Dave Wottle is a name that may not ring many bells. As a veteran Olympian and a middle-distance runner, he was a sportsperson that many of the older generations may have considered as an inspiration. Born in 1950 in Cleveland, Ohio, he was not a boisterous kid. But, took to running to improve his physique. His habit stuck through, and he took to running at the college level, doing 800m and 1500m races. Primarily as a mile runner, his best race in life came in 1972 at the Munich Olympics.?

The 1972 Olympics not only earned him a place on the podium but also a place in the fan’s follow list. He also came to be called by nicknames like “The Head Waiter” and “Wottle the Throttle”. This is his story of falling behind but never slacking off.?

Dave Wottle remembers the historical ’72 race

Wottle may be 70, but his memories of the event are fresh as day. The 1972 Olympics 800m race was not a comfort zone for him. As more of a middle-distance runner, he recounts how he ended on the starting line. His coach had ushered him into the event, saying it was a?”kind of as a speed workout for the 1,500 meters.”?But, Wottle was not prepared to take the challenge and that showed up in the first 100m of the race. He fell behind everyone. Dave shared his thoughts saying how he felt ‘depressed’ and ‘unfit’. But, according to his interview with CNN, he had an adrenaline kick.

Dave said how he started to advance by keeping his gaze fixated on the athletes at the front. As the race kept progressing, he delivered the best pace of his life, his pace kicked up at the final 200m of the track. His hope of ranking that had diminished began to reappear again.

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In the heat, he overtook the fan favorite, Yevgeniy Arzhanov. But the glory was not entirely his. Arzhanov won by 0.03 seconds, all due to a finishing fall. But one thing is for sure, it was Wottle’s performance that made the race go down as Olympic’s thrilling matches.?

How did Wottle’s athletic career fare out?

Wottle’s Olympic journey did not turn out rosy. After the 800m run, he failed to get much praise from his coach. Further, when he tried to qualify for the 1500m event, he was shy of the qualifying times and ushered out. Wottle remembered how one of his greatest glories soon turned into disappointment. He also had to face a few problems for wearing a golf cap on the medal podium. In 1974, his Olympics career was over and he took to other roles such as coaching. But, till today the sportsman that he is, Dave misses that adrenaline.?“I’ve forgotten a little bit of what I was seeing in the race, with the runners ahead of me and coming up. I kind of miss that …” was his final statement.?

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