Word: juantorena
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...runners dominated the track events, giving their foes double trouble. One was a horse: Cuba's 6-ft. 3-in., 185-lb. Alberto Juantorena. The other, a wraith: Finland's 5-ft. 11-in., 132-lb. Lasse Viren. Between them they not only took four gold medals, they wrote unprecedented achievements into the record book...
...When Juantorena, a 24-year-old graduate student in economics, followed up his world-record performance in the 800 meters (1:43.5) with a win four days later in the 400 meters, he achieved a double rarely attempted in the Olympics, and never before successfully. The two races have different physical demands-the 400 needs more speed, the 800 more strength-and because of the qualifying heats, require a runner to turn in seven world-class performances in seven days. None of this fazed Juantorena, whose biggest hazard might have been a crick in the neck-he kept looking over...
...Rick Wohlhuter thought the muscular Cuban had played right into his hands by speeding up the race when there were still 400 meters to go. But when Wohlhuter, usually a consummate 800 strategist, tried to overtake him as they turned into the final stretch, Juantorena just kept pouring it on. Wohlhuter fell back to third place in fatigue, his face contorted with pain and defeat as Juantorena muscled across the finish line and then skipped on in celebration...