TERAUCHI Ken

General
COVID-19
In August 2020 he was hospitalised in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, for five days after testing positive for COVID-19 and experiencing symptoms of the virus. (nhk.or.jp, 03 Aug 2020; japantimes.co.jp, 07 Aug 2020; hochi.news, 07 Aug 2020)

RETIREMENT AND RETURN
He announced his retirement from the sport in April 2009 after finishing 11th in the 3m springboard event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He spent time working as a sales representative for a Japanese sports equipment company before returning to diving in August 2010, and went on to make his fifth Olympic appearance at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. "Although [in Beijing] I got the worst result out of my four editions of the Olympic Games between 1996 and 2008, I fought the hardest. Therefore I wanted to take a break. Afterwards, I returned to competitive action after being encouraged by Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima. When I competed for the first time three months after I resumed training, I was struggling to reach the required performance level. [Taking a break] was a worthwhile experience for me in the end, as it made me see diving from different perspectives." (daily.co.jp, 09 May 2020; number.bunshun.jp, 06 Mar 2011, 12 Aug 2019; tbsradio.jp, 21 Oct 2019; sanspo.com, 10 Dec 2019)

At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing he became the first Japanese diver to compete at four editions of the Olympic Games. At the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro he became the first Japanese diver to compete at five Olympic Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Dec 2020)

He became the first male Japanese diver to win a medal at the world championships when he claimed bronze in the 3m springboard at the 2001 edition of the tournament in Fukuoka, Japan. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Feb 2016; sanspo.com, 10 Jan 2007)