Mac Maurice Wilkins (born November 15, 1950) is an American athlete….who competed mainly in the discus throw. Wilkins competed for the United States in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada in the discus throw….where he won the gold medal with a distance of 221′ 5″ to defeat Wolfgang Schmidt of East Germany by four feet. Wilkins also won a silver medal with the discus at the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles….after missing the 1980 Moscow Games due to the American boycott…and thanks to US President Jimmy Carter….who used politics to taint the Olympics.. He was 5th in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul Korea….culminating an Olympic career that spanned 12 years….thus matching his longtime rival, Al Oerter.
Wilkins broke the World’s Record Four times in his career. During his discus throw series on May 1, 1976 in San Jose, California….as he set the world record three times with consecutive throws of 69.80 m, 70.24 m, and 70.86 m. Mac was ranked #1 in the World in 1976 and 1980 in the discus. He was National Champion indoors in the shot put in 1977 with a best of 21.06m, 69′ 1.5″.
Any way you cut the pie….USA Mac Wilkens and Al Oerter are the top two rungs on the ladder of great Olympic discus throwers.
