Yoshio Miki

Japan’s Yoshio Miki was a talented track and field athlete who competed in the hurdles, sprints, high jump, and long jump. While he was still 18-years-old Miki won the high jump title at the 1923 Japanese Championships in Athletics. Two years later at the Meiji Shrine Games he set a world record in the 200 metres hurdles with a time of 24.6 seconds. In 1927 he set a Japanese record in the 100 metres hurdles when he ran 15.3 seconds at the Kanto Interscholastic Athletics Championships.

Miki ran in the 110 metres hurdles at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics where he reached the semi-finals. He was also scheduled to run in the 400 metres hurdles in Amsterdam but did not start the race. Later the same year he won his second Japanese athletics title with victory in the 110 metres hurdles in a time of 15.8 seconds. He improved his time in the event the following year when he ran 15.1 seconds, setting a national record in the process. In 1931 Miki took out an insurance plan for accidental or unexplained injuries with a newspaper stating he was the first track and field athlete in the country to have foot insurance.

Personal Best: 110H – 15.1 (1929).