Shohachi Ishii

Shohachi Ishii (石井 庄八, Ishii Shōhachi; September 20, 1926 – January 4, 1980) was a Japanese freestyle wrestler who won a gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was the first Japanese gold medalist after World War II, the only Japanese gold medalist at the 1952 Olympics, and one of two Japanese medalists in wrestling at the 1952 Olympics, the other being flyweight Yushu Kitano, who won silver in freestyle.^[1]

Shohachi Ishii

Shohachi Ishii in 1956
Personal information
Born	September 20, 1926 (1926-09-20) Tokyo, Japan
Died	January 4, 1980 (1980-01-05) (aged 53)
Alma mater	Chuo University
Sport
Sport	Freestyle wrestling
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing  Japan Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki Bantamweight

Ishii took up wrestling because there was no judo club around. He died of kidney cancer, aged 53.^[2]