Yoshinobu Miyake

Yoshinobu Miyake was Japan’s greatest weightlifter ever, and is considered one of the strongest men ever, pound-for-pound. He finished second in the 1960 Olympic bantamweight class but won gold medals at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics as a featherweight. He also won World Championships in 1962, 1963, and 1965-66. Miyake set 25 world records, including 10 consecutive records in the snatch and nine consecutive overall records in the 60 kg. class. Miyake later became Japanese national weightlifting coach. His brother, Yoshiyuki Miyake, was also a weightlifter, who won the bronze medal in the 1968 Olympic featherweight class, and won World Championships in 1969 and 1971.