Tommy was a great competitor, a real tiger in competition. Most of his many world records were done in foreign countries, not in the USA. Why? Because he had the ability to lift BIG when it counted...in the World Championships or other major events. He could do far more under pressure than he could do in training. Let me just tell you one story that Tommy told me years ago.

"When I started out, I trained in the cellar of my parent's home in Sacramento. I found I could normally lift "X." But I noticed when my brother came down to watch me I could lift X + Y. And sometimes my brother would bring his friends down. Then I could lift X + 2Y. Sometimes I would train at the Sacramento YMCA where I didn't know very many people and found I could lift X + 3Y. Then I started competing and in local meets could lift X + 4Y. Then in National meets, X + 5Y, and in World Championships X + 6Y and more."

So do you see the pattern? Tommy was the ultimate clutch lifter. The greater the pressure and importance of the meet, the more he could get out of his body.

Atlas Come to Life

The greatest weight lifter of modern times, and one of the world's most remarkable athletes, is a stocky, Sacramento-born Nisei named Tommy Kono, 29. He wears horn-rimmed glasses, speaks with unfeigned modesty, and seems as innocuous as Clark Kent—until he takes off his clothes and sets to work. Then Kono becomes Superman himself.

Last week, at the A.A.U. championships and Olympic tryouts in Cleveland, Kono carefully put aside his glasses, chalked his hands, and approached the bar bells like old and honored adversaries. As always, his lifts were marvels of split-second timing and raw power. When Kono was done, he had hoisted a total of 865 Ibs. in three lifts to win his eighth national title, qualified easily to compete for the U.S. in the 165-lb. weight-lifting class at the Rome Olympics this August.

Kono virtually guarantees the U.S. a gold medal. Undefeated in world championship competition since 1952, he has broken some 30 world records. Even more unusual, Kono seems able to gain or lose weight at will and still lick the planet. In the Olympics he won the 148-lb. class in 1952, the 181-lb. class in 1956. In non-Olympic competition, he set a world record in the igS-lb. class.

Now a resident of Hawaii, Kono was so asthmatic as a child that his worried mother tried such Oriental remedies as burning small amounts of fluff directly against his body. In 1945, while he and his family were quartered in a wartime relocation camp, Kono began fooling around with weights, soon rid himself of the asthma, changed from a 105-lb. weakling into a genuine Atlas.

Confidence.

To Tommy Kono, the secret lies in the power of positive thinking. "Successful weight lifting is not in the body," says Kono. "It's in the mind. You have to strengthen your mind to shut out everything—the man with the camera, the laugh or cough in the audience. You can lift as much as you believe you can. Your body can do what you will it to do.

"I don't think of my opponent, even in a close contest. I never would say to myself, 'I hope he slips.' That's a negative attitude. Saying that, you're relying on outside help to win. Praying doesn't help, either. That's also relying on outside help. The will has got to come from me, It's all up to me.

"Just before bending down for the bar, I look up. That relaxes my back. I get the feeling that my direction is up. Then I grip the bar and take a deep breath and arch my back. Then I feel in the mood. I feel like a pouter pigeon. When I feel tension on my lower back, I rock backward, and the weight comes up automatically. I think of the steps, not the weight. Thinking of the weight would unnerve me."

A medical technician, Kono stokes himself on vitamin pills, minerals and protein tablets. To gain weight, he eats five meals a day while varying the menu from Chinese to Japanese to Italian to American. Bachelor Kono's diligence draws high praise from Bob Hoffman, vice chairman of the A.A.U. weight-lifting committee: "Kono is dedicated. Others get married, bring their wives to contests. You can't win that way. If a wife is cooperative and accepts the fact that barbells come first, a weight lifter might succeed. Otherwise, there is no place for a wife in a champion's life."

But in frank moments Kono admits that he is about fed up with weight lifting: "At the start it was joy. Now it's an ordeal. I'm a special target of the Russians. I'm always under pressure to defend a title or break a record." In fact, Kono is talking of quitting after this year. To ease his ennui in the meantime, he bends nails with his fingers, drives spikes into boards with his fist, blows up hot-water bottles until they burst, and looks forward to the Olympics—when he will have the chance to become the first weight lifter in history to win gold medals in three different classes.

1952
Mr Northern California - AAU, 4th

1954
Iron Man, Winner
Mr Pacific Coast - AAU, 2nd
World-Universe - FICH, Short, 1st
World-Universe - FICH, Overall Winner

1955
World-Universe - FICH, Winner

1957
World-Universe - FICH, Winner

1959
World-Universe - FICH, 3rd

1961
World-Universe - FICH, Winner

From 1950 to 1968, the International Weightlifting Federation considered itself as the world governing organization for Bodybuilding too (At that time the name was therefore FIHC - Fédération Internationale Haltérophile et Culturiste). From time to time - usually at the World Weightlifting Championships the Mr. Universe competition was held. It is not to be confused with identical named events organized by other organizations. In particular, it was only reserved for amateurs. The contest consisted of two each with points assessed exercises: athletic impression (without muscle contraction) and free posing.

F.I.C.H it being the Federation of International Halterophile et Culturiste, i.e. to include bodybuilding as well as weight lifting. although bodybuilding still came second in interest in the competitions. a sort of after thought. this lot came about in 1950 from the International Weightlifting Federation. their Mr Universe shows were held in conjunction with the World Weight lIfting Championships The first recognised Mr Universe is rightly as Peter said Steve Stanko, Grimek was not considered because he was believed to be "too old". Stanko was of course the first man to make over 1000lbs Weight lifting total. Grimek was guest poser at the contest held in P.A Sept 1947 Next year, due to the Olympic Games being held in London, Health and Strength ran a Mr U niverse, famously won by John C.Grimek. Skip a year to 1950 and NABBA ran ran their first Mr Universe won by Steve Reeves. Uncle Joe (Weider) commenced IFBB Universe shows in 1959, first being won by Eddie Sylvestre.

USA Weightlifting is saddened to hear of the loss of Dr. Pete George at the age of 92 on July 27, 2021. It was reported by his family he was deeply looking forward to seeing the 2020 Olympic team in action in Tokyo.

Dr George is one of the last of the great era of USA Weightlifting which dominated the World and Olympic Games in the 1950s. A 3x Olympian, George became Olympic Champion in 1952 and won two silvers at London 1948 and Melbourne 1956 as well as World Championship titles 5 times in 1947, 1951, 1953, 1954 and 1955 setting 4 World records along the way.

He also published a book named the Secrets of the Squat Snatch, and is somewhat credited with the popularity of the modern day snatch rather than split snatch, that is almost exclusively practiced today in Weightlifting.

Away from the platform, Dr George had a successful Orthodontic practice and later became an educator in the same subject.

A legend passes, and a sport mourns. Thank you, Dr. George for your outstanding contribution throughout your life to the sport of Weightlifting.