Toyoko Yoshino

Toyoko Yoshino was a Japanese weight thrower who competed in discus throw at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics. She was also entered in the shot put in 1952, but did not start. Yoshino starred at the 1951 Asian Games when she won titles in the shot put, discus throw and javelin throw, and she repeated in the shot and discus at the 1954 Asian Games, winning five gold medals in all.

As a young girl Yoshino started with athletics and was already a multiple Japanese champion before the war - in the 100 metres (2 times), 4 x 100 metre relay (2), long jump (3) and pentathlon (2). In the latter, she set a Japanese record in 1938. After the war, she turned to discus throw and shot put. In discus throw, Yoshino won eight consecutive national titles (1949-56) and in the shot put, she won five (1949-1953). With the discus she also set another two national records. Between 1937 and 1956 she claimed 22 Japanese titles, second only to 24 by Rie Yamauchi, who was successful during and after World War II never competing at the Olympics.

Yoshino worked for the Yamanashi prefectural office and, after retiring from active competition, as a high school teacher and the Board of Education of Saitama prefecture. After retirement, she started competing in Masters’ events in the discus throw setting several records in different age classes. For many years, Yoshino was considered to be the same athlete as Ko Nakamura, who competed in the discus throw at Berlin in 1936, but this has recently been shown to be incorrect.