Discus Throw, Men

In 1975, John Powell had broken the world record. He seemed to have a shot at gold in 1976, but then Mac Wilkins broke the record four times in early 1976, including three times in one meet in May 1976 in San José. His second record that day was the first throw ever over 70 metres. His only threat seemed to be East Germany’s Wolfgang Schmidt. Wilkins and Powell were not friends, while Wilkins and Schmidt were, which seemed incongruous but was true. In round two of the final, Willkins threw 67.50 (221-5½), which was his best mark of the competition and would win the gold medal. Powell was second with 65.70 (215-6¾) going into the final round. Then Schmidt unleashed 66.22 (217-3½) to move to the silver medal spot. Schmidt received a hug and handshake from Wilkins, which offended some American fans, as Schmidt, and East German, has just moved another America, Powell, down to a bronze medal. Schmidt was not a typical East German. He criticized his country’s Communist government and in 1982 was imprisoned for his behavior and his frequent association with Western athletes. He would be repatriated a bit and returned to competition after the fall of the Berlin Wall, finishing fourth at the 1991 World Championships.