Noboru Terada

Noboru Terada took up swimming in 1930, while studying in junior high school and was the Japanese high school 400 and 800 metre freestyle champion two years in a row; however, he never won a national title during his active career. In 1935 he enrolled at Keio University and in 1936 won the 1,500 free at the Japanese Olympic trials, beating the favorite Shunpei Uto by a full pool length. At the 1936 Olympics, Terada led the 1,500 final from the start and never came under pressure, winning the race by ½-a-length over Jack Medica.

After his competitive career, Terada worked as head of the Keio University swimming team. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) in 1994, the same year that a monument in his honor was erected at this birthplace in Iwata City, Shizuoka.

Personal Bests: 1,500 m freestyle - 19:13.7 (1936).