During the 1950s and 1960s, Japanese American weightlifter Tommy Kono held world records in four different weight classes. He also served as a coach at the 1976 Olympics.
World records
During his career, Tommy Kono set 26 world records in weightlifting. These records came in four weight categories: lightweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavy weight. Kono also established eight Pan American records.
Kono competed in three Olympic games, winning silver and gold medals. He was also one of the most successful weightlifters in history. Kono was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a four-time runner-up for the Sullivan Award, and was a member of the International Weightlifting Federation’s referee team.
Kono also set seven Olympic records, including five in the light heavyweight category and two in the heavy weight class. He is also the only weightlifter in history to win three different weight classes in an Olympic competition.
Kono won gold in the light heavyweight category in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. He also took home the silver medal in the same weight class in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.
Kono won seven World Championships during his career, winning six consecutive titles from 1953 to 1959. In 1961, he set three new world records in the light heavyweight category. He also set a new world record in the overhead press. In addition, Kono broke his own World record in the snatch.
US Army weightlifting team member
During the World War II, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and changed the life of the Kono family. After the war, Kono was drafted into the U.S. Army, and he and other Japanese Americans were sent to the Tule Lake Internment Camp. Despite his family’s detention, Kono continued to lift weights and win local competitions.
Kono became a national weightlifting team member after the war, and he won gold medals at the Helsinki and Melbourne Olympic Games. He also won three gold medals at the Pan-American Games. He had 26 world records by the time he died in 1993.
Kono was born in Sacramento, California in 1930. His family was of Japanese descent. During the war, more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned in internment camps, including Kono’s family.
Kono started lifting weights in the internment camp, and he was drafted into the U.S. army at the age of 14. He had asthma as a child, and the high desert air improved his condition. Kono moved to Hawaii in 1953, and he continued his career in Hawaii. Kono eventually became an Olympic coach. He coached Mexico’s weightlifting team in 1968, and he coached the West German team in 1972.
Coach at the 1976 Olympics
Known as one of the greatest body builders of all time, Tommy McMillan was a legendary figure in the sport of weightlifting. He dominated the field and won 14 international medals. He was a pioneer in the sport. His strength was a huge inspiration to many. He was also a highly regarded coach. He coached several teams, including Team USA and Team Mexico at the 1976 Olympics.
Kono started his weightlifting career in an internment camp during World War II. He eventually moved to Hawaii. The air in the mountains helped to ease his asthma.
Kono was introduced to weightlifting by a neighbor, who gave him a 15-pound barbell. Soon he was winning international competitions and setting numerous world records. He set up his own gym in the basement of his home. He went on to set 26 world records. Kono won a gold medal at the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952 and a silver medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960.
Bodybuilding career
During his career, Kono held six World Weightlifting Championship gold medals and two World Heavyweight Championship gold medals. He was also the light heavyweight world champion in Vienna and the middleweight world champion in Chicago. He holds a total of 26 world records.
Kono was born in Sacramento, California. His family was Japanese immigrants. They were forced to move to a Japanese-American internment camp in Northern California during World War II. He was twelve years old at the time.
Kono developed his weightlifting skills while incarcerated at the Tule Lake internment camp. He later went on to win two gold medals in the Olympic Games. He also earned two more gold medals in the Pan-American Games.
He was an inspiration to many athletes and helped others achieve their goals. His legacy will live on. He will be remembered for his courage and determination.
He was also a mentor to many amateur weightlifters. He worked as a physical fitness specialist for the City of Honolulu for over twenty years. He coached several Olympic teams. He also wrote articles for Strength & Health magazine.
