About Tommy Kono 

Tommy Kono was a world-famous Olympic weightlifter.

Tommy Kono was of Japanese descent and was born in Sacramento, California, United States. He developed his weightlifting and bodybuilding skills at an early age while living at Tule Lake.

He gained immense recognition at the Olympics for weightlifting and bodybuilding, winning several awards and setting several Olympic and world records. After retiring from his weightlifting career, he became coached several teams at the Olympics. Please keep reading to know more about his early life and professional highlights!

Net Worth, Earnings & Spending Habits

What was Tommy Kono's net worth?

As of 2022, the net worth of Tommy Kono is estimated at approximately $1-5 million.

How much did Tommy Kono earn per year?

Although with an impressive net worth that Tommy Kono had amassed by being an excellent weightlifter, the amount of money he earned yearly is not quantified.

Height, Age & Physical Attributes

How tall was Tommy Kono?

Tommy Kono boasted a height of approximately 5 ft 6 in (167 cm).

How old was Tommy Kono?

Born on June 27, 1930, Tommy Kono would have turned 92 in 2022. However, he breathed for the last time on April 24, 2016, when he was 85 years old. He was living in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the time of his death. Sources suggest that he died of liver complications.

Childhood And Education

Hailing from Sacramento, California, Tommy Kono was born to Japanese parents Ishimi Kono and Kanichi on June 27, 1930. Twelve years after his birth, in 1942, during World War II, his entire family was posted to Tule Lake internment camp. Tommy was an asthma patient by birth and took relief from the desert air.

After relocating to Tule Lake, his neighbors Nobody 'Dave' Shimoda, who was associated with the Tule Lake bodybuilding club, besides Yuki Shimoda, Toda, Bob Nakanishi, and Gotoh, introduced him to weightlifting and made him start his physical training.

They were released from the camp after three and a half years, after which Tommy Kono graduated from Sacramento High school. After that, he offered service at the Department of Motor Vehicles in California while attending Sacramento Junior College. Later in 1950, he got into the US Army but was not sent to the Korean war as officials learned of his immense potential for the Olympics.

Family, Romance, And Relationships

Who was Tommy Kono's partner?

Sources suggest that Tommy Kono married Florence Rodrigues in 1962 when he was 32 years old. They had three children after that.

Career And Professional Highlights

Best Known For…

Tommy Kono kick-started his career in weightlifting in the summer of 1952 by winning gold medals at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. He went on the win the World Weightlifting Championships six times in a row between 1953-1959. He was a silver medalist at the Summer Olympics of 1960. He also won the Pan-American Games Championship thrice in 1955, 1959, and 1963.

Again, he also won in the middle heavyweight category, setting another world record and eventually setting world records in different weight classes. However, succumbing to a severe knee injury, he could not qualify for the Summer Olympics in 1964, which was held in Tokyo. He retired from the Olympics in the following year.

Besides setting seven Olympic and 26 world records, Kono won several bodybuilding championships. In 1954, 1957, 1955, and 1961, he championed championing the Federation Internationale Halterophile et Culturiste Mr. Universe titles.

After retiring from the Olympics, he coached at the Mexican Summer Olympics in 1968 and the 1972 Summer Olympics held in West Germany. After that, he became the head coach at the 1976 Summer Olympics, coaching the Olympic weightlifting team of the United States.

What awards did Tommy Kono win?

Tommy Kono received the Strongmen highest Achievement Award and the Association of Oldetime Barbell. After that, the 1993 International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame and the Olympic Hall of Fame of the United States were where Tommy Kono was inducted.

Other Interesting Tommy Kono Facts And Trivia

• Being born in June, the Zodiac sign of Tommy Kono is Cancer.
• Honeysuckle and Rose are his birth flowers.
• Tommy Kono could lift nearly 905 lb (410 kg).
• He used to practice with injuries like when he had an injured shoulder.

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