by Rob Leachman from the “Leading a Goal-Driven Life” Series -Part V- This Series “You need to be careful with your husband,” she said to Bev, my wife. There was nothing prurient or nefarious implicit in this statement, but rather an expression of concern about my well-being. We were in the heart of California wine … Read more
Epilogue – A Growing Friendship by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series This Series For Daley Thompson after winning his second gold medal, his decathlon future seemed limitless, at least in his own mind. He had been open about his desire to win three gold medals. At the time, … Read more
“Titanic Battle in LA” by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series This Series Everyone likes a good rivalry, especially the media and particularly in the runup to an Olympic Games. The Thompson-Hingsen rivalry was gaining notoriety in the track and field world. And every four years, the fan base … Read more
Jurgen Hingsen, the “German Hercules” by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series This Series In the history of the decathlon, some of the greatest performances have been an outgrowth of intense rivalries, with athletes pushing each other to higher and higher scores. Rafer Johnson and C.K. Yang, Dan O’Brien … Read more
“A World Record and a Gold Medal” by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series This Series As the Olympic year of 1980 began, Daley Thompson was just twenty-one years old, had never won a major international decathlon competition, and the previous year had only competed in one decathlon, a … Read more
“Daley Thompson – A Reluctant Decathlete” by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series This Series As Daley Thompsons strode into the discus ring for the last of his three attempts in the event at the Los Angeles Olympics, the defending champion, gold medal favorite, and arguably the best decathlete … Read more
“A Fierce Rivalry and Genuine Animosity“ by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series “I can’t really hate people and thrive on beating people. That’s a negative thing. Hate can really turn on you—even though John Powell is an ass and I love to beat him,” as Mac Wilkins wryly … Read more
“A Three-Way Battle in Montreal” by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series Just as two Americans, Mac Wilkins and John Powell, were solidifying their positions atop the discus world, a talented athlete from East Germany, arguably the most athletic discus thrower of his time, injected himself into the intense … Read more
by Rob Leachman from the “Leading a Goal-Driven Life” Series -Part IV- “I don’t want to do a vision board,” I said to myself as I heard the assignment, my mind wandering to collages and other artsy projects I considered rather inane. My wife, Bev, and I were in the last weeks of a “prosperity” … Read more
May 25 – 29, 2015 by Rob Leachman The view was simply stunning, the last hues of the sun glistening through wispy clouds as it receded below the faraway horizon, a distant mesa in the western part of the canyon. That we were here was surreal, witnessing this magnificent sight that relatively few had ever … Read more
