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Eizo Kenmotsu

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Eizo Kenmotsu
Personal information
Country represented Japan
Born (1948-02-13) February 13, 1948 (age 76)
Okayama Prefecture, Japan
Height161 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Weight57 kg (126 lb)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Mexico City Team
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich Team
Gold medal – first place 1976 Montreal Team
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich All-around
Silver medal – second place 1976 Montreal Pommel horse
Silver medal – second place 1976 Montreal Horizontal bar
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Mexico City Horizontal bar
Bronze medal – third place 1972 Munich Pommel horse
Bronze medal – third place 1972 Munich Parallel bars
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1970 Ljubljana Team
Gold medal – first place 1970 Ljubljana All-around
Gold medal – first place 1970 Ljubljana Horizontal bar
Gold medal – first place 1974 Varna Team
Gold medal – first place 1974 Varna Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 1978 Strasbourg Team
Gold medal – first place 1978 Strasbourg Parallel bars
Silver medal – second place 1970 Ljubljana Floor
Silver medal – second place 1970 Ljubljana Pommel horse
Silver medal – second place 1970 Ljubljana Parallel bars
Silver medal – second place 1978 Strasbourg All-around
Silver medal – second place 1979 Fort Worth Team
Bronze medal – third place 1974 Varna All-around
Bronze medal – third place 1974 Varna Pommel horse
Bronze medal – third place 1974 Varna Horizontal bar

Eizo Kenmotsu (監物永三, Kenmotsu Eizō, born February 13, 1948) is a former Japanese artistic gymnast, who won seven world titles and three Olympic gold medals between 1968 and 1979. In retirement, he became a leading Japanese coach. He also served as sports director of the Nippon Sport Science University and vice president of the Japan Gymnastics Association. In 2006, Kenmotsu was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[1][2]

Kenmotsu was 20 years and 8 months old in October 1968 when he became the youngest Japanese artistic gymnast in history to win an Olympic gold medal after the team event finals at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, and he held on to that longstanding record for almost 48 years until recently when it was finally broken by Kenzō Shirai, who in August 2016 acquired the honour when only 19 years and 11 months old, at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro–also after the team event finals. Coincidentally, they had both similarly won one other Olympic medal, each an individual event bronze–Kenmotsu on the horizontal bar and Shirai on vault–at their respective first Olympic Games.

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