50 years ago - Dave Wottle came from WAY behind to win Olympic 800 gold

Thanks Rojo. For a young man, you make an admirable effort to connect with the great events of earlier years. You even came up to speed on Ted Corbitt who did highly modern things for the love of the sport. They say such people are “ahead of their time,” but he was authentically in his time and magically in ours, just ahead of everyone around him, essentially peerless in the black community and a true leader among runners.

I watched that race on its first broadcast. Whether it was live or on tape delay, it was exciting and new, pre-Internet, as if it was happening that moment. We already knew Dave was a sit and kick guy. Watched the race with my Dad, an oldtime sprinter from the Jesse Owens era (but just a local guy). As the second lap unfolded, we both said some version of “not this time” and we were happily, joyously wrong. I made an audiotape of the call of the race on a cassette tape by pressing the recorder against the fabric over the tv speaker as I sat on the floor watching the race.

I tried out as a freshman for my high school cross country team a year later. That tape and others from the ‘72 Olympics were great sources of inspiration during my high school years. That and segments of Shorter’s marathon win were my favorites. Some of the Mark Spitz races were pretty good too for that.

50 years goes by fast, trust me.

Rojo, in his write-up of the World Championships women’s 800m race, claimed he could not recall another global championship 800m race where someone had gone from last place at 400m to win the race. Here we are, one month later, and he’s finally able to remember one of the most iconic US Olympic medals in track and field. Get your memory checked, sir!

LRC note: A poster points out that there was another thread up on Wottle this week which includes a link to high quality race footage and an interview with Wottle.

Dave Wottle from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. They once had a pretty good track program and no longer even have a track team. Many MAC schools seem to deem Track & Field and/or XC as unimportant sports. Akron still hasn’t reinstated XC for men.

IIRC that previous post by Rojo asked about going from first to last and back to first in the last lap, not just last to first.

Watched this race as it was first broadcast. I was a huge Wottle fan and was heartbroken for the first lap and a quarter. Then magic happened and I learned that one should trust themselves and never give up. I wasn’t a great runner but Wottle helped me in more important ways.

Need help in clearing up foggy memory of an 800 race where the winner fell on the first lap and came back to win the race????

Stop lying.

Here's what was written

"Has anyone ever seen an 800 before where someone goes out in 1st, then goes to last and comes back to win it?"

so, complete different situation.

Whittle didn’t win with a big kick, he ran very even splits, just did t die like everyone else.

I think his fastest 200 split was his 3rd 200

Wottle didn't come from way back. Wottle ran perfectly even pace. The field faded from way in front.

There was a big piece on it on the home page of CNN

edition.cnn.com

Remembering Dave Wottle's thrilling victory at the Munich Olympics, a race that still inspires and entertains 50 years on | CNN

George Ramsay

The race may have happened half a century ago, but Dave Wottle can still feel every emotion he experienced that day in Munich -- from the dejection of the first 100 meters to the charge of adrenaline when he saw his name flas...

Open link

I think Wottle posted here a few times.

Wrong. The quote was from first to last and then back to first.

Great memory. Do you think the painter's hat was a disadvantage for Dave? Extra wind-resistance? Otherwise he wins by 20 meters! : )

Wow Bowerman really was a fraud and a scumbag.

The funny thing is, runners are no longer to wear hats? why?

Semantics. "Way back" refers to his relationship to the field, not the pace he and they were running. Wottle himself has acknowledged that he thought he was out of the race after the first 200m.

What is this in reference to?

It was a thrilling race, but not a fluke by any means. People often forget he had tied the WR in our Trials. I just wish his knees had been better and he'd gotten more of chance in the 1500m, which was probably his better distance. And if Ryun hadn't been tripped...

1.45.86. I see that 18 year-olds run that now and it was a good 3 or more seconds slower than what championship runners are doing today. It must be the "shoes". Or Wottle and Arzhanov, Boit and co hardly trained.

Looking at Wottle, I would bet that he was steroid free...