2]