Masanori Yusa

A member of the powerful Japanese swimming team in the 1930s, Masanori Yusa was a member of the victorious 4 x 200 freestyle relay team in both 1932 and 1936, setting world records on both occasions. At the Berlin Olympics, Yusa also won a silver medal in the 100 freestyle, edging out his compatriots Shigeo Arai and Masaharu Taguchi, although the finish photo suggests it may actually have been Taguchi who came in second. Domestically, he won the 100 and 200 freestyle in 1933 and 1934 and the 100 m again in 1936.

After graduating from Nihon University, Yusa joined the Yokohama Rubber company, and in 1942 married the popular actress Yumeko Aizome. His daughter Makoto also became an actress with the stage name of Naoko Yusa. After World War II, Masanori acted as a technical instructor for the Japanese Swimming Federation, coaching freestyle sprinters. Yusa died of gastric cancer at the age of 60.