April 27, 2023 • 7 mins
At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, 20-year-old marathon runner Shizo Kanakuri was one of only two athletes to represent Japan in the nation's first ever Olympic Games. It was a huge occasion for Shizo. But halfway through his marathon event, Shizo disappeared. Olympic officials were baffled. With no sign of him, Shizo was officially reported missing. So, what happened to the Japanese athlete?
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
It's a hot summer's day in Stockholm at the nineteen
to twelve Olympics. Sixty eight runners are lining up for
the marathon. Among them is twenty year old Shizo Kanakouri.
He's representing Japan in the nation's first ever Olympic Games.
As the race unfolds, runners are struggling it's thirty two degrees.
(00:26):
One by one, they're forced to retire, suffering from heatstroke
and exhaustion. By the end, only thirty four runners cross
the finish line. Many of the retired races had to
receive medical attention, including one Portuguese athlete who unfortunately dies
in hospital. But while thirty three of the retired runners
are accounted for, one can't be found. Sheizo Kanakouri, Hi,
(00:58):
I'm Toni Armstrong. Welcome to the pool room, where we
celebrate the winners, losers and the weird stuff between. The
(01:19):
Stockholm Olympics in nineteen twelve were just the fifth Olympic
Games in the modern era, and for Japan's first appearance,
the nation could only afford to send two athletes. Marathon
runner Shizo Kanokouri was one of them. His claim to
fame at the time was having set a world record
the year before. It was a huge honor for Shizo
to represent his country on the world stage.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
But first he had to get there.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
The trip from Japan to Sweden took eighteen days, and
Shizo had to pay his own way. First he jumped
on a ship, then he hopped on a train for
the long journey through Russia. The travel knocked him around
When he finally arrived in star he needed a five
day rest to be ready for the marathon. Sheizo's preparation
(02:08):
also involved a unique practice. At the time, he believed
that perspiration made you tired, so in the days leading
up to the event, he stopped drinking water to dehydrate himself.
Little did he know that this approach would soon backfire.
On race days, Chizo was well rested and feeling good.
(02:30):
He made his way to Stockholm's Olympic Stadium and met
up with his competitors. Temperatures in the Swedish capital were
unexpectedly high, even in the middle of summer. The event
hadn't even started and the runners were feeling the heat.
Can you imagine how hard a forty kilometer circuit was
going to bet Sheiso and the other athletes moved to
(02:50):
the starting line, the officials make sure everyone's on their marks.
The starting gun fires, and the races underway. Sheezo's off
to a flyer, but midway through it hits him. The
heat is almost unbearable and fatigue sets in. Sheiso feels lethargic.
(03:16):
His body is like jelly. His muscles are screaming. As
Sheiso struggles, his competitors are already dropping out of the race.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
As runners make their.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Way towards the finish line inside the Olympic Stadium, their
numbers have dwindled.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Half the marathon has been forced to retire.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
As runners are assisted by medical staff, the race officials
begin to check names off. Every athlete is accounted for
except one. Back on the course, Shizo Kanakoori had surprisingly
made it over halfway through the race, but then he
reached his limit. He simply couldn't go any further, and
(03:58):
it was in that moment that Sheiso went off grid.
In his exhausted state, Sheezo wandered off course, suffering from
heatstroke and lost in a foreign country where he didn't
speak the.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Language he needed help. Luckily, he found it.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Chizo stumbled across a farmhouse where a local family took
him in. They gave him water, food, new clothes, and
a place to rest his head. If it wasn't for
their generosity, Sheiso might not have survived. After making a recovery,
Sheiso should have immediately gone to the Olympic officials and
let them know he was okay. But he was so
(04:41):
ashamed of his failure to finish the race that he
left the country and went.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Straight back to Japan without telling anyone.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
As far as Olympic officials knew, Sheizo Kannakouri had simply
vanished into thin air.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
He was reported missing, and.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Urban legends of his possible whereabouts began to spread, but
then his story was soon forgotten. The Olympic Games packed
up and left, and Sweden moved on. Back in Japan,
Cheezo was alive and well, and he continued to race.
Spurred on by his failure in Stockholm, Chizo was determined
(05:17):
to refine his training techniques and restore his self esteem.
He also wanted another crack at the Olympics. Four years later,
Schizo Kannakouri was selected for the nineteen sixteen Olympic Games,
but the event never went.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Ahead due to World War One.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Chizo stayed motivated, though he then went on to compete
at the nineteen twenty and twenty four Summer Olympics. Despite
Chizo's return to the marathon's most prestigious event, somehow his
presence from the world stage managed to escape the attention
of Sweden, remember the country where he was still considered
missing for more than fifty years. The disappearance of Schizo
(05:55):
Kannakouri in the nineteen twelve Olympics remained a mystery. This
was all until nineteen sixty seven, when a Swedish TV
network tracked him down. Sheizo's story had resurfaced around the
fiftieth anniversary celebrations and the search for the long lost
Marathona was on. When the TV network eventually contacted Chiso,
(06:16):
they wanted to recognize his contribution to athletics and offer
him a chance to rectify his mistakes from nineteen twelve,
so they flew the now seventy four year old to
Stockholm for a ceremony. It involved she'so finally crossing that
finish line at the Olympic Stadium over the loud speaker
an announcer signal at the end of the nineteen twelve
(06:37):
Olympic Games with Sheizo, recording an unofficial race time of
fifty four years, eight months, six days, five hours, thirty
two minutes and twenty point three seconds. Sheizo lived a
long and happy life, eventually dying at the age of
ninety two, but fondly in Japan, where he's known as
(07:02):
the father of the marathon.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
You've been listening to the Poolroom with me, Tony Armstrong
and this has been an iHeart production. Thanks for stopping
by it. I'll catch you next time.
