Thursday, 13 May 2021
The Olympic Torch will not now visit the hometown of Mikio Oda, Japan’s first Olympic champion, after a decision to change the format of the Relay given the current status of COVID-19 in Hiroshima Prefecture.
Originally it had been scheduled to visit Kaita on May 18 during a two-day stay in the region.
In 1928, Oda won triple jump gold in Amsterdam, the first Japanese athlete to return home with a gold medal.
By any standard, he was a remarkable athlete. He excelled in the jumps and was also a talented decathlete. In a superb career he competed in three Olympics and set 21 Asian records.