Sō Takei (武井 壮, Takei Sō, born May 6, 1973 in Katsushika, Tokyo) is a Japanese tarento and former track and field athlete. He was an established athlete with multiple championships for athletics and decathlon. Takei is currently active as a tarento, frequently appearing on television. He calls himself the King of Beasts, a nickname that has become associated with Takei for his persona in the entertainment industry.
Life and career
Takei attended Shutoku Middle-High School and then graduated from the Faculty of Law at Kobe Gakuin University. He played baseball in middle school and did boxing in high school.[2] Because of his athletic feats in high school, he entered Kobe Gakuin exempt from the admission fee and was awarded a scholarship.[3] In university, Takei excelled in sprinting,[2] and later transitioned to focus on decathlon. He was scouted by Chuo Gakuin University during this time, and attended the university after graduating Kobe Gakuin.
In 1997, at the 81st Japan Championships in Athletics, Takei participated in decathlon and took first place with only 2 and a half years of decathlon experience at the time.[2] His 100 meter sprint time of 10.54 seconds at the decathlon was the best record in Japan until 2015. Takei stopped doing track and field after he graduated from Chuo Gakuin.
In 2003, at the age of 30, Takei entered the entertainment industry and was active on television concurrently with his career as a trainer. He also aimed to become a professional baseball player around this time. In 2005, he was signed as a pitcher for Ibaraki Golden Golds, a team in industrial league baseball. Although he made multiple appearances in games, he left the team in October of the same year stating he was "too old at the age of 32" to flourish in the league.[4] Instead, he joined the amateur baseball team known as Kami-sama, made up of other celebrities.
Due to the nature of his work, Takei did not have a house from 2004 to 2013. He stayed mainly in hotels, his friend's homes and his parents’ house as he had to travel often in showbusiness and as a personal trainer.
In 2012, Takei found major success in his career in entertainment, rising to popularity with his persona as the King of Beasts.[5] Since then, he has appeared in numerous television programs and variety shows. The nickname King of Beasts has become synonymous with Takei in Japan.[6]
He made his international movie debut in the 2013 Indianbiographical sports film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, in the role of a Japanese track and field representative.[12]
In 2017, Takei was the lyricist for the 2nd single "Do Do Do Do Dreamer" (どどどどどりーまー) for the idol group Tokimeki Sendenbu.[13]
On June 19, 2021, he succeeded Yuki Ota and became President of the FEDERATION JAPONAISE D'ESCRIME.[14]
