Sueo Ōe (大江 季雄, Ōe Sueo, August 2, 1914 – December 24, 1941) was a Japanese athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault. He won a bronze medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany, tying with his teammate Shuhei Nishida. When the two declined to compete against each other to decide a winner, Nishida was awarded the silver after a decision of the Japanese team, on the basis that Nishida had cleared the height in fewer attempts.[2] On their return to Japan, Nishida and Ōe had their Olympic medals cut in half, and had a jeweler splice together two new medals, half in bronze and half in silver.[3]

Sueo Ōe
Sueo Ōe (left) and Shuhei Nishida in 1930
Personal information
Native name大江 季雄
NationalityJapanese
BornAugust 2, 1914
Nachikatsuura, Wakayama, Japan
DiedDecember 24, 1941(1941-12-24) (aged 27)
Luzon, Philippines
Alma materKeio University[1]
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventPole vault
Medal record
Representing  Japan
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1936 Berlin Pole vault
Far Eastern Championship Games
Gold medal – first place 1934 Manila Pole vault
A Nishida-Oe silver-bronze medal

In 1937 Ōe set a national record at 4 m 35 cm that stood for 21 years. In 1939 he joined the Imperial Japanese Army and was killed in action in Luzon on December 24, 1941.[1][4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ a b 舞鶴出身オリンピック選手 プロフィール. soukaku.com
  2. ^ "The Olympians who took matters into their own hands when they weren't allowed to share their medal". Independent.co.uk. 8 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25.
  3. ^ Shuhei Nishida. sports-reference.com
  4. ^ Sueo Oe. sports-reference.com
  5. ^ "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  6. ^ "「戦没オリンピアン」を追う 広島市立大の曾根名誉教授" [Emeritus Professor Sone of Hiroshima City University chasing "War Dead Olympians"] (in Japanese). Nikkei. August 16, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2021.