HAVE A BLAST WITH OUR PAST
Olympian Kono had the world on his shoulders
Learn about Hawai'i sports history and those who figured prominently in it in this feature.
We'll ask a question Wednesday and present the answer in an in-depth profile on Thursday.
By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Q: This one-time asthmatic and later Olympic Hall of Fame weightlifter built up his lung capacity to a point where he could blow air into a hot water bottle and make it burst. Who is he?
A: Weightlifter Tommy Kono didn't let the medical condition stop him from winning medals at three Olympics and blowing away 26 world records. |
But weightlifter Tommy Kono didn't let the medical condition stop him from winning medals at three Olympics and blowing away 26 world records.
For Kono, the path to success began as a youngster when he built up his lungs by breathing into a paper bag.
"Usually asthmatics can suck air in but not blow out," said Kono, who was born in Sacramento, Calif., and moved to Hawai'i in 1955. "I practiced breathing out (into a paper bag). Then I got hold of a hot water bag. I was able to blow it up until it burst."
Kono, 73, also practiced deep breathing exercises that helped him maintain proper technique while lifting.
"One of the things I did (while lifting) was take very deep breaths," Kono said. "It was good for the rib compartment and spine. And with the bigger breaths I could keep my back straight."
This year is the 51sh anniversary of Kono's gold-medal winning performance at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. He went on to win gold at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and a silver at the 1960 Games in Rome.
He was named to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame on July 6, 1990, in Minneapolis, and the International Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 1994 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Last November at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, Kono was one of five inducted into the inaugural class of the Japanese-American Sports Hall of Fame.
Kono was named the top weightlifter of all-time by the official magazine of the International Weightlifting Federation.
"He is in my opinion the greatest weightlifter of all-time," said former Olympic weightlifter Pete George, 74. "He would always go where the competition was the toughest. Some of us went where we thought we'd get a medal."
Internment days
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| Tommy Kono, who used to skip PE in grammar school because of asthma, shows off one of his the Olympic gold medals he won in weightlifting.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Kono said he, his three older brothers and parents were interned at Tule Lake in California from "June or July 1942 to December 1945."
"I was young back then, 11 years old, 12 years old," Kono said of his family's internment. "It didn't affect me too much. We were just growing up back then."
Kono said he missed "one-third" of grammar school because of his asthma and had to skip physical education classes.
But when he got to Tule Lake his asthma cleared up.
"When we moved into camp the dry air was much better for me," he said.
While at Tule Lake, friends Ben Hara and Tad Fujioka got Kono into weightlifting.
Through weightlifting, Kono went on to represent and bring prestige to the country that interned his family.
Odd-balls
When Kono made U.S. national teams, he didn't feel out of place because the squad was racially diverse.
"The whole U.S. team was a mixed up group," said Kono, who recalled Black, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Swedish and Macedonian teammates. "When they said U.S. team it was a real mixture, a real melting pot."
Kono and his weightlifting teammates were often viewed as being odd by other Americans.
"Fifty years ago, we were odd-balls — guys lifting weights," Kono said. "Coaches didn't allow football players to lift weights because of being muscle-bound and hernias. Now it's the opposite."
Cold War
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| Tommy Kono competed in three Olympics, won two gold medals, and set 26 world records in four different weight classes.
Advertiser library photo • Jan. 19, 1957 |
"The Russians were out to prove they had the strongest men in the world," Kono said. "Weightlifting, they really played it up.
"In 1955 we were invited to the Soviet Union. It was the first time a (U.S.) team was invited to the Soviet Union."
The U.S. team made other trips to the Soviet Union and the Soviets often won every weight division except for Kono's.
According to Kono, the Soviets treated weightlifting as a profession, and some of the elite lifters received cars and apartments from the government.
Weightlifting in the United States at the time wasn't taken very seriously and lifters were often in it for the love of the sport, he added. The only things the U.S. lifters received were trophies, none of which cost more than "$35," according to Kono.
"It was a sport for us and we enjoyed doing it," Kono said. "Our reward was being able to make these trips and represent the United States. We looked forward to wearing the USA sweatshirts and stuff."
Korean War
Weightlifting did pay off for Kono during the Korean War.
Because Kono's eyesight was poor he was classified as 3-C, which meant he couldn't serve on the front lines. So he trained as a cook and practiced weightlifting on his off days.
Cooks were often the target of the North Koreans, according to Kono, because they heard "the U.S. Army moved on its belly."
But when he got to Camp Stoneman in California, he found out he wasn't going to Korea.
"You might as well put in for a discharge," Kono recalled someone telling him. "You're a candidate for the Olympics so you don't have to go overseas."
He trained and went to the '52 Helsinki Games, and was later stationed in Germany for nine months.
"Weightlifting may have saved my life," Kono said.
Weighty issues
Kono wanted to set as many records and win as many titles as possible so he moved up and down in weight.
His 26 world records were set in four weight classes (148, 165, 181, 196) from 1953-62.
In 1952, he set two Olympic and one world record in the lightweight (148) division.
In 1956, he set four Olympic and two world records in the light heavyweight (181) division.
Four years later, he set one Olympic and one world record despite a severe knee injury.
"I wanted to do other things," Kono said. "Breaking my own records didn't mean anything."
Changing weight wasn't much of a problem for Kono, who said losing weight was easier than putting it on.
He said when he wanted to gain weight he ate six meals a day. When he wanted to lose weight or stay the same he ate three meals.
The present
Kono and his wife, Florence, have been married for 41 years and live in Newtown.
"He hasn't changed a whole lot," Florence said. "He's still thoughtful and considerate. He's kind of laid back; he doesn't toot his own horn."
The couple has two sons and one daughter.
When asked if Kono tried to get his children into weightlifting, Florence said: "Actually no because he didn't want them to feel the pressure of achieving as much or more than he did."
Kono, who retired from weightlifting in 1965, still travels to coach and conduct clinics.
"He is one of the greatest ambassadors the U.S ever had," said George, who lives in Waikiki. "He just spreads goodwill wherever he goes. He makes a good impression everywhere."
Kono said his name is more familiar than his face.
On a recent trip to Las Vegas, Kono said a hotel receptionist told him: "Tommy Kono, that's a familiar name. Where have I heard that name before? ... You're the weightlifter, right? You went to the Olympics."
Three years ago, Kono released a 270-page book entitled "Weightlifting Olympic Style."
He plans to write a second book on coaching Olympic weight-lifters.
"I got all this knowledge, I want to put it on paper," Kono said.
Kono retired six years ago from his job with the City and County of Honolulu, but still serves as vice president of the Honolulu Marathon Association, which he's been a part of for the past 30 years.
Body language
Kono said his asthma was worse when he was a child, but he still gets tightness in his chest when "I don't get enough sleep, or go near hay or cats."
He said he had left hip replacement surgery in 1996, but still works out three times a week at the Nu'uanu YMCA.
"People expect me to be in shape," Kono said. "I feel good if I exercise."
Notes: All of Tommy Kono's world records were set outside the Continental United States ... He also set seven Olympic and eight Pan American Games records ... Kono and swimmer Duke Kahanamoku are the only individuals from Hawai'i in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. ... Kono won the 1954 Mr. World and the 1955, '57 and '61 Mr. Universe physique titles ... Peter George, a middleweight, won a gold medal at the 1952 Olympics, and silvers in '48 and '56 ... George was nicknamed "Wonder Boy."
