George Woods (athlete)
Encyclopedia
George Woods was an Olympic track and field athlete.
As a senior at Sikeston High School
, Woods became the first Missouri
high school athlete to top 60 ft (18.3 m) in the shot put event, setting a Sikeston school record that still stands to this day. He would go on to attend Southern Illinois University
(Carbondale).
In a competitive career that spanned 3 Olympiads, Woods knew what it was to almost reach the top of the mountain. After winning the US Olympic track and field team trails in the shot put in 1968, he was overtaken by fellow American shot putter Randy Matson
(Texas A&M) in the Mexico City games, settling for the silver medal behind Matson’s Olympic record performance.
Four years later at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he again entered the games as the American Olympic trails champion and the favorite for Olympic gold. He came close, but was again denied Olympic gold. Wladyslaw Komar
, a virtual unknown from Poland, hurled a huge PR and Olympic record of 21.18 m (69 ft 5¾ in) on his first throw of the competition. Woods responded, steadily and methodically, reaching 21.17 m (69 ft 5½ inches) in the 4th round. While Komar never approached his opening effort throughout the series, Woods couldn’t pick up the final centimeter on his remaining 2 throws. He would settle for another silver medal. Woods would win the trails again in 1976, but finish out of the medal contention in Games of the Montreal Olympiad.
Woods had a great indoor career, winning national championships in 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1973. His 1973 meet record of 69 ft 9½ in stood as the meet record for 20 years. A year later in 1974, Woods set the indoor world record at 22.02 m (72 ft 3 in), a mark that would stand for 11 years. He ranks 5th among shot putters all time indoors, and his record throw is the 10th longest indoor effort of all time. His outdoor best ranks him in the top 40 putters of all–time worldwide, an amazing statistic after nearly 30 years.
He was inducted to the USATF National Track and Field Hall of Fame
in 2007.
As a senior at Sikeston High School
Sikeston High School
Sikeston High School, also known as SHS, is a public secondary school in Sikeston, Missouri.-History:The Sikeston Public Schools system held its first four-year high school graduation commencement in 1904. In 1924, Sikeston built a segregated school to be used only by African American students...
, Woods became the first Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
high school athlete to top 60 ft (18.3 m) in the shot put event, setting a Sikeston school record that still stands to this day. He would go on to attend Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
(Carbondale).
In a competitive career that spanned 3 Olympiads, Woods knew what it was to almost reach the top of the mountain. After winning the US Olympic track and field team trails in the shot put in 1968, he was overtaken by fellow American shot putter Randy Matson
Randy Matson
James Randel Matson is a former United States Olympic shot put thrower. In 1968 he stood , and weighed about .-Early years:...
(Texas A&M) in the Mexico City games, settling for the silver medal behind Matson’s Olympic record performance.
Four years later at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he again entered the games as the American Olympic trails champion and the favorite for Olympic gold. He came close, but was again denied Olympic gold. Wladyslaw Komar
Wladyslaw Komar
Władysław Komar was a Polish shot put champion, who was born in Kaunas. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won the gold medal at Munich in 1972....
, a virtual unknown from Poland, hurled a huge PR and Olympic record of 21.18 m (69 ft 5¾ in) on his first throw of the competition. Woods responded, steadily and methodically, reaching 21.17 m (69 ft 5½ inches) in the 4th round. While Komar never approached his opening effort throughout the series, Woods couldn’t pick up the final centimeter on his remaining 2 throws. He would settle for another silver medal. Woods would win the trails again in 1976, but finish out of the medal contention in Games of the Montreal Olympiad.
Woods had a great indoor career, winning national championships in 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1973. His 1973 meet record of 69 ft 9½ in stood as the meet record for 20 years. A year later in 1974, Woods set the indoor world record at 22.02 m (72 ft 3 in), a mark that would stand for 11 years. He ranks 5th among shot putters all time indoors, and his record throw is the 10th longest indoor effort of all time. His outdoor best ranks him in the top 40 putters of all–time worldwide, an amazing statistic after nearly 30 years.
He was inducted to the USATF National Track and Field Hall of Fame
National Track and Field Hall of Fame
The National Track and Field Hall of Fame located within the Armory Foundation at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, between 168th and 169th Streets, in Washington Heights, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field...
in 2007.