Tamio "Tommy" Kono (June 27, 1930 – April 24, 2016) was a U.S. weightlifter in the 1950s and 1960s. Kono is the only Olympic weightlifter in history to have set world records in four different weight classes: lightweight (149 pounds or 67.5 kilograms), middleweight (165 lb or 75 kg), light-heavyweight (182 lb or 82.5 kg), and middle-heavyweight (198 lb or 90 kg).

Early life

Of Japanese descent, Kono was born in Sacramento, California, on June 27, 1930. Kono's family was relocated to Tule Lake internment camp during World War II. Tule lake camp was in a very isolated area in the desert in northern California.

Sickly as a child, the desert air helped Kono's asthma. It was during the relocation that Kono was introduced to weightlifting by neighbors including the late Noboru "Dave" Shimoda, a member of the Tule Lake weight lifting and bodybuilding club and brother of actor Yuki Shimoda and his friends, Gotoh, Toda, and Bob Nakanishi. After 3½ years they were released and Kono finished high school at Sacramento High.

Olympic weightlifting/bodybuilding career

Kono was a gold medalist at both the 1952 Summer Olympics and 1956 Summer Olympics, and a silver medalist at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Kono won the World Weightlifting Championships six consecutive times from 1953 to 1959, and set a total of 21 world records. Kono is also a three-time Pan American Games champion in 1955, 1959, and 1963.

In 1976, Kono was head coach of the United States' Olympic weightlifting team in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Kono was also a successful Bodybuilder, winning the Iron Man Mr. World title in 1954.

In the 1970s Kono moved to Hawaii, where he has lived ever since. On his home visits he holds workshops in weightlifting.

In 1993 Kono was elected to the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame. Kono is also an inductee to the Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen (A.O.B.S.) Hall of Fame.

Death

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