In Memoriam] Daichi Suzuki was in danger of being stripped of his gold medal! The Legend of Shigeo Nagashima’s Amazing “Face Pass Anywhere

Shigeo Nagashima (aged 89) passed away on June 3, leaving behind many legends.

One of the many anecdotes and legends passed down to the world is that of the “face pass. Face-passing on the Shinkansen bullet train (in the days of Japan National Railways!) He was a great friend to many people, and he was a great friend to many people. No matter which restaurant he went to, he always got a special seat without a reservation. I don’t have a wallet, so I never pay for things myself (my manager paid for it later). I forgot my passport when I went camping abroad, but immigration was also face-passing …… and so on. Some of these stories are not true, especially the episode at the immigration checkpoint, which is indeed a “myth” that colors the greatness of Mr. Kikkawa.

On the other hand, the “face-passing” scene witnessed by “FRIDAY” is an undeniable fact.

The October 14, 1988 issue of “FRIDAY” carried an article titled “Where is ‘8-nani’ Shigeo Nagashima going to watch the Olympics in spite of the ‘personnel change season’? The article was titled “Where is Shigeo Nagashima going? The article included a photograph of Daichi Suzuki (then 21 years old) and Shigeo Nagashima (then 52 years old), both of whom won gold medals at the Seoul Olympics, along with expectations that Nagashima, who was then undergoing his second term as manager and whose departure had attracted much attention, would “return to the field.

An acquaintance of Mr. Daichi Suzuki said.

This photo was actually taken right after the race in which Mr. Daichi won the gold medal. After the race, Mr. Suzuki was being examined in the doping room, but Mr. Nagashima entered the room without permission. Since third parties are strictly prohibited from entering the doping room, the gold medal could have been revoked.

Fortunately, it did not become a major problem, but the 1988 Seoul Olympics was the same event where Ben Johnson was found to be doping and was stripped of his gold medal. It was a very dangerous situation. When Mr. Nagashima came out of the doping room, a Kodansha photographer was there and captured the moment in this cut.”

Mr. Daichi Suzuki, who is currently serving as president of the Japan Swimming Federation, said.

How he got through the strict checkpoints to the doping room is still a mystery to this day (laughs). It is still a mystery to this day (laughs).

The article in this magazine at the time focused on Shigeo Nagashima’s departure rather than Daichi Suzuki’s gold medal, which had the whole country in a frenzy. This is one of the “Legend of Shigeo Nagashima.