bodybuilding vs. olympic weightlifting

[Ursus]

Not being an agent provacateur but.....

Never heard of Tommy Kono

Have heard of Dymas, sulemanoglu, hailie mutu, tarenenko (sp) hamman rez etc

Those guys are certainly famous.

Tommy isnt.

[MONSTER_TRICEPS]

Tommy Kono is well known, but to say that he is the weightlifter of the century or whatnot is just not true.

I like Onlyme but he's wrong on that one.

[onlyme]

Tommy Kono is well known, but to say that he is the weightlifter of the century or whatnot is just not true.

I like Onlyme but he's wrong on that one.

Okay, the guys mentioned are all awesome.  My statement was bodybuilder and weightlifting.  Not just weightlifting.  Tommy was awesome in BOTH which is a whole harder than just one.  His accomplishments are not to shabby either.

Here are some of his acheivements.  By the way they are in multiple weight classes

http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2008/11/tommy-kono.html

TITLES  -  WEIGHTLIFTING
1952     Olympic Lightweight Champion                                               Helsinki, Finland
1953     World Middleweight Champion                                                Stockholm, Sweden
1954     World Light-Heavyweight Champion                                         Vienna, Austria
1955     World Light-Heavyweight Champion                                         Munich, Germany
1956     Olympic Light-Heavyweight Champion                                     Melbourne, Germany
1957     World Middleweight Champion                                                Teheran, Iran
1958     World Middleweight Champion                                                Stockholm, Sweden
1959     World Middleweight Champion                                                Warsaw, Poland
1955     Pan American Games Light- Heavyweight Champion                Mexico City, Mexico
1959     Pan American Games Middleweight Champion                        Chicago, Illinois
1963     Pan American Games Light-Heavyweight Champion                 Sao Paulo, Brazil
 
TITLE  -  PHYSIQUE
1954     "Mr. World"            Roubaix, France
1955     "Mr. Universe"        Munich, Germany
1957     "Mr. Universe"        Teheran, Iran
1961     "Mr. Universe"        Vienna, Austria     
 
INTERNATIONAL RECORDS ESTABLISHED
26 World Record
7 Olympic Records
8 Pan American Games Records
 
PROFESINAL ACHIEVMENT AND HONORS
National & Olympic Coach for Mexico
National & Olympic Coach For Western Germany
Olympic Coach for U.S.A.
I.W.F.  International Coach Title
International Referee - Category 1
U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
One Hundred Golden Olympians
 
INTERNATIONAL WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION HONORS
International Weightlifting Hall of Fame
I.W.F 25 Year Service Award
Most Successful Weightlifter
    -Olympic & World for 8 consecutive years
    -World & Olympic Titles in 3 Different bodyweight classes
    -Established World Records in 4 different bodyweight classes
I.W.F. LIFTER OF THE CENTURY AWARD

Tommy Kono
Weightlifter
Tommy Kono, a Sacramento native and Sacramento High School graduate, is considered by many to be the greatest weightlifter in history. He won gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Olympics and a silver medal at the 1960 Games in Rome. Kono set 26 world records during his storied career and was the only weightlifter to set world records in four weight classes, a feat that never has been equaled. Kono later turned to bodybuilding, where he won three Mr. Universe titles and one Mr. World crown. After retiring from bodybuilding, he returned to weightlifting to become one of the most respected coaches in the world. Kono is a member of the International Weightlifting and Olympic halls of fame and was named by the International Weightlifting Federation the Lifter of the Century. At 77, he is retired and living in Hawaii.

[Ursus]

Naim Süleymanoğlu (Turkey) - 46 world records, Olympic gold (1988, 1992, 1996)
Yury Vlasov (USSR) - 29 world records, Olympic gold (1960), silver (1964)
Vasiliy Alekseyev (USSR) - 80 world records, Olympic gold (1972, 1976)
Pyrros Dimas (Greece) - Olympic gold (1992, 1996, 2000), Olympic bronze (2004)
Halil Mutlu (Turkey) - 25 world records, Olympic gold (1996, 2000, 2004)

[carl164]

Only one...Taranenko..266 kg in clean and jerk..still unbeaten to this day (he did it in 1987).
Weight lifters are athletes training 6-9 hrs daily.
While BB do "high intensity" for 45 min a day.

[MONSTER_TRICEPS]

So many unbeaten records from the 80's, yurik vardanyan's 405kg total @ -82.5 (dimas didn't even get close @ 85kg), yuri zacharevich's 210 snatch @ 110, krastevs 216 snatch etc.

[fredrollon]

Tommy Kono is one of Olympic lifting's greats and certainly the greatest Olympic lifter that America ever produced.




As for making two careers in olympic lifting and bodybuilding,this gentleman wasn't too shabby either... 

[Hedgehog]

Okay, the guys mentioned are all awesome.  My statement was bodybuilder and weightlifting.  Not just weightlifting.   Tommy was awesome in BOTH which is a whole harder than just one.  His accomplishments are not to shabby either.

Epic backtracking big boy. But that's ok.

