Tommy Kono

“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
“John Fair has just given us the next seminal book in physical culture studies with this magnificent biography of America’s greatest weightlifter, Tommy Kono. Fair’s biography traces Kono’s introduction to weight training in a WWII internment camp for Japanese Americans; to his three Olympic Games appearances where he won two gold and one silver medal; and he then explores the ‘afterlife’ of this champion athlete who struggled to find ways to make a living even while regarded by everyone as the best weightlifter the world had ever seen. Based on Kono’s private papers and interviews with dozens of lifters and other individuals who knew Kono, Fair’s intimate biography of this American icon is a revelation. His depth of research and his nuanced text makes this book a must read for strength enthusiasts, lovers of the Olympic Games, Cold War scholars, and those who simply want to know more about this amazing sport hero. I highly recommend it.”—Jan Todd, Ph.D., Roy J. McLean Fellow in Sport History, The University of Texas at Austin.