Shigeru Sugita

Shigeru Sugita (Japanese: 杉田茂; 1946 or 1947 – 13 April 2025) was a Japanese bodybuilding champion who, in 1976, became the first Japanese bodybuilder to win the Mr. Universe competition.

At the 1976 Universe Championships, Sugita finished in first place in the short class and was the overall winner.^[1] On the day of the competition Sugita and two fellow countrymen and contestants, Kozo Sudo and Masashi Enomoto, posed for photographs in London's Hyde Park Square, an event which caused much interest to passers-by, who lined up along the fences to watch.^[2] Sugita died on 13 April 2025, at the age of 78.^[3]