Kevin Asano

Kevin Yoshimi Asano (born April 20, 1963) is a retired judoka from the United States, who won the silver medal in the men's extra-lightweight competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics. On his way to capturing the medal he beat Shinji Hosokawa, who was the reigning world champion and 1984 Gold Medalist. Asano came close to winning the gold medal, but lost it on a one-point penalty to Kim Jae-Yup of South Korea.

Kevin Asano
Personal information
BornApril 20, 1963 (1963-04-20) (age 57)
Hawaii, U.S.
Medal record
Men's Judo
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1988 Seoul Extra Lightweight
World Championships
1987 West Germany Bantamweight
Pan American Games
1987 Indianapolis Bantamweight
US International Championships
1987 Colorado Springs Bantamweight
Collegiate Championships
1987 Bantamweight
Collegiate Championships
1986 Bantamweight
US Olympic Festival
1985 Bantamweight

Personal life

Asano was born in Hawaii.[1] He graduated from Pearl City High School in Hawaii in 1981, studied Japanese and trained in judo at Tokai University for two years, then went on to study at San José State University where he graduated in 1989 in Accounting. In 2008, Kevin Asano's autobiography, Step Onto the Mat: Journey to True Success, was published by White Mountain Castle Publishing, LLC. He co-founded Pacific Rim Legacy Group, a financial planning organization and Personal Transformation International, a 501(c)3 organization. He has served as President of Hawaii Judo, Inc., the state judo governing body of USA Judo and President of the United States Judo Federation, a grassroots national judo organization. He is also the head instructor of Leeward Judo Club in Hawaii.

Awards and honors

USA Judo announced Kevin Asano among its inaugural Hall of Fame inductees in 2008[2] along with Edward Liddie, Mike Swain and Jimmy Pedro. He is also a member of the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame 2000 inductees[3] is also a member of the San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame.[4] In 1988, Asano was named the US Olympic Committee's US Judo Athlete of the Year.

Books authored

Asano has authored the following book:

  • Step Onto the Mat (White Mountain Castle Publishing, LLC, 2008) ISBN 978-0-9815219-1-6

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kevin Asano". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
  2. "USA Judo – Features, Events, Results – Team USA". Team USA.
  3. "Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame and Cybermuseum".
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