Tommy Kono
Tommy Kono is a Paralympian and weightlifting champion who has already had his left arm amputated above the elbow. When he was young, he lost his right arm in a car accident and found that weightlifting helped him overcome his disability. Now, as an accomplished athlete, he helps inspire others by sharing his story of perseverance and success through sports.
The story of Tommy Kono
Tommy Kono was born in 1931 in Sacramento, California. He was a weightlifting champion and Paralympian who had his left already amputated above the elbow due to muscular dystrophy. His story inspired people with similar disabilities to pursue their dreams and become role models for others with disabilities.
Paralympian and weightlifting champion
Tommy Kono was a weightlifting champion, who won gold medals at 1952, 1956, and 1960 Olympic Games. He also won gold medals at the 1954 and 1958 World Championships. In addition to his athletic achievements, he was a member of the USA Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame Class of 1959 and received an award from its President in 1964.
Kono began weight training at age 13 after he saw some boys lifting weights around his neighborhood in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture. He trained under his father (a former sumo wrestler) until he was 15 years old when he moved with his family to California where he continued training under Joe Weider while attending high school nearby Santa Monica College (now known as Chapman University).
Turning his disability into an advantage
While Kono’s disability was indeed a disadvantage when it came to competing in weightlifting, he still managed to make up for it by focusing on his upper body strength. He could lift more weight with his upper body than other weightlifters. His left arm gave him an advantage over other competitors because it was stronger and could take more strain from lifting heavier weights compared with those who had their arms intact.
Kono’s injury also gave him an advantage in terms of technique; since he could only lift half as much as someone without a left arm would be able to lift, this meant that he had more room for error when performing certain moves during competition days at Olympic games or world championships—and thus less chance of failing during actual competitions!
Winning medals despite the odds
You might be wondering how a person with such a disability could be so successful at weightlifting. The answer is simple: he didn’t let his disability stop him from achieving his dreams.
In 1952, Kono won gold medals in both the snatch and clean & jerk events at the Helsinki Olympics—the first American to do so since 1928. It wasn’t until 1956 that he started breaking world records with his left hand amputated above the elbow (and even then it was just by one kilogram). In 1960, he went on to win yet another gold medal at Rome’s 1960 Olympic Games; setting yet another world record along the way!
You may also be wondering what made Tommy such an excellent athlete despite being born without most of his left arm. Well here’s where things get interesting: according to some sources[1], Tommy was born without his right hand as well!
A role model for people with similar disabilities
Tommy Kono was an inspiration to many people. He showed that you can achieve your goals even if you have a disability. His story is an excellent example of how to turn a disability into an advantage, and he was an example for many people with similar disabilities who followed in his footsteps.
Takeaway:
You can learn a lot from Tommy Kono, who overcame his disability and became a champion weightlifter. He has inspired many people with disabilities to do the same.
In the words of Tommy Kono: “When you think positively and work hard, everything can happen.”
Conclusion
Tommy Kono did not let his disability hold him back, and he inspired many people with similar disabilities to do the same. He was an inspiration to those who had never heard of him before but also to those who already knew about his story. Even though it was difficult at times, he kept positive thoughts in mind throughout his entire career as a weightlifter without arms or legs.
