Tommy

Kono

Considered by many to be the United States’ greatest weightlifter in history, Tommy Kono is the only weightlifter to set world records across four different weight divisions. After suffering from asthma as a child, Kono discovered the sport of weightlifting when his family, which was of Japanese descent, was moved to a detention center during World War II. By making changes to his diet, Kono could adjust his bodyweight and switch from one weight division to another without experiencing significant detriments to his performance. Despite getting drafted into the U.S. Army, Kono was recognized for his athletic abilities and was sent to the U.S. Olympic Trials, where he earned a spot on the U.S. team for the Olympic Games Helsinki 1952. Kono won his first gold medal and broke the world record in the snatch in Helsinki, earned a second gold medal in the light-heavyweight category at the Melbourne 1956 Games and collected the silver medal in the middleweight category at the Rome 1960 Games. Across his career, Kono set 37 American, eight Pan American, seven Olympic and 26 world records. Upon retiring, Kono served as national Weightlifting coach for Mexico, West Germany and the United States, and also worked as an International Weightlifting Federation coach and referee. Kono passed away on April 24, 2016 in Honolulu.