Takashi Ono

is a retired Japanese gymnast. He competed at the 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won five gold, four silver and four bronze medals, making him the most decorated Japanese athlete and fourth-most decorated gymnast in Olympic history by number of total medals won. In 1998, he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Gymnastics career

1952 Helsinki Olympics Ono made his Olympic debut at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won his first Olympic medal, a bronze in the men's vault, sharing the position with his compatriot Tadao Uesako with a score of 19.10, behind the winner Viktor Chukarin of the Soviet Union.

1956 Melbourne Olympics At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Ono became the first Japanese gymnast to win an individual Olympic gold medal, claiming the title on the horizontal bar.

1960 Rome Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome represented Ono's most successful Games. He was selected as the flag bearer for Japan during the opening ceremony. Despite this, he contributed to Japan's successful defence of the team gold medal before the home crowd. Kiyoko Ono died on 13 March 2021.