Oerter, Alfred A. Jr.
Track and Field
b. Aug. 19, 1936, Astoria, NY
d. Oct. 1, 2007
An incredible competitor, Oerter was never favored to win an Olympic gold medal in the discus, yet he did it four times, each time beating the world record holder in the event. Three times he did it with a personal best throw.
As a sophomore at the University of Kansas, Oerter had not yet won a major competition when he entered the 1956 Olympics. Fortune Gordien of the U. S., the world record holder in the discus was favored to win, but Oerter's first throw went 184 feet, 11 inches, the best he'd ever done to that point, and Gordien couldn't beat it. In fact, Oerter had the three longest throws in the event.
Oerter finished second in the 1960 Olympic trials to Rink Babka, the world record holder, and he trailed Babka after four throws in the Olympic finals. On his fifth and final throw, he made a change in his style because of a suggestion from Babka and won the event with a distance of 194 feet, 2 inches.
On May 18, 1962, Oerter became the first to throw the discus more than 200 feet, with a world record of 200 feet, 5 inches. The record was broken shortly afterward, but Oerter regained it with a throw of 204 feet, 10 1/2 inches on July 1. He increased it to 205 feet, 5 inches on April 27, 1963, and to 206 feet, 6 inches on April 25, 1964.
That was his last world record, as Ludvik Danek of Czechoslovakia took over before the 1964 Olympics, when Oerter turned in a remarkably courageous performance. He suffered torn cartilage in his lower ribs a week before. Given a shot of novocaine and wrapped in ice packs and bandages to prevent internal bleeding, he remarked, "If I don't do it on the first throw, I won't be able to do it all."
But he was only in third place after four throws; Danik, who had won 45 consecutive meets, was in the lead. On his fifth attempt, Oerter somehow came up with a winning throw of 201 feet, 1 inch, then doubled over with pain.
Jay Silvester of the U. S. held the world record going into the 1968 Olympics and Oerter again had physical problems, a pulled thigh muscle and a disc problem that required him to wear a surgical collar. After a poor throw and a foul, he took off the collar and tossed it aside, then threw the discus 212 feet, 6 inches, five feet farther than he'd ever thrown it before. He became the first person to win a gold medal in the same event at four consecutive Olympics.
Oerter was the NCAA discus champion in 1957 and he tied for the title in 1958. He won the AAU national championship in 1957, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, and 1966. He also won a gold medal at the 1959 Pan-American Games.