Tsuyoshi Yamanaka

Nihongo|Tsuyoshi Yamanaka|山中 毅|Yamanaka Tsuyoshi|born January 18, 1939 is considered as perhaps Japan's greatest freestyle (crawl) swimmer of all time, who never won an Olympic gold medal. However he has four silvers to show for his Olympic pursuits.

At one point in his long career, which brought him to college in the U.S. at the University of Southern California, he broke the 200 m Freestyle World Record three times in less than two months (1961).

In addition to his numerous Japanese records, Yamanaka had two American Records in the 200 m and 400 m free and won the U.S. National AAU Championships in these same events. He has beaten Hall of Famer George Breen in Olympic competition but usually met his nemesis in Hall of Fame all-time great Murray Rose.

Rose's birthday was six days before Yamanaka's and Murray used to kid him that out of respect for his elders he should let Rose finish first. Born any other time and Yamanaka would have Olympic gold medals adorning his trophy case, but in the 1956 and 1960, there were Hall of Famer Australians Rose and Konrads in front of him.

Yamanka's coach used the pebble method to get his star swimmer in shape. Whenever the Japanese star loafed in practice he would feel a pebble bounce off his back and knew the coach was watching him. After the workout Yamanaka had to pick up the pebbles, another incentive to train harder.

Achievements

*1956 - Two Olympic Silver Medals in 400 m freestyle and 1500 m freestyle

*1960 - Two Olympic Silver Medals in 400 m freestyle and freestyle relay

*Fourteen World Records in 200 m freestyle, 400 m freestyle, and four freestyle relays

*Three American Records in 200 m freestyle and 400 m freestyle

*Two AAU Nationals in 200 m freestyle and 400 m freestyle

*Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1983