Brave Hearts

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Eye Care Foundation

Page 87

The Brave Hearts
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guidance of his parents. In the next three years he achieved a complete transformation of his body. At the age of 17, Bob with a height of 6 ft. and 2 in. and weighing 190 lb. became a strong young man. He started playing football and basketball regularly. No one now looked at him with pity. On the contrary he became a model of fitness in his school.
In 1948, Bob's physical instructor Vergil Jackson asked him to try his hand at the athletic event called the decathlon. He was more Bob Mathias than eager for such an opportunity although prior to that he had never taken part in events like the pole vault, long distance run, javelin throw or high jump. And yet when his coach commanded him to try the decathlon, he did not fight shy. He tried it with all the strength he could muster and succeeded in it, so much so that, in the next few months he registered many victories. His achievements were so glaring that he was selected to participate in the 1948 Olympics as a member of the U.S. team for the most difficult event of the games, namely, the decathlon. He was only 17 years of age then. No one else in the history of the U.S. had obtained the distinction of representing their country at such a young age.
All Olympic events are very keenly fought. There is neck and neck competition in each one of them. And Bob had to participate in one of the most difficult and tiresome events. Each participant in the event had to play the role of the entire team. It included, among other things, running, jumping, throwing and seven other disciplines. On the first day it
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