The Olympics: The Original Ideal

Of all Olympic competition, the decathlon most closely reflects the original Greek ideal of all-round athletic excellence. An entire track and field meet in miniature, its ten events in two days add up to the toughest individual test of speed, stamina, strength and spirit ever devised. The man who wins the Olympic decathlon well deserves to be known as the finest athlete in the world. That man last week was William Anthony Toomey, a 29-year-old schoolteacher from Santa Barbara, Calif., who not only captured the gold medal but set an Olympic record...