Flying Fish of Fujiyama

There was no faster man in a swimming pool, said the experts, than Japan's phenomenal 21-year-old Hironoshin Furuhashi--unless it was Yale's phenomenal 20-year-old John Marshall of Australia. Ox-chested Furuhashi broke two world records in his visit to the U.S. last year (TIME, Aug. 29). Lanky John Marshall had broken a couple of his own since then (TIME, July 31). In Tokyo last week, the two of them met for the first time.

Some 15,000 swim-happy fans fell tensely silent as the starter for the crucial 400-meter free-style event barked "Yoi [get set]!" Crouched alongside Marshall and Furuhashi were two other champion-caliber swimmers: the Hawaiian-born Nisei, Ford Konno, who had broken the world's 1,500-meter record the day before, and the U.S. Olympic ace, Jim McLane. They hit the water in unison.

Marshall pulled hardest, led Furuhashi at the 100-meter mark. At 200 meters Marshall's graceful, reaching strokes still held the margin; whirlpooling into the 250-meter turn he looked like a winner.

The crowd was on its feet, screaming "Furuhashi, gambarel [Furuhashi, fight hard]!" The home-town boy chop-chopped to a furious pitch, splashed past Marshall at the 350-meter mark. McLane and Konno pulled ahead of him too, finished second and third.

The "flying fish of Fujiyama" won by ten yards. His time: 4:33 1/5, a new world record. In the 800-meter, Furuhashi set another world record: 9:42 4/5, beating out Konno by three yards. Marshall churned home an unhappy third.

Furuhashi's father, in a wrinkled duck suit, panama hat and toothy grin, was exuberant over his son's triumphs but pessimistic about the meet as a whole. "America-san [Mister America] however very strong," he murmured. As it developed, he was right: the U.S. team swept the back- and breaststroke events, won the meet 46-17.

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