Photo/Illutration Shigeki Tanaka, the first Japanese winner of the Boston Marathon (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Shigeki Tanaka, the first Japanese winner of the prestigious Boston Marathon in 1951 and a witness to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, died at a hospital in Utsunomiya on Oct. 4. He was 91. 

At the time of his victory, the Boston Marathon was regarded as the second-most prestigious marathon next to the Olympics. His triumph also lifted the spirits of his countrymen only six years after the end of World War II.

Tanaka was originally from Hiroshima Prefecture. 

He was 14 when he saw the bright light from the Hiroshima atomic bombing from a faraway village, which he said made him hate the United States.

Tanaka became a prominent long-distance runner when he was a student at Hiba Nishi High School (now Shobara Jitsugyo High School).

When he arrived in the United States to run in the Boston Marathon, he was taken to an office of a agency linked to the country’s Department of Defense.

Officials showed him pictures of Japanese atomic bomb survivors and asked, “Is this true?”

Later, he looked back on the episode and said, “They were rude.”

Because he was from Hiroshima Prefecture, an American newspaper also called him “atomic boy” when he competed in the marathon.

Tanaka wore a pair of Japanese traditional socks called “tabi” when he ran in the race because he didn’t have good running shoes.

His feet hurt with just his socks on, but he ran in the marathon with the words of his coach in mind, “Let’s win and restore Japanese people’s pride.”

Japan was still recovering in the aftermath of the war when he captured the marathon. 

Tanaka being the first Japanese to win the Boston Marathon helped bring cheer to people in Japan who had lost hope.

The parade to celebrate his victory held in Hiroshima Prefecture lasted as long as three hours.

Spectators were so fervent that Tanaka even fainted at the end of the parade.

Injuries set him back after the Boston Marathon, however, and he could not compete in the Olympics. 

After serving as a director at the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, Tanaka established a club for amateur runners to promote the sport.

In 1998, he was in the spotlight again after his medal from the Boston Marathon was stolen from his home. The theft occurred just after his wife had died.

Boston Marathon organizers gave him a new medal out of sympathy for his having lost both his wife and the medal.

In 2001, a half century after his win, Tanaka was invited to take part in a 5-kilometer race in Boston. He again wore a pair of tabi to run in.

“Boston is like my hometown,” he said, his hatred for the United States apparently gone. 

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