Tommy Kono
Thomas Kono (* June 27, 1930 in Sacramento, California ) is a former American professional weightlifter.
Career
Thomas ( Tamio, Tommy ) Kono is the son of Japanese immigrants to the United States. In 1942, he was interned with his parents due to the war against Japan in a camp in Northern California and had to remain until December 1945 there. In the camp he met friends with whom he pursued bodybuilding and some weight lifting. Early in 1946 he returned with his family to Sacramento where he attended Sacramento High School. He then coached the weight lifting consistently and launched in 1948 for the first time in a competition, the Northern California AAU Weightlifting Championships. He finished there with a good performance the 2nd place in the lightweight.
He then coached together with the then-known weightlifters Dan Uhalde and Roy Hilligen in a sports center in Oakland. In the Pacific Coast Weightlifting Championships 1950 in Berkeley, he already achieved at that time outstanding 350 kg in the Olympic triathlon. Now was also the mentor of the U.S. weightlifter, Bob Hoffmann, noticed him and supported him materially from now on. In 1952 he was seconded to the Olympic Games in Helsinki, after he was still just under 1950 and 1951 World Champion Joe Pitman inferior to the U.S. Championships. He immediately became the Olympic champion. 1952/53, he did his military service and was stationed here some months in Germany. During these months, he showed outstanding performances at various events in Mannheim and Ludwigshafen.
On the international stage, he still showed lifter to 1963 his great skill. With two gold medals, a silver medal at the Olympics and six world titles, he was one of the most successful weightlifter of all time. He succeeded in doing the uniqueness to win in three weight categories, lightweight, middleweight and light heavyweight. After ending his playing career, he worked in a good position in the industry, gave this post on but, when he was appointed in 1966 to coach Mexico. After that, he was from 1969 to 1972 head coach of the German national weightlifting. After the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972, he returned to the U.S. and settled in Oahu in Hawaii. He got a job with the city of Honolulu. However, the weight lifting he remained as honorary coach of the U.S. weightlifting team, whose head coach, he was from 1972 to 1976 faithful. Finally he coached from 1987 to 1990 the lifters of the U.S. women's team.
When you visit his relatives Tommy Kono keeps the same " weightlifting workshops" ( Gewichttheben classes) in Sacramento from.
International success
(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, Le = Lightweight, Mi = middleweight, light heavyweight Ls = )
USA Championships
World Records
In beidarmigen Press:
In beidarmigen tearing:
In beidarmigen Launched:
In Olympic triathlon:
- 412.5 kg, 1953 in Mannheim, Wed,
- 415 kg, 1953 in Indianapolis, Wed,
- 435 kg, 1954 in Vienna, Ls,
- 442.5 kg, 1956 in Honolulu, Ls,
- 447.5 kg, 1956 in Melbourne, Ls,
- 425 kg, 1958 in Stockholm Mi,
- 427.5 kg, 1958 in Chicago, Wed