View source for Takeshi So

{{short description|Japanese long-distance runner}}
{{BLP one source|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1953|1|9}}
| birth_place = [[Usuki, Ōita]], Japan
| country = [[Japan]]
| sport = [[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]
| event = [[Marathon]]
| pb = '''[[Marathon]]''':  2:08:55 ([[Tokyo International Marathon|Tokyo]] 1983)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{JPN}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Asian Athletics Championships|Asian Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1979 Asian Athletics Championships|1979 Tokyo]]|10,000 m}}
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Takeshi So'''|宗猛|Sō Takeshi|extra=born January 9, 1953 in [[Usuki, Ōita]]}} is a retired [[long-distance runner]] from [[Japan]], who represented his native country at the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in [[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Los Angeles, California]]. 

== Career ==
So won the 1976 edition of the [[Košice Peace Marathon]] in [[Czechoslovakia]]. His twin brother {{Nihongo|[[Shigeru So]]|宗茂|Sō Shigeru}} is also a retired Olympic marathoner.

In 1984, So represented Japan at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where he finished just outside the medals in fourth place.

He trained [[2016 Olympics]] marathon runner [[Satoru Sasaki]] and runs the marathon program for the [[Japan Association of Athletics Federations]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Brett Larner |url=http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2015/12/makau-repeats-sasaki-on-cusp-of-olympic.html |title=japan running news: Makau Repeats, Sasaki on the Cusp of Olympic Selection at Fukuoka International Marathon |publisher=Japanrunningnews.blogspot.com |date=2015-12-06 |accessdate=2016-03-01}}</ref>

His PR in the marathon was 2:08:55 at the 1983 [[Tokyo International Marathon|Tokyo Marathon]], finishing second, 17 seconds behind fellow Japanese runner 
[[Toshihiko Seko]].

==Achievements==
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing {{JPN}}
|-
|1975
|[[Fukuoka Marathon]]
|[[Fukuoka, Japan]]
|6th
|Marathon
|2:12:52
|-
|1976
|[[Košice Peace Marathon]] 
|[[Košice]], [[Czechoslovakia]]
| style="background:gold;"| 1st
|Marathon
|2:18:42
|-
|rowspan=2|1978
|[[Beppu-Ōita Marathon]]
|[[Beppu]]-[[Ōita, Ōita|Ōita]], [[Japan]]
| style="background:silver;"| 2nd
|Marathon
|2:12:49
|-
|[[Lake Biwa Marathon]]
|[[Ōtsu, Shiga|Ōtsu, Japan]]
| style="background:gold;"| 1st
|Marathon
|2:15:15
|-
|rowspan=3|1979
|[[Lake Biwa Marathon]]
|[[Ōtsu, Shiga|Ōtsu, Japan]]
|4th
|Marathon
|2:14:30
|-
|Open Spartakiada Marathon
|[[Moscow, Russia]]
|10th
|Marathon
|2:15:01
|-
|[[Fukuoka Marathon]]
|[[Fukuoka, Japan]]
| style="background:#c96| 3rd
|Marathon
|2:10:40
|-
|1980
|[[Fukuoka Marathon]]
|[[Fukuoka, Japan]]
| style="background:silver| 2nd
|Marathon
|2:09:49
|-
|rowspan=2|1981
|[[Beppu-Ōita Marathon]]
|[[Beppu]]-[[Ōita, Ōita|Ōita]], [[Japan]]
| style="background:silver| 2nd
|Marathon
|2:11:31
|-
|[[Fukuoka Marathon]]
|[[Fukuoka, Japan]]
|5th
|Marathon
|2:11:29
|-
|rowspan=2|1983
|[[Tokyo International Marathon|Tokyo Marathon]]
|[[Tokyo, Japan]]
| style="background:silver| 2nd
|Marathon
|'''2:08:55''' 
|-
|[[Fukuoka Marathon]]
|[[Fukuoka, Japan]]
|4th
|Marathon
|2:09:17
|-
|1984
|[[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] 
|[[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles, United States]]
|4th
|Marathon
|[[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon|2:10:55]] 
|-
|rowspan=2|1985
|[[IAAF World Marathon Cup]]
|[[Hiroshima, Japan]]
|8th
|Marathon
|2:11:01
|-
|[[Beijing Marathon]]
|[[Beijing]], [[PR China]]
| style="background:silver| 2nd
|Marathon
|2:10:23
|-
|1988
|[[Beijing Marathon]]
|[[Beijing]], [[PR China]]
| style="background:#c96;"| 3rd
|Marathon
|2:10:40
|-
|1989
|[[1989 World Marathon Cup]]
|[[Milan, Italy]]
|8th
|Marathon
|2:12:53
|-
|rowspan=2|1990
|[[Lake Biwa Marathon]]
|[[Ōtsu, Shiga|Ōtsu, Japan]]
|bgcolor="silver"|2nd
|Marathon
|2:13:58
|-
|International Peace Marathon
|[[Moscow, Russia]]
|bgcolor="cc9966"|3rd
|Marathon
|2:15:21
|-
|rowspan=2|1991
|[[Tokyo Marathon]]
|[[Tokyo, Japan]]
|11th
|Marathon
|2:12:37
|-
|[[London Marathon]]
|[[London, United Kingdom]]
|27th
|Marathon
|2:13:15
|-
|rowspan=2|1993
|[[Beppu-Ōita Marathon]]
|[[Beppu]], [[Ōita, Ōita|Ōita]], [[Japan]]
|7th
|Marathon
|2:15:32
|-
|Hōfu Marathon
|[[Hōfu]], [[Japan]]
|5th
|Marathon
|2:15:58
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://arrs.run/MaraRank/ATM_Mara1980.htm 1980 Year Ranking]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20200417211840/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/so/takeshi-so-1.html sports-reference]

{{Footer Košice Peace Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Japan Championships in Athletics men's marathon champions}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:So, Takeshi}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Ōita Prefecture]]
[[Category:Japanese athletics coaches]]
[[Category:Japanese male long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Japanese male marathon runners]]
[[Category:Olympic male marathon runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Japan]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Japan Championships in Athletics winners]]
[[Category:Japanese twins]]
[[Category:Identical twin males]]
[[Category:20th-century Japanese sportsmen]]


{{Japan-longdistance-athletics-bio-stub}}