IWF120y/36 – 1952: Tommy Kono (USA) wins his first Olympic gold

Tamio “Tommy” Kono is today considered one of the greatest weightlifters in history, but we can say his ascension to fame was basically due to hazardous circumstances. He was born in Sacramento (California, USA) to Japanese descent parents in 1930. When he was 12, the US government decided during World War II that his family (like many other Japanese-American ones in the country) should be relocated to an internment camp. Suffering from asthma, the location of the camp – in the Californian desert – helped him recover from this condition. Moreover, he discovers weightlifting inside the camp and starts training there with other relocated friends. It is evident that the young champion-to-be has a talent for the sport, and after being liberated from the camp at the end of the world conflict, he is some years later enrolled in the US Army. In 1950, his destiny could have been the Korean War, but it was decided to keep him in the country, as his Olympic potential was already notorious. The decision proved wise, as he went on to earn the gold medal (67.5kg category: 105-117.5-140-362.5) at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, followed by a second title four years later in Melbourne 1956 (82.5kg: 140-132.5-175-447.5). At the Rome 1960 Games, he still gets a silver medal in the 75kg bodyweight category (140-127.5-160-427.5). In parallel, he is a six-time world champion, from 1953 to 1959. Finally, he also won three Pan-American titles (1955, 1959, and 1963) and established 22 World Records throughout his amazing career! Also a bodybuilder, he is elected Mr Universe on four occasions – 1954, 1955, 1957, and 1961. After his retirement, he became a coach, namely heading the US team to the 1976 Games in Montreal. Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, since 1955, Tommy Kono died there in April 2016, a couple of months before completing his 86th anniversary.