FITNESS PROFILE
Hawai'i Olympians vow to keep fit

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i has been blessed with a plethora of Olympic athletes. We caught up with a few of them to see how they're keeping fit in 2004. This fitness profile is the first in a series in which we feature the Islands' Olympians.

Tommy Kono, 74, hits the weight room at the Nu'uanu YMCA three times a week. "Life is movement, and you have to keep moving around," said the 74-year-old Olympic weightlifter. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Kono won medals in weightlifting in the 1952 (gold), '56 (gold) and '60 (silver) Olympics, then coached the Mexico Olympic weightlifting team for the '68 Olympics, the West Germany weightlifting team for the '72 Olympics and the U.S.A. weightlifting team for the '76 Olympics. In addition, he held the titles of Mr. World in 1954 and Mr. Universe in 1955, '57 and '61.

Richard Tom won a bronze medal in weightlifting in 1948 at the London Olympics. Both men have made a lifelong commitment to be strong and fit.

Name: Tommy Kono.

Age: 74.

Profession: Retired recreation specialist, City and County of Honolulu, vice president of the Honolulu Marathon Association since 1973.

Height: 5-feet-4.

Weight: 170 pounds.

Workout habits: Works out three times a week in the weight room.

When and why I started working out: As an asthmatic child, Kono was not allowed to participate in physical education classes. As a teenager in an internment camp in California, where living on a dried-up lake eased his asthma, Kono learned the basics of weight training. His motivation was simply to improve his health and put some muscle on his skinny frame.

My good foods/bad foods: "I eat too much meat and I know I should taper down, but I grew up thinking protein is good for muscle-building. I try to have a lot of vegetables. I'm not crazy about fruits."

My biggest motivator: "To be able to move freely. Life is movement, and you have to keep moving around. If you don't exercise, you either use it or lose it; the muscles will atrophy. I'm in maintenance mode to maintain what I have.

My biggest roadblock to fitness: "My knees are bad, so I can't do any legwork."

My next challenge: "I have written a book, 'Weightlifting, Olympic Style,' and am working on my second one, on how to coach weightlifting."

Advice for those in the same boat: "Accept the fact that you are getting older and having been to the Olympics is just one phase of your life, and you have to adjust to it."

Name: Richard Tom.

Age: 83.

Profession: Retired civilian mechanic who worked with the Army.

Height: 5-feet-4.

Weight: 125 pounds.

Workout habits: Works out three times a week in the weight room and walks occasionally.

When and why I started working out: "When I was 14 my uncle had a set of dumbbells, and I just started fooling around with it. Then I went to the old Nu'uanu YMCA in 1934 and saw the guys there lifting weights, and at that time I made it my ambition to go to the Olympics. Ten years later I qualified but the war got in the way, so I trained and competed some more — in Dallas and Chicago and York, Pa., until the 1948 Olympics, the first ones after the war, where I won a bronze medal. I was the first (Chinese-American) to ever win a medal in the Olympics."

My good foods/bad foods: "I eat regular — nothing special. I like sirloin steak and chocolate."

My biggest motivator: "(Weightlifting) is a hobby. I like to work out and keep active. It's a social thing for me, too."

Advice for those in the same boat: "Working out is good for you. You don't need big muscles — just keep fit."