Eizo Kenmotsu

Eizo Kenmotsu
Personal information
Born (1948-02-13) February 13, 1948
Okayama Prefecture, Japan
Height161 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Gymnastics career
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Country
represented
 Japan
Medal record
Olympic Games
1968 Mexico CityTeam
1972 MunichTeam
1976 MontrealTeam
1972 MunichAll-around
1976 MontrealPommel horse
1976 MontrealHorizontal bar
1968 Mexico CityHorizontal bar
1972 MunichPommel horse
1972 MunichParallel bars
World Championships
1970 LjubljanaTeam
1970 LjubljanaAll-around
1970 LjubljanaHorizontal bar
1974 VarnaTeam
1974 VarnaParallel bars
1978 StrasbourgTeam
1978 StrasbourgParallel bars
1970 LjubljanaFloor
1970 LjubljanaPommel horse
1970 LjubljanaParallel bars
1978 StrasbourgAll-around
1979 Fort WorthTeam
1974 VarnaAll-around
1974 VarnaPommel horse
1974 VarnaHorizontal 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.

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. 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 the vault–at their respective first Olympic Games.