| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Japanese | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 15, 1956 Kuwana, Mie, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Men's athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 5000 metres, 10,000 metres, half marathon, marathon | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 3000m: 7:56.47[1] 5000m: 13:24.29[1] 10,000m: 27:42.17[1] Marathon: 2:08:27[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Toshihiko Seko (瀬古 利彦, Seko Toshihiko, born July 15, 1956 in Kuwana, Mie) is a Japanese former long-distance runner. He was a world-class marathon competitor in the 1980s. He represented his native country at the 1984 and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Seko's notable marathon wins include Fukuoka Marathon (1978–1980, 1983), Boston Marathon (1981, 1987), London Marathon (1986) and Chicago Marathon (1986).
On March 22, 1981, Seko set world records at 25,000 m (1:13:55.8) and 30,000 m (1:29:18.8). The records stood for 30 years until they were broken by Moses Mosop in June 2011.[2] On April 20, 1981, Seko shaved one second off Bill Rodgers's course record at the Boston Marathon.[3]
As of 2005[update], Seko is a coach at the S & B Foods Track Team and a member of the Tokyo 2016 Olympics Advisory Panel.[4]
He serves on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education from December 21, 2007.[5]
He was devoted to the sport above other interests and once remarked "The marathon is my only girlfriend. I give her everything I have."[6]
- ^ a b c d "Toshihiko SEKO - Athlete Profile". IAAF.
- ^ "Mosop rips apart World records for 25,000 and 30,000m in Eugene – Samsung Diamond League". June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
- ^ "Seko Clocks A Boston Record". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. AP. April 21, 1981. p. 19. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
- ^ Members of the Tokyo 2016 Olympics Advisory Panel – Tokyo Metropolitan Government Archived 2006-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 東京都教育委員会委員の任命に係る議会の同意について Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education's official website(in Japanese)
- ^ Running with the Legends: Training and Racing Insights from 21 Great Runners (book)