Here are some of his acheivements.  By the way they are in multiple weight classes

http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2008/11/tommy-kono.html

TITLES  -  WEIGHTLIFTING
1952     Olympic Lightweight Champion                                               Helsinki, Finland
1953     World Middleweight Champion                                                Stockholm, Sweden
1954     World Light-Heavyweight Champion                                         Vienna, Austria
1955     World Light-Heavyweight Champion                                         Munich, Germany
1956     Olympic Light-Heavyweight Champion                                     Melbourne, Germany
1957     World Middleweight Champion                                                Teheran, Iran
1958     World Middleweight Champion                                                Stockholm, Sweden
1959     World Middleweight Champion                                                Warsaw, Poland
1955     Pan American Games Light- Heavyweight Champion                Mexico City, Mexico
1959     Pan American Games Middleweight Champion                        Chicago, Illinois
1963     Pan American Games Light-Heavyweight Champion                 Sao Paulo, Brazil
 
TITLE  -  PHYSIQUE
1954     "Mr. World"            Roubaix, France
1955     "Mr. Universe"        Munich, Germany
1957     "Mr. Universe"        Teheran, Iran
1961     "Mr. Universe"        Vienna, Austria     
 
INTERNATIONAL RECORDS ESTABLISHED
26 World Record
7 Olympic Records
8 Pan American Games Records
 
PROFESINAL ACHIEVMENT AND HONORS
National & Olympic Coach for Mexico
National & Olympic Coach For Western Germany
Olympic Coach for U.S.A.
I.W.F.  International Coach Title
International Referee - Category 1
U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
One Hundred Golden Olympians
 
INTERNATIONAL WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION HONORS
International Weightlifting Hall of Fame
I.W.F 25 Year Service Award
Most Successful Weightlifter
    -Olympic & World for 8 consecutive years
    -World & Olympic Titles in 3 Different bodyweight classes
    -Established World Records in 4 different bodyweight classes
I.W.F. LIFTER OF THE CENTURY AWARD

Tommy Kono
Weightlifter
Tommy Kono, a Sacramento native and Sacramento High School graduate, is considered by many to be the greatest weightlifter in history. He won gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Olympics and a silver medal at the 1960 Games in Rome. Kono set 26 world records during his storied career and was the only weightlifter to set world records in four weight classes, a feat that never has been equaled. Kono later turned to bodybuilding, where he won three Mr. Universe titles and one Mr. World crown. After retiring from bodybuilding, he returned to weightlifting to become one of the most respected coaches in the world. Kono is a member of the International Weightlifting and Olympic halls of fame and was named by the International Weightlifting Federation the Lifter of the Century. At 77, he is retired and living in Hawaii.

Who else, except you, believe him to be the greatest Olympic weightlifter in the history?

[BB]

The problem with comparing Kono, Rigert, Pisarenko, etc.... is because they are from different eras.

If you asked this question in the 50's Tommy Kono certain would have been at the top or near the top of anyone's best lifter lists.

The strength sports are small and memories fade.
Lifters like Dimas, Alexyeev, Rigert, etc.... are probably more famous than Kono now, but that is because we are young and looking at it with a modern eye.

As to whether Bodybuilders or Weightlifters do better career wise, perhaps in the U.S. that is true, as we stopped really caring about weightlifting as a sport many years ago.

But in countries where Weightlifting is still a popular sport, retired lifters do very well, much better than your average "pro" bodybuilder. 

[onlyme]

Epic backtracking big boy. But that's ok.



Who else, except you, believe him to be the greatest Olympic weightlifter in the history?

How do you figure?  This was my ORIGINAL post in this thread  Here is an easy question for the true lifters and historians.  Who is the most recognized weightlifter who has won both major Bodybuilding titles and Olympic Gold.  And yes he is a friend of mine.  Quaker you can't answer cause I am sure you know    Now show me where I backtracked.  Thanks for proving me right again.  I think I have you convinced now he is the greatest.  Just, you are trying really hard not to give in.

[QuakerOats]

Not being an agent provacateur but.....

Never heard of Tommy Kono

Have heard of Dymas, sulemanoglu, hailie mutu, tarenenko (sp) hamman rez etc

Those guys are certainly famous.

Tommy isnt.

come on man Tonny Kono is a legend, you should read some back issues of MILO you'd love it, anyway Keith's friend Tommy is easlily one of the greatest ever, great physique as well.

[Ursus]

Yes i have heard about him through Onlyme.

But have heard more about other guys.

I heard milo was an awsome mag

[QuakerOats]

Yes i have heard about him through Onlyme.

But have heard more about other guys.

I heard milo was an awsome mag

that's not taking anything away from Naim, Dimas, Rigert Alexeev or any of those guys though, Dimas especially was a FREAK, America has produced some great lifters too, Kono, Patera, Dube, Martinez, Cameron, Michaels, Bednarski, etc, all great lifters in their own right.

[onlyme]

Yes i have heard about him through Onlyme.

But have heard more about other guys.

I heard milo was an awsome mag

I understand why people nowadays never heard of Tommy  Hell he competed 40 years ago and coached in the 70's and 80's.  He works for the Parks and Recreation in Honolulu.  Maybe not still cause he is old.  But, people who truly follow that sport definitely know him and know how much he is respected.  The guys of today are on another planet compared to what Tommy was.  but Tommy was a champion in the Olympics and then in Bodybuilding and not some little local shows.  Plus I think he was in some prisoner camp or something.  He is very humble and a great guy.  I am really happy I got to know him and be friends with him.

[Balloon]

I understand why people nowadays never heard of Tommy  Hell he competed 40 years ago and coached in the 70's and 80's.  He works for the Parks and Recreation in Honolulu.  Maybe not still cause he is old.  But, people who truly follow that sport definitely know him and know how much he is respected.  The guys of today are on another planet compared to what Tommy was.  but Tommy was a champion in the Olympics and then in Bodybuilding and not some little local shows.  Plus I think he was in some prisoner camp or something.  He is very humble and a great guy.  I am really happy I got to know him and be friends with him.

Hey Onlyme,
Did you ever get a chance to workout with tommy?
Also, did u ever have a go at Olympic Lifting yourself?

[onlyme]

Hey Onlyme,
Did you ever get a chance to workout with tommy?
Also, did u ever have a go at Olympic Lifting yourself?

No never trained with him but watched train others when I would go to the Nuuanu Y where he teaches (or did).  Never go into the Olympic lifting.  I basically lifted for my sport and to get as thick as possible and strong.