Word: decathlons
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...character as well as by prowess, Rafer Johnson, 25, comes close indeed to fulfilling the ancient Olympic ideals of the dedicated, all-around athlete. His event is the ten-part (see cuts) decathlon-a whole track meet in miniature-which combines the classic demands of speed, stamina, strength and spirit. At 6 ft. 3 in., 196 Ibs., Johnson seems to have been molded especially for the decathlon. He has the slim, knobby-kneed legs of a sprinter. But above his trim, 35-in. waist, he is built like a weight man, with a torso that mushrooms...
This summer Johnson scored 8,683 points* in the decathlon to break by 326 points the world record of Russia's Vasily Kuznetsov, 28. In the eyes of many coaches of many sports, this qualifies Johnson as the finest athlete in the world. Johnson remains unsatisfied. "Rafer has always seen his objectives with almost frightening clarity." says a friend. The present objective-amounting almost to an obsession-of Decathlon Star Rafer Johnson is to win a gold medal in Rome...
...Decathlon Man." There never was any doubt that Rafer would be an athlete. "First thing I remember about Rafer," says Benton Bowen, co-publisher of the weekly Kingsburg Recorder, "was that my daughter came telling that the principal had asked the new boy to stop hitting the baseball so hard-he was breaking all the bats...
...sweat, Rafer Johnson collapsed wearily on a folding chair at the University of Oregon's track field last Saturday. "It's ridiculous," he muttered. "The whole thing's ridiculous.'' The 4,500 cheering spectators sympathized-but disagreed. In his first competitive fling at the decathlon-among the most grueling of all sports events-since he injured his back in an automobile accident last year, Johnson had just turned in the greatest individual performance in modern track history. In last week's Olympics decathlon trials, Johnson amassed 8,683 points and eclipsed by a fantastic...
...Rome, where he is starring in a beef-and-brawn movie for United Artists. Bob Mathias, 29, the 1948 and 1952 Olympic decathlon champion, heaved a shot at the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union, which has barred him from further amateur competition because he is now a professional actor. "We can't catch the Russians in sports until the A.A.U. changes its rules on amateurs.'' said he. Mathias' flat prediction on this year's Olympic games: "The Russians will...