Brothers in Competition: The Enduring Story of Shuhei Nishida and Suei Oe

In the long and storied history of the Olympic Games, few tales capture the essence of friendship and sportsmanship like that of Shuhei Nishida and Suei Oe—two Japanese pole vaulters who transformed a sporting contest into a timeless symbol of human dignity. Their story from the 1936 Berlin Olympics stands not merely as an athletic achievement but as a beacon of mutual respect and the triumph of spirit over rivalry.

Shuhei Nishida, born in 1910 in Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture, showed athletic promise early on. He gravitated towards pole vaulting in school and quickly rose through the ranks, representing Japan on the international stage. At the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, Nishida won a silver medal, solidifying his place as one of Japan’s premier athletes.

Six years his junior, Suei Oe was born in Fukuoka and deeply inspired by Nishida’s example. He trained relentlessly and emerged as a formidable contender leading into the 1936 Olympics. Both men entered Berlin as top medal hopefuls, carrying the weight of national pride—and personal ambition—on their shoulders.

In the pole vault final, Nishida and Oe cleared 4.25 meters, tying for second place. Olympic rules required a jump-off to determine who would take silver and who would settle for bronze. But what followed defied convention—and stunned the officials. Out of deep friendship and unwavering respect for one another, both Nishida and Oe refused to compete further. They simply would not challenge each other for personal gain.

Caught in a procedural bind, Japanese officials ultimately awarded Nishida the silver and Oe the bronze, based on earlier performances. But the athletes themselves rejected this imposed hierarchy. Upon returning to Japan, they undertook an extraordinary act of symbolism: each had his medal cut in half. Then, they fused half of the silver with half of the bronze, creating two hybrid medals—half silver, half bronze. These came to be known as the “Medals of Friendship.”

Their gesture was far more than a sentimental token. In an era when nationalism often eclipsed personal relationships, Nishida and Oe proved that friendship could rise above even the most high-stakes competition. The “Medals of Friendship” became a global symbol of what sport can—and should—stand for: not merely victory, but integrity, humility, and human connection.

After the Berlin Games, both athletes remained active in sport. Nishida continued to compete and later served in leadership roles within Japan’s athletics institutions. Oe also stayed involved in athletics and later dedicated himself to education, shaping future generations of athletes with the values he lived by.

Tragically, Suei Oe’s life was cut short in 1941 when he died in combat during World War II. His untimely death added a layer of poignancy to the legacy of the “Medals of Friendship.” Shuhei Nishida lived until 1997, often sharing the story of his bond with Oe—an enduring friendship forged not just through sport, but through shared principles.

The story of Shuhei Nishida and Suei Oe is not merely an Olympic anecdote. It is a profound lesson in character, loyalty, and the ideals that elevate sport above spectacle. Their medals, fused in brotherhood, remind us that the greatest victories may lie not in defeating our rivals, but in honoring them.