After World War II Akitomo Kaneko became a noted gymnast and one of the best coaches in the sport in Japan. Kaneko was selected to compete at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where he came fifth in the team all-round event and 10th in the parallel bars. Two years later he won a silver medal in the team event at the 1954 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Following his competitive career he became a high school teacher and a university professor but remained involved in gymnastics from a coaching perspective. Kaneko’s coaching became legendary, with him being hailed as the “brain of gymnastics” leading Japan into a golden age of the sport. He helped the men’s team to win all-round gold at the 1960 Roma Olympics, beginning a streak of 10 consecutive major world titles up to the 1978 World Championships. He also coached the great Sawao Kato, who won 12 Olympic medals during his career, including eight gold.
