Al Oerter with one of his paintings. Al Oerter, Olympic Discus Champion, 71
Four-time discus champion Al Oerter died today in a hospital near his home in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, USA. The track and field star had struggled with high blood pressure and heart problems, his wife says.
His four golds from 1956 to 1968 make him the only track and field athlete besides Carl Lewis to win consecutive championships in the same event. Unlike Lewis, however, Oerter set an Olympic record for each of his golds. At the age of 32, he made a personal best throw of 212 feet, 11 inches at the Mexico City Olympics.
Twelve years later, he won a spot as an alternate for the Moscow Olympics but missed out due to the U.S. boycott.
In the same year, he started painting – with his discus. The Anheuser-Busch program that commissioned Oerter and other renowned athletes to paint with their equipment opened a new passion for him. Oerter would go on to found Art of the Olympians – a network of Olympians dedicated to demonstrating the relationship between sport and art in their artwork. His artwork can be seen at www.aloerter.com
“The Olympic Movement lost one of its great ambassadors today with the passing of Al Oerter,” says USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth.
Controversial Cyclist Wins at UCI Worlds
Paolo Bettini of Italy won gold at the UCI Road World Championships, despite attempts to ban him from competition by German officials for refusing to sign UCI’s voluntary anti-doping pledge. Paolo Bettini says he's taking a shot back at all the critics who have taken aim at him. (Getty Images)
In celebrating the victory, he stretched his arms to mimic a rifle shooter.
"So many people have been shooting at me this week but I wasn't shooting at anyone in particular," Bettini said at a news conference after the race.
“I still feel angry, just as I did before the race."
Bettini also plans to take legal action against a television station in Germany that accused him of doping.
"I won't let anyone damage my reputation," he said. "People who've said things against me will have to show proof or they will have to pay."
Japan Canoe President Named Prime Minister
Yasuo Fukuda, President of the Japan Canoe Federation, was elected as President of the country’s Liberal Democratic Party, resulting in his appointment as Prime Minister of Japan. Fukuda has served as member of Japan’s House of Representatives, deputy director of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Chief Cabinet Secretary to former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.
FEI President Messenger of Peace
HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, president of the International Equestrian Federation, was named one of seven messengers of peace by the United Nations. Among the humanitarian efforts of HRH Princess Haya, she served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the World Food Programme from 2005 to 2007, and chairs the Board of Directors of the International Humanitarian City.
Marathon Record Falls
Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia set a world record of 2:04:26 at the Berlin Marathon September 30.Haile Gebrselassie crosses the finish line during his world record run in Berlin. (Victah Sailer/IAAF) The record is 29 seconds faster than Paul Tergat’s record, which was set in Berlin in 2003.
After the race, Gebrselassie apologized to his friend Tergat. Tergat congratulated his friendly rival for the record.
Gebreselassie has won four of the last six marathons he finished and also is one of three men to win consecutive Olympic 10,000 meters titles.
IPC Archery World Championships Underway
More than 240 Paralympic archers from 37 countries are gathered in Cheongju, Korea for the IPC Archery World Championships.
Arrivals and equipment checks are already underway. Competitions begin Oct. 5 and end Oct. 9.
Doha Announcement Imminent
The Doha 2016 bid committee will launch its official bid in a gala celebration at the Corniche on Oct. 25.
The committee will launch the Doha 2016 logo, motto and website at the event.
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
