Al Oerter Biography

Former Olympic discus thrower who won four consecutive Olympic titles in the same event. He stood 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 297 pounds when he competed and won gold in the 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968 Olympic Games. In each Olympics he broke the previous Olympic record, beat the world-record holder, and overcame an injury. Before the 1964 Olympics he had internal bleeding and severe pain on his throwing side, yet he still competed and won. Oerter worked full-time as a computer executive on Long Island and trained for the Olympics at the same time. After he retired from the sport, he became a well-traveled motivational speaker.