Oerter Wins Third Gold Medal. Until 1996, when track-and-field legend Carl Lewis won his fourth straight Olympic gold medal in the long jump, only one athlete had demonstrated similar consistency: discus thrower Al Oerter. In the 1964 Olympic Games, Oerter showed the world the meaning of grit and desire when he fought through debilitating injuries and produced a world-beating discus toss to win his third consecutive gold medal. He won his fourth consecutive gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. . Oerter Wins Third Gold Alfred A. Oerter, Jr., refused to allow his physical limitations to stand in the way of his goal--to become the greatest discus thrower the world had ever known. That spirit burned brightly in 1964 at the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Oerter, then 28, had won gold medals in two consecutive Olympics--at the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia, and in 1960 in Rome, Italy. So unlikely were those first two triumphs that the element of surprise seemed destined to become Oerter's trademark. In 1964 when he captured his third gold medal, he was competing with a neck injury and torn cartilage in his rib cage. He won the medal with an Olympic-record mark. In 1955 Oerter earned a track scholarship to the University of Kansas, where he ran the mile and studied business. One day he picked up a discus and casually heaved it far across the training field. A coach took instant notice. A year later Oerter was in Melbourne competing with the best discus throwers in the world. Commentators gave Oerter little chance to win a medal, much less the gold. After all, he had never even won a collegiate meet. To everyone's shock--including Oerter's--the 19-year-old New York native broke the Olympic record in his first toss of the final round. His throw of 184 ft 11 in (56.36 m) topped world record holder Fortune Gordien's best effort by more than 1.5 m (5 ft). Oerter's disbelief was so intense that his knees buckled as he stood on the podium to receive the gold medal. A year later Oerter was badly injured in a car accident. His recovery would be the first of many throughout his long career, and he soon resumed his dominant place in the sport. In the two years leading up to the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he won every competition he entered. That streak ended, however, at the Olympic trials, when fellow American and world record holder Richard "Rink" Babka beat him. Once again Oerter battled back. He qualified for the finals in Rome with an Olympic record effort. In the medal round, however, he trailed Babka with only one throw remaining. In a display of sportsmanship, Babka told Oerter about a slight flaw in his delivery. Oerter made the adjustment and threw an Olympic record and personal best of 194 ft 2 in (59.18 m). Oerter thanked Babka, who graciously accepted the silver medal. On May 18, 1962, Oerter became the first person to throw the discus more than 200 ft (60 m), establishing a world record. Twice in the next two years he lost and then regained the record. During that span he also suffered a slipped disc in his neck. Every time he threw the discus, pain shot down his left arm, the one he used to generate speed within the throwing circle. "I began to anticipate the pain. It became a mental block," he told Sports Illustrated in 1964. As the 1964 Tokyo Olympics approached, Oerter realized that his injury would not be completely healed. A brace around his neck once again gave him the appearance of the underdog. In addition, his personal best was more than 1.5 m (5 ft) shy of the world record, held by Ludvik Danëk of Czechoslovakia. Danëk hadn't suffered a loss in his last 45 matches. Oerter qualified for the U.S. team, placing second behind Jay Silvester. Although Oerter was a long shot, he was in the hunt for his third consecutive gold medal. More challenges would come, however. While training in Tokyo less than a week before the competition, he tore cartilage in his lower rib cage. Doctors ordered him to drop out of the Olympics and suspend training for at least six weeks. Oerter disregarded their advice. According to Oerter in Bud Greenspan's 100 Great Moments in Olympic History, "I was bleeding internally. I couldn't move. But these are the Olympics. You die for them." Few expected Oerter to show up for the qualifying rounds. Nevertheless he did, with several parts of his 6-foot-4-inch, 270-pound body wrapped in tape, packed in ice, and numbed with Novocain. After doffing his neck brace, he propelled the discus a miraculous 198 ft 7.5 in (60.5 m) in his first effort, achieving another Olympic record. Wrenched with pain, Oerter told a teammate before the start of the final round that his only chance to win was with a strong first throw. His initial effort, however, measured only 189 ft 1 in (57.63 m). Danëk's best effort of 198 ft 7 in (60.53 m) put him in first place. Danëk might have done better had he not been suffering from a neck injury similar to Oerter's. Indeed, the Czech's performance was more than 4 m (13 ft) short of his own world record. American David Weill came in at 195 ft 2 in (59.49 m), good for second place. Ranked third with only one toss remaining, Oerter faced the most daunting challenge of his career. As he entered the circle to throw the discus out, the crowd grew still. Observers seemed to feel admiration and sympathy for this courageous athlete. Oerter's final, mighty heave left him doubled over in pain. He never saw the discus land. The crowd's reaction told him the story. The unlikely numbers flashed across the scoreboard: 200 ft 1.5 in (61 m). Oerter had done the impossible. He had endured seemingly debilitating injuries to win his third gold medal. In the process, he added his name to the shortlist of Olympic legends. That legendary status was elevated still further at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico four years later. At age 32, suffering from the same neck injury as well as a pulled thigh muscle, Oerter won his fourth consecutive gold medal. Again his triumph was filled with drama. Discarding his neck collar, Oerter bolted from fourth place into the lead with a toss of 212 ft 6 in (64.77 m)--yet another Olympic record and personal best. Silvester, the world-record holder at the time, was so demoralized that he committed fouls in his final three efforts. "When you throw against Oerter, you don't expect to win. You just hope," Silvester once told Sports Illustrated. "He's the toughest man in track and field." Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
