FILE: Four-times Olympic discus champion American Al Oerter dies aged 71

Olympic discus champion Al Oerter, winner of four consecutive Olympic titles, dies in Florida of heart failure. American discus thrower Al Oerter, who won four consecutive Olympic titles, died on Monday (October 1) of heart failure, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) said. Oerter died in hospital in Fort Myers, Florida. He was 71. He and long jumper Carl Lewis are the only Olympic athletes to win athletics gold medals in four consecutive Games. "The Olympic Movement lost one of its great ambassadors today with the passing of Al Oerter," USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth said in a statement. "His legacy is one of an athlete who embodied all of the positive attributes associated with being an Olympian," Ueberroth added. "He performed on the field of play with distinction and transferred that excellence to the role of advocate for the Olympic Movement and its ideals." Oerter won his first Olympic gold medal in 1956, then added titles in 1960, 1964 and 1968. Each time he set an Olympic record. "The sport of athletics has lost one of its foremost heroes," IAAF president Lamine Diack said in a statement. "He was a colossus of a man who towered over this event setting an impeccable example to the youth of his era and today." USA Track & Field chief executive Craig Masback praised Oerter for his accomplishments on and off the track. "What made him even more special was his excellence off the track, in pursuits ranging from community outreach to art," Masback said in a statement. "The track world has lost a legend, a hall of famer, and a true gentleman." After his competitive days, Oerter used art as a way to showcase the positive attributes of sport, the USOC said. His exhibit, "Art of the Olympians," has been displayed at the United Nations and other locations.

ITN Source | October 3, 2007

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