The Life of Hideko Maehata
Begin Japanology · Season 2011 · Episode 17
As a child, Maehata studied traditional swimming techniques passed down from the days of the samurai. At 18, competing in the 200 meters breaststroke at the 1932 Summer Olympics, she missed out on gold by one-tenth of a second. Determined to do better, Maehata trained incredibly hard for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. On August 11, 1936, Japan's first live international radio broadcast brought the drama of the women's 200-meter breaststroke final to the entire nation. Maehata won. After a long hiatus, she returned to the sport as a teacher to help rebuild Japan's swimming culture. She suffered a stroke in 1983, but characteristically battled back and resumed coaching. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, we look at the life of Hideko Maehata, a woman who captured the imagination of the Japanese public.
Episode Details
Air date, runtime, timezone, and episode position.
Season
2011
Episode
17
Air Date
02/Jun/2011
Air Time
00:30
Runtime
30 min
Overview
Episode summary.
As a child, Maehata studied traditional swimming techniques passed down from the days of the samurai. At 18, competing in the 200 meters breaststroke at the 1932 Summer Olympics, she missed out on gold by one-tenth of a second. Determined to do better, Maehata trained incredibly hard for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. On August 11, 1936, Japan's first live international radio broadcast brought the drama of the women's 200-meter breaststroke final to the entire nation. Maehata won. After a long hiatus, she returned to the sport as a teacher to help rebuild Japan's swimming culture. She suffered a stroke in 1983, but characteristically battled back and resumed coaching. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, we look at the life of Hideko Maehata, a woman who captured the imagination of the Japanese public.
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