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At 5 feet 6 inches, Tommy Tamio Kono did not look like a weightlifting champion, but since he entered amateur competition he broke 22 world records and six Olympic records. Kono is the first and only person, to date, to hold records in four
weight divisions. He won the Mr. World title in 1954 as well as the Mr. Universe crown in
1955 and 1957. His ability to shift from 148 to 184 pounds without loss of strength or
stamina has long intrigued the world of weightlifting. He is the only two-division Olympic champion in weightlifting
history. He won the lightweight (148 pounds) title at Helsinki, Finland in 1952 and the
light heavyweight (181 pounds) crown in 1956 at Melbourne, Australia.
He also won a silver medal in the middleweight (165 lbs.) division in Rome in 1960. He is a member of the
Olympic Hall of Fame. Kono was named the weightlifting coach of the Mexican National Team in 1967 and the German National Team in 1976. First transatlantic telephone cable went into operation on September 25, 1956. |
