Tommy Kono: The Life of America's Greatest Weightlifter

by John D. Fair

Overview

In a career spanning three decades, weightlifter Tommy Kono won three Olympic medals and eight world championships, captured 11 U.S. national and three Pan-American titles, and set 26 world records—all before the advent of steroids. A Nisei American, Kono was interned at Tule Lake, California, during World War II. Weighing only 105 pounds at age 14 and suffering from asthma, he began competing at a time of heightened racial and political prejudice against Asians, and in an era predating modern coaching techniques, nutritional aids and training facilities. This definitive biography covers the life and career of an exceptional athlete who defied disadvantage and achieved international renown.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476689586
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	02/02/2023
Series:	Studies in Strength and Physical Culture
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.57(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John D. Fair is a retired professor of history from Auburn University and Georgia College, and currently an adjunct professor of kinesiology at the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports at the University of Texas, Austin. He is the author of eight books.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: “Go for Broke”
I—Early Life
 1. From Tule Lake to Helsinki
 2. Ascent to Olympus
 3. A Living Legend
 4. Descent from Olympus
II—From Amateur to Professional
 5. Olympic Coach
 6. Public Servant
 7. Retro Coach
 8. Political Quagmire
III—Athletic Immortality
 9. Rising Above the Din
10. Weightlifting Sage
11. A Heroic Ending
Epilogue and Conclusion
Appendix I: Tommy Kono’s Record of Achievement
Appendix II: World Records
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Tommy Kono was one of the most influential figures in American weightlifting. With an origin story fit for a Hollywood blockbuster, Kono was a dominant weightlifter, who later became a highly recognised coach. With the typical depth and empathy we come to expect from John Fair, this book is a much needed and insightful account of the great Tommy Kono. Fair’s tenacity for research and love of weightlifting combine to create a work which will no doubt become a classic in the field of sport history. For fans and academics alike, Fair has provided a thoughtprovoking account of one of weightlifting’s greatest ‘rags to riches’ stories. Kono is arguably America’s greatest weightlifter and only John Fair could do his history justice.”—Conor Heffernan, lecturer in the sociology of sport, Ulster University

From the Publisher