Mitsuo Tsukahara

Who is Mitsuo Tsukahara?

Mitsuo Tsukahara is a Japanese artistic gymnast. He was five times an Olympic Gold Medalist. He remained active in the sport after his retirement from competition. He served as vice president of the Japan Gymnastic Association.

Tsukahara competed throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, retiring from gymnastics competition in 1978 after the World Championships. Winning 5 Gold Medals, 1 Silver Medal, and 3 Bronze Medals, Tsukahara was an important contributor in Japan's win at the team competition in 3 consecutive olympic games—1968, 1972, and 1976. He has remained connected to the gymnastics world, partly through his son Naoya Tsukahara, who was also a multi-medalist at the World Championships and Olympic Games throughout the late 1990s and who still competes as of Summer 2009.