The Men’s Greco-Roman +100 kg at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was part of the wrestling program were held at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA……featuring the gold medal winner USA Jeff Blatnick….then silver medalist Refik Memisevic of Yugoslavia….and the bronze winner was Romanian Victor Dolipschi…..but the real story of this video is the ABC Profile of the American wrestler from Schenectady, NY…..who had just been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma….a disease where the cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally and often spread beyond the lymphatic system…and for Jeff Blatnick, that meant having his cancerous spleen removed.
As ABC’s Kathleen Sullivan queries Blatnick in the studio….she tears up when she asks the question about what went through the wrestlers mind…..when he realized he had won the gold….and his response was one of pure class…..so in my sportsphile opinion…..when you add class to courage and commitment…..you get what makes sports so compelling….especially to a sportsphile like me.
Just FYI….Jeff Blatnick won the gold medal on that Thursday night of August 2, 1984…..as he defeated Tomas Johansson of Sweden 3 – 0 to claim gold….and so much more….a fight well fought the defines courage and commitment….what this lil ole Chiweenie dog calls….”the best of sport”….that’s what courage and commitment brings us all.
