ANSWERS

Al Oerter Jr. grew up in New Hyde Park, a part of New York City. When he was a teenager it became clear that he had a talent for sports. It turned out that he was excellent at throwing the discus. While he was still in high school, he set a national high school record. At the time he used a different, lighter discus than that used by adult athletes. After finishing high school, Oerter studied at the University of Kansas. In 1956, when he was a second year student, he qualified for the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. At the time he was ranked sixth in the world of discus. He did not expect to win, because the competition was really tough. Yet he won in the end. In 1957 Oerter had a terrible car accident. People didn’t think he would ever go back to sport but he quickly recovered. He worked hard to be fit again. He graduated from the University of Kansas and continued to compete. He was sponsored by the New York Athletic Club. At the same time, he was working for Grumman Aircraft Corporation. It's difficult for many athletes to train, have a family, and work but Oerter managed to do it all. Although he didn’t compete in many events, he was getting better and better. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Oerter did well in the first round. He threw the discus farther than the world record distance, but he didn't do so well in the finals. His coach noticed that Oerter's left arm was not in the correct position because of pain and he asked a doctor for help. The doctor did his best but the person who helped Oerter the most was Rink Babka. Although he hardly knew Oerter, he gave him some great advice before Al made his final throw. Oerter thanked Rink for the advice and set a new Olympic record. Babka won the silver medal. Oerter was selected to compete in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. However, six days before the competition his doctors told him that he should wait six weeks before competing again. If not, he might suffer a lot. He ignored their advice, and left for Tokyo to become the second person in history to win the same Olympic event three times. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Jay Silvester was expected to win, but was beaten by Oerter who won yet again. Jay later said: “When you throw against Al, you don’t expect to win. You just hope.” Although Oerter retired in 1969, he planned to return in 1980 to win his fifth gold medal at the Olympics in Moscow. However, the U.S. team did not take part in the Games because of the political conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. Oerter didn't have the chance to show what he could do.