Masaru Furukawa

Masaru Furukawa was a Japanese swimmer who won the men's 200 metre breaststroke at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. Born on 6 January 1936 and dying on 21 November 1993, he was among the leading breaststroke swimmers of the mid 1950s. He lowered the long course world record for the 200 metre breaststroke four times in 1954 and 1955, and his final mark stood until 1958. His style kept him under the surface for much of each length, and after the Melbourne Games the international swimming federation restricted underwater swimming in breaststroke. Furukawa was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1981, and the record of his career is one Olympic title and four world records at a single distance.