Koji Alexander Murofushi,OLY[2] (広治アレクサンダー室伏, Kōji Arekusandā Murofushi, born October 8, 1974) is a former Japanese hammer thrower and sports scientist. He has been among the world elite since the 2001 World Championships, where he won the silver medal. He was the 2004 Olympic champion. In 2011, he was crowned world champion.
He scored gold medals at both the 2001 Goodwill Games and the 2001 East Asian Games – setting a Games record at the latter event. After the 2001 World Championships, he proceeded by winning the 2002 Asian Championships and Asian Games as well as a silver medal at the 2002 World Cup and a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships. That year he threw 84.86 metres, which was the longest hammer throw in over ten years, putting Murofushi fourth on the all-time performer's list. Among the favorites at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he eventually won the gold medal after the disqualification of Adrián Annus.
Murofushi had an undergraduate degree in physical education and completed his doctorate in 2007 at Chukyo University. Murofushi was accepted a faculty appointment at Chukyo University as associate professor of physical education in 2011. Murofushi joined Tokyo Medical and Dental University in 2014 and serving professor in physical education and director of sports science center.
At the 2009 Japanese Championships, Murofushi retained his national title, winning his fifteenth consecutive championships at the event.[8] He increased his title total again the following year.[9]
He made a world-leading throw of 80.99 m at the Rieti IAAF Grand Prix meeting which ranked him first place in the inaugural IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge.[10] He remained ahead of second-placed Dilshod Nazarov at the end of the series, winning with a score of 238.52 (the combined total of his three best throws on the circuit).[11]
In July 2011, the JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee) nominated Murofushi for the IOC Athletes' Commission, with the elections taking place at the 2012 Olympics. Although Murofushi collected more than enough votes to be elected, his candidacy was voided by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) due to inappropriate campaigning by the JOC during the Games.[12][13]
In August of the year, Murofushi won the gold medal at the world championships, making him the oldest winner of the men's hammer world title.[14] He also won the International Fair Play award at the same world championships.[15]
Koji Murofushi was born on October 8, 1974 in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan and is of Japanese-Romanian descent. He comes from a hammer throwing family, as his father Shigenobu Murofushi is a former Olympian and held the Japanese record for 23 years until his son broke it, and his sister, Yuka Murofushi, throws both hammer and discus. Murofushi's mother, Serafina Moritz (born 1950) is a Hungarian of Romanian origin.[18][circular reference][19][20] She was a javelin thrower for Romania, European Junior champion in 1968, and Romanian senior champion in 1970.[21][22] She is now a glass painter, and lives in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture.[23] Thanks to his mother, Murofushi speaks Romanian.[19]