It's a hot summer's day in Stockholm at the nineteen
to twelve Olympics. Sixty eight runners are lining up for
the marathon. Among them is twenty year old Shizo Kanakouri.
He's representing Japan in the nation's first ever Olympic Games.
As the race unfolds, runners are struggling it's thirty two degrees.
(00:26):
One by one, they're forced to retire, suffering from heatstroke
and exhaustion. By the end, only thirty four runners cross
the finish line. Many of the retired races had to
receive medical attention, including one Portuguese athlete who unfortunately dies
in hospital. But while thirty three of the retired runners
are accounted for, one can't be found. Sheizo Kanakouri, Hi,
(00:58):
I'm Toni Armstrong. Welcome to the pool room, where we
celebrate the winners, losers and the weird stuff between. The
(01:19):
Stockholm Olympics in nineteen twelve were just the fifth Olympic
Games in the modern era, and for Japan's first appearance,
the nation could only afford to send two athletes. Marathon
runner Shizo Kanokouri was one of them. His claim to
fame at the time was having set a world record
the year before. It was a huge honor for Shizo
to represent his country on the world stage.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
But first he had to get there.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
The trip from Japan to Sweden took eighteen days, and
Shizo had to pay his own way. First he jumped
on a ship, then he hopped on a train for
the long journey through Russia. The travel knocked him around
When he finally arrived in star he needed a five
day rest to be ready for the marathon. Sheizo's preparation
(02:08):
also involved a unique practice. At the time, he believed
that perspiration made you tired, so in the days leading
up to the event, he stopped drinking water to dehydrate himself.
Little did he know that this approach would soon backfire.
On race days, Chizo was well rested and feeling good.
(02:30):
He made his way to Stockholm's Olympic Stadium and met
up with his competitors. Temperatures in the Swedish capital were
unexpectedly high, even in the middle of summer. The event
hadn't even started and the runners were feeling the heat.
Can you imagine how hard a forty kilometer circuit was
going to bet Sheiso and the other athletes moved to
(02:50):
the starting line, the officials make sure everyone's on their marks.
The starting gun fires, and the races underway. Sheezo's off
to a flyer, but midway through it hits him. The
heat is almost unbearable and fatigue sets in. Sheiso feels lethargic.
(03:16):
His body is like jelly. His muscles are screaming. As
Sheiso struggles, his competitors are already dropping out of the race.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
As runners make their.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Way towards the finish line inside the Olympic Stadium, their
numbers have dwindled.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Half the marathon has been forced to retire.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
As runners are assisted by medical staff, the race officials
begin to check names off. Every athlete is accounted for
except one. Back on the course, Shizo Kanakoori had surprisingly
made it over halfway through the race, but then he
reached his limit. He simply couldn't go any further, and
(03:58):
it was in that moment that Sheiso went off grid.
In his exhausted state, Sheezo wandered off course, suffering from
heatstroke and lost in a foreign country where he didn't
speak the.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Language he needed help. Luckily, he found it.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Chizo stumbled across a farmhouse where a local family took
him in. They gave him water, food, new clothes, and
a place to rest his head. If it wasn't for
their generosity, Sheiso might not have survived. After making a recovery,
Sheiso should have immediately gone to the Olympic officials and
let them know he was okay. But he was so
(04:41):
ashamed of his failure to finish the race that he
left the country and went.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Straight back to Japan without telling anyone.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
As far as Olympic officials knew, Sheizo Kannakouri had simply
vanished into thin air.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
He was reported missing, and.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Urban legends of his possible whereabouts began to spread, but
then his story was soon forgotten. The Olympic Games packed
up and left, and Sweden moved on. Back in Japan,
Cheezo was alive and well, and he continued to race.
Spurred on by his failure in Stockholm, Chizo was determined
(05:17):
to refine his training techniques and restore his self esteem.
He also wanted another crack at the Olympics. Four years later,
Schizo Kannakouri was selected for the nineteen sixteen Olympic Games,
but the event never went.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Ahead due to World War One.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Chizo stayed motivated, though he then went on to compete
at the nineteen twenty and twenty four Summer Olympics. Despite
Chizo's return to the marathon's most prestigious event, somehow his
presence from the world stage managed to escape the attention
of Sweden, remember the country where he was still considered
missing for more than fifty years. The disappearance of Schizo
(05:55):
Kannakouri in the nineteen twelve Olympics remained a mystery. This
was all until nineteen sixty seven, when a Swedish TV
network tracked him down. Sheizo's story had resurfaced around the
fiftieth anniversary celebrations and the search for the long lost
Marathona was on. When the TV network eventually contacted Chiso,
(06:16):
they wanted to recognize his contribution to athletics and offer
him a chance to rectify his mistakes from nineteen twelve,
so they flew the now seventy four year old to
Stockholm for a ceremony. It involved she'so finally crossing that
finish line at the Olympic Stadium over the loud speaker
an announcer signal at the end of the nineteen twelve
(06:37):
Olympic Games with Sheizo, recording an unofficial race time of
fifty four years, eight months, six days, five hours, thirty
two minutes and twenty point three seconds. Sheizo lived a
long and happy life, eventually dying at the age of
ninety two, but fondly in Japan, where he's known as
(07:02):
the father of the marathon.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
You've been listening to the Poolroom with me, Tony Armstrong
and this has been an iHeart production. Thanks for stopping
by it. I'll catch you next time.
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