View source for Osamu Watanabe

{{short description|Japanese freestyle wrestler}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           =
| image          =Osamu_Watanabe_1964b.jpg
| image_size     =
| caption        = Osamu Watanabe at the 1964 Olympics
| birth_name     =
| fullname       =
| nationality    =
| residence      =
|birth_date ={{birth date|1940|10|21}}
| birth_place    = [[Wassamu]], Hokkaido, Japan
| death_date     = {{death date and age|2022|10|1|1940|10|21}}
| death_place    = [[Tokyo]], Japan
| height = {{convert|1.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|63|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| country        =
| sport          =Freestyle wrestling
| club           =
| retired        =
| olympics       =
| highestranking =
| alma_mater=[[Chuo University]]<ref name=brit/>
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry|{{JPN}}}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Wrestling at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{MedalGold|[[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo]]|[[Wrestling at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle featherweight|63 kg]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[World Wrestling Championships|World Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold|[[1962 World Wrestling Championships|1962 Toledo]]|63 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1963 World Wrestling Championships|1963 Sofia]]|63 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Asian Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1962 Asian Games|1962 Jakarta]]|[[Wrestling at the 1962 Asian Games|63 kg]]}}
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Osamu Watanabe'''|渡辺 長武|Watanabe Osamu|October 21, 1940 &ndash; October 1, 2022}} was a Japanese freestyle wrestler. In 1962, he debuted internationally and retired shortly after the 1964 Olympics. During his brief career Watanabe won all his few hundred bouts.<ref name=note/> He is considered one of the best wrestlers in Olympic history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympic.org/news/flawless-watanabe-secures-featherweight-wrestling-gold|title=FLAWLESS WATANABE SECURES FEATHERWEIGHT WRESTLING GOLD|publisher=olympic.org|access-date=2019-10-12}}</ref>

In the early 2000s Watanabe resumed competing internationally in the masters category.<ref name=r1/> He died of a heart attack on October 1, 2022.<ref>[https://www.sankei.com/article/20230511-LTBSC6MLGJLTBLPRIMFNJXPA44/ 渡辺長武さんが死去、心臓発作で 64年東京五輪金メダリスト レスリング協会発表] {{in lang|ja}}</ref>

==References==
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=note>The numbers vary from 187 to 300+ (Britannica)</ref>
<ref name=brit>{{Britannica|636714}}</ref>

<ref name=r1>[http://www.ssf.or.jp/history/story_12/16.html Osamu Watanabe]. ssf.or.jp</ref>
}}

{{Olympic Champions freestyle wrestling featherweight}}
{{World Champions freestyle wrestling featherweight}}
{{Asian Games Champions Wrestling Freestyle Featherweight Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Osamu}}
[[Category:Japanese male sport wrestlers]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Japan]]
[[Category:Olympic wrestlers for Japan]]
[[Category:Martial artists from Hokkaido]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in wrestling]]
[[Category:Wrestlers at the 1962 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Wrestlers at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World Wrestling Champions]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists for Japan]]
[[Category:Asian Games wrestlers for Japan]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1962 Asian Games]]
[[Category:20th-century Japanese sportsmen]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists in wrestling]]

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