Yamada's wife confirmed he had died from natural causes.

After spending the war years as a youth in Manchuria, Yamada represented Japan at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

He won the Boston Marathon the following year in 2 hours 18min 51sec, considered the world's fastest time before the course was found to have failed to meet the standard distance.

Yamada's victory in the race inspired the Shinzo Yaburi no Oka film, which translates as "Heartbreak Hill".

The popular Japanese figure ran around 340 marathons during his life and made his last appearance at the famous Boston race back in 2009.

Yuki Kawauchi, who triumphed at the Boston Marathon in 2018, was among those to pay tribute to Yamada following his death.

"He was a giant among Japanese legends," Kawauchi said.

"Despite being an elite runner, he devoted his life to promoting the marathon."