Dave Wottle

Dave Wottle (actually David James Wottle ; born August 7, 1950 in Canton , Ohio ) is a former American middle-distance runner and Olympic champion over 800 meters .

Life

As a student at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Wottle won the silver medal over 800 meters in the 1970 NCAA championships . The following year he was sidelined due to several injuries, but then won over 1,500 meters in the NCAA championships. He became US champion over 800 meters and set the world record. At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich , he won the gold medal over 800 meters ahead of Yevgeny Arshanov from the Soviet Union and the Kenyan Mike Boit ; after 400 meters he was still in last position, but then overtook the entire field on the last lap. Wottle also took part in the 1,500-meter run, but could not qualify for the final run.

Since he was often able to win his competitions in this special way, the Dave Wottle strategy is still used today when a runner approaches the first 200 meters cautiously, then approaches the field and finally takes it by surprise. Thus, the candidate usually completes two equally fast laps. An active 800 meter runner today who runs the 800 meters according to the same scheme is Juri Borsakowski . Wottle's trademark was wearing an old golfer's cap while taking part in competitions.

In 1973 he won the NCAA championships in the mile run . He then graduated from Bowling Green State in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science majoring in history. In 1974 he became a professional runner with the International Track Association . From 1975 to 1977 he was an athletic trainer at Walsh College and from 1977 to 1981 at Bethany College, West Virginia. As a result, he went to the university administration of Rhodes College in Memphis , Tennessee , where he stayed until his retirement in 2012. Here, as dean, he was responsible for scholarships and admission issues before he was assistant to the university president in his final year. In 2013 he was the interim vice president of Millsaps College, responsible for admissions. In 2013 he held the same position at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. The path from the trainer to the university administration is quite common in the USA due to the integration of top-class sport into university sport.

Personal bests

• 800 m: 1: 44.3 min, July 1, 1972, Eugene
• 1500 m: 3: 36.2 min, June 28, 1973, Helsinki
• 1 mile: 3: 53.3 min, June 20, 1973, Eugene

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171129/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wo/dave-wottle-1.html on . June 21, 2016
2. ↑ http://www.all-athletics.com/node/285467
3. ↑ http://www.toledoblade.com/sports/2012/06/24/Memories-fresh-of-day-Wottle-shocked-world.html on . June 21, 2016
4. ↑ Dave Wottle (admissions staff biography) ( Memento of the original dated February 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Millsaps College.  
5. ↑ "[OWU] Interim Vice President for Enrollment, OWU Daily: September 30, 2013
6. ↑ Wottle, Dave (Spring 2014) "Running for Gold" ( Memento of the original from May 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . OWU Magazine . 
7. ^ Arnd Krüger : American sport between isolationism and internationalism. Competitive sport. 18: 1, pp. 43-47 (1988) ; 2, pp. 47-50 . June 21, 2016

Web links

• USA Track & Field Hall of Fame entry
• Interview with Dave Wottle ( Memento from October 5, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
• Dave Wottle in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Olympic victory in Munich 1972 (Youtube)