16 Facts About Tommy Kono

Tamio "Tommy" Kono was an American weightlifter of Japanese descent.

Tommy Kono was born in Sacramento, California, on June 27,1930.

Tommy Kono's family was of Japanese descent and were interned at Tule Lake internment camp in 1942 during World War II following the signing of Executive Order 9066.

Tommy Kono later worked for the California Department of Motor Vehicles and attended Sacramento Junior College.

Tommy Kono was drafted into the US Army in 1950 as a cook but remained in the United States during the Korean War after officials learned of his Olympic potential.

Tommy Kono was a gold medalist at both the 1952 Summer Olympics and 1956 Summer Olympics, and a silver medalist at the 1960 Summer Olympics under coach Bob Hoffman.

Tommy Kono won the World Weightlifting Championships six consecutive times from 1953 to 1959 and was a three-time Pan American Games champion; in 1955,1959, and 1963.

Tommy Kono set a total of 26 world records and seven Olympic records, making him the most accomplished US male weightlifter to date.

Tommy Kono was a successful bodybuilder, winning the Federation Internationale Halterophile et Culturiste Mr Universe titles in 1954,1955,1957 and 1961.

Tommy Kono was one of the first members of the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.

In 1990, Tommy Kono received the Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen Highest Achievement Award and was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.

Tommy Kono was elected to the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame in 1993.

Tommy Kono appeared in Universal Newsreel volume 32, number 63, August 6,1959.

Tommy Kono is depicted as part of a mural located at 37 West Philadelphia Street in York, Pennsylvania.

Tommy Kono was depicted in a Google Doodle marking the anniversary of his birth in 2021.

Tommy Kono died on April 24,2016, in Honolulu, Hawaii from complications of liver disease, aged 85.