1964 & 1968 Olympics Marathons
In 1964, the 18th Summer Olympic Games was held in Tokyo. However it killed a young Japanese marathon man eventually.
Kokichi Tsuburaya (1940 – 1968) was a Japanese athlete who competed mainly in the Marathon.
He competed for Japan in the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, where he won the bronze medal when he was overtaken within the final 100 meters by Basil Heatley of the UK.
Shortly after the Tokyo Olympics, Kokichi suffered from an ongoing back problem, known as lumbago. On January 9, 1968, he committed suicide by slashing his wrist in his dormitory room where he had stayed during his training period for the Mexico City Olympics.Before the marathon race in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the father of Kokichi Tsuburaya told his son not to look behind to check who was running behind and how much he was leading while running a race. In other word, his father told Tsuburaya to act like a man in competition. As Kokichi Tsuburaya so honestly followed this advice in the Olympics marathon race, he could not realize that the British runner was approaching so quickly. So, Tsuburaya was taken by a surprise when he was caught up with Heatley in the Olympics Stadium, so that he could not cope with the desperate situation. Tsuburaya ended the race in the third. But he felt so much ashamed as he lost the lead to the foreign runner while being watched by all the Japanese through TV broadcasting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dkichi_Tsuburaya
This sense of shame must have worked deeply and badly in the mind of Tsuburaya despite his honor of earning a bronze medal, leading to his death so tragically.
There were of course other Japanese Marathon runners in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Especially Kenji Kimihara finished the race at the eighth, though he was the most hopeful marathon runner for Japan in 1964.
After various incidents, Kimihara was qualified again as one of Japanese marathon runners for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. But amazingly in the marathon race in Mexico City, Kimihara faced a similar situation to the one Tsuburaya had experienced in Tokyo.
He was the second when he came back to the stadium where the finish line was set. But a New Zealand runner was chasing Kimihara swiftly. However Kimihara looked behind to confirm if he was safely taking lead. Kimihara saw the third runner Mike Ryan trying to get ahead of him at a higher pace. Kimihara sped up keeping the distance between him and Ryan till the finish. Kimihara won a silver medal.
Later Kimihara said that he felt in the final section in the stadium as if his old friend Tsuburaya had been telling him to just turn around and check if a competitor had been on the neck of him. So, the Japanese marathon team could maintain its honor. They didn't repeat the same mistake, owing the spirit of Tsuburuya.
With the silver medal Kimihara won, Tsuburuya must have been raised to life in the minds of the Japanese people.
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/wag18470/e/761b01a21cceb6b8fc263f8c5eb5aa80
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Act 9:10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
Act 9:11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
Act 9:12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.