Al Oerter

Al Oerter was an American discus thrower who won four consecutive Olympic gold medals from 1956 through 1968, setting an Olympic record at each Games.

1956 Summer Olympics: The Melbourne Games, where Al Oerter won his first Olympic discus title. Oerter's first gold began the four-Games sequence.
Discus throw: A track-and-field throwing event in which an athlete spins and releases a disc for distance. Oerter's specialty depended on mastering this event's rotational throw.
Virgilijus Alekna: A Lithuanian discus thrower who won Olympic gold in 2000 and 2004. Alekna later matched Oerter's achievement of consecutive Olympic discus titles.
Four consecutive Olympic gold medals: A sequence of gold medals won in the same Olympic event at four successive Summer Games. Oerter's discus victories from 1956 to 1968 established this rare benchmark.
1960 Summer Olympics: The Rome Games, where Al Oerter defended his Olympic discus title despite a rib injury. His second victory came while competing with a painful injury.
Discus: A circular throwing implement used in athletics, with weight and dimensions set by competition rules. Its flight and permitted dimensions define the implement Oerter threw.
Mac Wilkins: An American discus thrower who won Olympic gold at the 1976 Montreal Games. Wilkins followed Oerter as the next American Olympic champion in the event.
Olympic medal: An award given to athletes who place among the top finishers in an Olympic event. Oerter's four golds belong to the broader history of Olympic medals.
1964 Summer Olympics: The Tokyo Games, where Al Oerter won his third consecutive Olympic discus title. Oerter extended his winning streak at a third Games.
Rotational movement: Movement around an axis, used in throwing events to build speed before release. The spin allowed Oerter to generate momentum before releasing the discus.

Linked from 1 page