The kid from California was only 17, and almost unknown. But last week in Wembley Stadium, husky 6 ft. 2 in. Bob Mathias, in two days' grueling competition, outran, outthrew, and outjumped 34 competitors, to win the Olympic Games decathlon. In victory, at an age when most youngsters are still gangling and ill-coordinated, he had proved his right to be classed with such all-round athletes as Carlisle's Jim Thorpe and West Point's Glenn Davis.
It took staying power and icy nerve, as well as muscle and precision. The first day, under dismal rain, he had sweated through the 100-meter dash, broad jump,...
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