Toru Terasawa

{{Short description|Japanese long-distance runner (1935–2025)}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name =

| image = Toru Terasawa 1964.jpg

| image_size = 210px

| caption = Terasawa at the 1964 Olympics

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|01|04}}

| birth_place = Toyama Prefecture, Japan

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|03|23|1935|01|04}}

| death_place =

| height = {{convert|1.63|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|54|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

| sport = Long-distance running

| club =

| alma_mater =

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

}}

{{nihongo|Toru Terasawa|寺沢 徹|Terasawa Tōru|January 4, 1935 – March 23, 2025}} was a Japanese long-distance runner who on February 17, 1963 set a world record in the marathon with a time of 2:15:16 at the Beppu Marathon. Terasawa placed second in the marathon at the 1964 Japanese Olympic trials{{cite book|author1=Martin, David E. |author2=Gynn, Roger W. H. |title=The Olympic Marathon |url=https://archive.org/details/olympicmarathon00mart |url-access=registration |year=2000 |publisher=Human Kinetics |isbn=978-0-88011-969-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/olympicmarathon00mart/page/240 240]–}} and 15th at the 1964 Summer Olympics.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417211516/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/te/toru-terasawa-1.html Toru Terasawa]. sports-reference.com Terasawa is also a two-time champion of the Fukuoka Marathon; he set a Japanese national record during his 1962 victory (2:16:18.4) and improved on it when he won in 1964 (2:14:48.2).[https://web.archive.org/web/20090430195039/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid%3D9476.html Marathon – A history of the Fukuoka International Marathon Championships by K. Ken Nakamura – Part 1 1947–1966]. iaaf.org. Retrieved on 2015-06-06. At Fukuoka in 1966, he finished fifth (2:15:51.2) after colliding with Jim Hogan, the 1966 European marathon champion, and falling to the pavement just before the halfway mark.

When Morio Shigematsu set the world record at the 1965 Polytechnic Marathon, Terasawa finished second.[http://www.ianridpath.com/polymarathon/1965Timesreport.jpg Marathon Won by Shigematsu in Record Time]. 1965 His 2:13:41 performance was the third best ever at the time[https://web.archive.org/web/20140416040746/http://www2.iaaf.org/TheSport/sport/Mar/FukuokaPart2.html A history of the Fukuoka International Marathon Championships]. IAAF In 1965, he set his second world record, in the 30 km,[https://www.arrs.run/RecProg/RP_wwR.htm World Best Progressions – Road]. arrs.run and in 1969 he won the Nagano Marathon.Ota, Shigenobu (2010-04-19). [https://www.arrs.run/HP_NgnMa.htm Nagano Olympic Memorial Marathon]. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-04-30. He died on March 23, 2025, at the age of 90.[https://mainichi.jp/articles/20250331/k00/00m/050/298000c マラソン元世界記録保持者、寺沢徹さん死去　90歳　別府毎日4連覇] {{in lang|ja}}