By Brian Kluepfel
Special to AsianWeek
Japanese Americans have attained the highest sporting honors imaginable: NCAA basketball championships, Wimbledon tennis crowns and Olympic Gold Medals. While much is made of current Japanese athletes like Ichiro and Shinjo, a group of brave and remarkable nisei have gone unsung — until now. The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) honored five pioneering athletes with the creation of its new Japanese Sports Hall of Fame, which got a royal opening at Pacific Bell Park this past Saturday.
Ann Kiyomura Hayashi, Wataru “Wat” Misaka, Tommy Kono, Kristi Yamaguchi and Wally Yonamine were the first inductees into the Hall of Fame, which the JCCCNC plans to make part of its regular touring exhibits. Although Hayashi still lives in Northern California, the others came from far and wide to attend: Misaka from Utah, Kono from Hawai‘i, and Yonamine all the way from Japan. Each talked about their beloved sports, and how they felt about the athletes of today...
