Tommy Kono, two-time Olympic weightlifting gold medalist, is 2 inches shorter and 4 pounds lighter than when he retired from competition in the 1960s.
At 78, the Sacramento High School graduate's knees have grown creaky.
But during a weightlifting clinic last week, he told coaches how to motivate athletes and gave advice to two female lifters.
Kono is back in Sacramento – from his home in Hawaii – to visit family, find some peace and quiet to finish writing a book on weightlifting, and attend the 60th reunion of his Sacramento High graduating class today.
What awards has he earned?
In addition to winning Olympic gold medals in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland, and 1956 in Melbourne, Australia – as well as a silver in Rome in 1960 – Kono is a three-time Mr. Universe bodybuilding champion. He established 26 world records in four weight classes, 37 American records and seven Olympic records.
Was he an athlete from the start?
Kono suffered from asthma as a kid. Instead of physical education class, he reported to a darkened room to lie down on a cot. He still has a Charles Atlas measurement form filled out when he was 11; he weighed 74 pounds and stood 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches tall.
When did he start lifting weights?
During World War II, Kono's family was interned at Tule Lake Relocation Center.
The government perceived Japanese Americans as a threat to national security and confined thousands in the camps. Kono, who was 12 at the start of the internment, said his family made the best of the situation.
Tule Lake internees raised enough money to buy sports equipment, including a barbell set. By the time the family was released in 1945, Kono had filled out.
When did Kono start competing?
When his family returned to Sacramento, Kono spent hours lifting iron at the old J Street YMCA. During his senior year at Sacramento High School, he entered his first weightlifting competition.
He went on to what is now Sacramento City College, and by 1950 was ready for international competition. He couldn't afford the trip to New York for a world championship tryout, so the Oak Park Athletic Club raised airfare by selling cakes and holding a dance.
What kind of legacy will he leave?
"He's one of the greatest of all time," said Elk Grove's Don Weideman, an official with the Pacific Weightlifting Association.
When Kono competed in the 1961 Mr. Universe world finals in Vienna, Austria, he inspired a young Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor has said that Kono is living proof of the value of hard work and self-discipline.
Kono helped start the Honolulu Marathon and retired in 1997 after many years with the Honolulu parks and recreation department.
What about athletes today?
Kono thinks the athletes of today are spoiled. "When you go through hardship, it toughens you," he said. "It makes you better when you overcome that. This generation is the entitlement generation. They are not willing to work hard."
Is he watching the Olympics?
Kono has no plans to watch Olympic weightlifting. But if the sport is on when he switches on the set, he said, he'll watch.
Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.
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