TOKYO, Japan, October 19. ACCORDING to Associated Press reporting out of Japan, Japan Swimming Federation Director Michiko Kihara, 59, passed away yesterday. The reports go on to say that the cause of death was a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is bleeding in the brain, Kihara suffered at a hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Kihara first made her name in swimming as a member of the Japan delegation at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. She anchored Japan's 400 medley relay that finished fourth to the U.S. (4:33.9), The Netherlands (4:37.0) and the USSR (4:39.2) with a time of 4:42.0. Kihara's split was a 1:02.7, which stood third among the anchor legs. The United States' Kathleen Ellis (1:00.9) and The Netherlands' Erica Terpstra (1:01.3) were the only quicker final legs in the race.
Additionally, Kihara finished outside of the 100 back final with a time of 1:11.1, while helping Japan's 400 freestyle relay team to a 4:19.2 in prelims with a second leg of 1:03.7.
After she retired from swimming, Kihara went on to a career in modeling and television. In 2005, she took over as the director of the Japan Swimming Federation.