[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 113 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1105-E1106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN RECOGNITION OF TOMMY KONO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 13, 2016

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the late 
Tommy Kono for being an American champion. Mr. Kono is the most 
decorated American in the history of weightlifting. He was born and 
raised in Sacramento and suffered from asthma, making

[[Page E1106]]

him unable to participate in physical activity. At the age of eleven, 
Mr. Kono and his family were moved to Tule Lake Relocation Center 
following passage of Executive Order 9066. While there, Mr. Kono began 
lifting weights and joined a bodybuilding club. This marked the 
beginning of Mr. Kono's passion for weightlifting.
  After three years, Mr. Kono was released and returned to Sacramento, 
enrolling in Sacramento High School. Despite being known as the ``a 98 
pound weakling'' when he was younger, he entered into local 
weightlifting competitions and began winning. With the start of the 
Korean War, Mr. Kono was scheduled to deploy to Asia, but the military 
allowed him to stay in the United States after learning he was a 
contender for the 1952 Olympic team.
  Mr. Kono was an individual who was devoted to his country; he was a 
Japanese American who was able to embrace new opportunities after World 
War II. Mr. Kono won his first gold medal in 1952 and won a silver 
medal at the 1960 Olympics. Mr. Kono went on to win several 
bodybuilding competitions, made the cover of national magazines, and 
earned attention of fellow athletes when he set world records in four 
weight classes. After retiring, Mr. Kono invested his time coaching 
aspiring champions, including young lifters in Sacramento and Hawaii, 
as well as tutoring high school students in Sacramento. Mr. Kono passed 
away in April in Honolulu.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Tommy Kono for being an 
American champion, as well as a mentor to young adults in the 
Sacramento area. While family, friends, and mentees gather together to 
celebrate Mr. Kono, I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring his 
outstanding work of service to his country as well as his commitment to 
his community.

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