European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 31, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse In Munich or How much discus can a discus thru Vyr throw heave to olympic Gold medallist Mae Wlikins by Mike Spear staff writer be Day very soon there is going to be a Ter explosion in ground Zero will in fit a club in Lite Western suburb of Munich called Natii Nutima and Hie blast May Rock a Larue Section of thai Nan of the heres How it will be to Gertud own in the basement of the sports club est olympic Gold medallist and discus thrower Mac Maurice Wilki rtt will he pumping Iron As is Hia custom somewhere during the Middle or latter part of his training and tins May come after his third meal of the Day but by no Means his he will suddenly self out Trust lie May be Dinu Bench Pruss or Arm it Doest matter much what docs matter and what set Milf the explosion is his i rive in pack on morn i he called me a a and a 90day Wilkins says with an Simu Sod smile while waiting to use the weight machines in this basement Al the Onciu tubing sports club he has shaved off his Beard since inc olympics bul kept a moustache lie explains briefly what happened in a quiet unemotional Duft Bari tone on every mans Fraim there is a limit to Htow much muscle it will and one look at Wilkins will Tell even inc casual observer that he is redlining the i Init i scope the discus tanks like a pipe at pocket Chan i in his Large hand his logic is simple tip ugh More Means More strength and More forc Nonh Means he can throw Tow discus so while Wilkins is lifting the food from the Prev lot three meals will convert that one additional cell to muscle and the will go his body will Pale and in the resulting Wei Htit Atid exer Cise machines May be Flung As far As the Zug Spitze or inc Brenner some would say that its in keeping with his per he has been called controversial and if bad boy of the olympics in Montreal last year int a fair one thing is certain me win Peak out against what he is it was speaking out that gut him into a heated Exchange with officials in particularly with olympic committee president Philip Long before his Goldmedal performance which was one of the few Bright spots for the in the the thought time at times is More important than the actual physical thinking about my what i want to what i want to Haj the problem was that team was supposed to go to the olympic Village from to Miles id Days Cloro my there were 13 people living in my olympic Village apartment which had two a a living room and so there we rent enough weights to train with and coaches childishly locked them up so we use i had the feeling the Best Way to train was to stay in Pittsburgh where conditions were they said it would Coal too Money to keep the Plattsburgh facility open and that it was too much Trou ble shuttling athletes Back and but the East germans and bulgarians All had their training Camps in some As two hours away from and they shuttled letes one and two Days before their Competition so that their allotted dormitory Speed want f i it got to the Point where if 1 was going to was going to Tram the Way 1 knew so she Putur Ftp Eracli and 1 just stayed in were a lot of threats and a lot of other things on that were completely insane on the part of the olympic to we fort in Huv d and id Between that Lime you can sneak out after work or twice a wok and on weekends and and sure you work s to s and be a respectable cell Saya lie smiled on the Victory Bland simply be cause it was was Conj using 1 Tell lie has Strong criticism of television olympics cover it was a Media it didst matter if it was sport or anything like what they presented on Abc to was not what was taking i mean they presented something dial was quite superficial and they what to sell and they sell it to millions of americans who know i dont know that its necessary Folk heroes out of Olga Korbut in 72 and Nadia Comanici in 76 and the coaches and the people throw us off the team if we didst report to Willin h hours or Wilkins statement to tie press at about the situation brought the attack from Knuit feels he won he says last fall bounced the opening of an olympic training Camp at Squaw and what he said in the announce Root were Itne things he criticized me for saying in there was other alter winning the cold i woo it or and the fact that he Sra Ltd broadly White on us Vic tory stand when Many other athletes were shedding made Many feel that he Wai a we Fly smart he for me to win the Gold medal Doest flir patriotic perhaps it was 9 reaction to people expecting me to say gee this is the biggest moment of Ray from a different than the average american so called sports it was a reaction to an attitude that i feel is highly nationalistic and Overly political and in not that a lot of people took offence at that statement but that not to say in not going to share it with there Are certain people who made sign Ifica Contr no tiros to my life and the relationship to these people is so significant that i would t want to debase it by to Thwe people in an interview Over in glad i m an american and americans Are sharing the medal be cause in an american if i want America have won Ute Gold medal in the perhaps it was a reaction to the attitude that Doest really give a Damn about anything except every four years you have to go to the olympics and you have to win a medal and you have to share it with Page 14 the stars and stripes wearing Victory smile and heard at a
