Great Disabled Athletes: Olympic Gold-Medallist George Eyser
The world of sports is fascinated by great sporting champions; those types of people who overcome great adversity and hardship to make it to the top of their field in the end. Sports fans are particularly impressed and awestruck
by athletes who are able to overcome a disability to great success in their field. One of these athletes was George Eyser. This American athlete, who lost his leg in an accident, went on to win several gold medals at the 1904 Olympic Games (The Summer Olympics).
He showed the world and all the rest of the athletes that even a person with one leg is not to be underestimated in the world of sports. Eyser competed before the Paralympics were set up and managed to beat able-bodied athletes at the time. This great man
has become an inspiration to us all.
George Eyser was born in 1871 and was a German immigrant living in America. He initially trained to be a bookmaker but then a freak accident changed his life forever. At some point in his youth - the exact date is not known - Eyser
lost most of his left leg when a train ran over it. It had to be amputated and he was fitted with a wooden prosthetic leg which allowed him to do basic activities. He was even able to run and jump with the wooden leg. He was a keen sportsman throughout his
life and he proved it at the 1904 Olympic Games. He was granted US citizenship in 1894 and went on to represent the USA at the Olympics.
In 1904, the third Olympic Games were held in St. Louis, Missouri. They were the first Games to feature medals being given to the first, second and third place winners. Before that, trophies had been handed out to winners. These
Olympics were interesting because they had a very confusing series of competitions that made up the different events. The Games were actually held over a period of several months and the gymnastics competition was particularly confusing. This early Olympic
Games featured two different sets of gymnastics events; the first one was the International Turners' Championship and this was made up of all-round, triathlon and various team events. The second set of competitions was the Olympic Gymnastics Championships
and this was made up of seven different individual apparatus events and a combined event.
Eyser competed in the first competition, the International Turner’s Championship, and did very poorly. He failed to win anything and performed very badly in all the events. He tried his luck at the second set of events and was
then a participant in the Olympic Gymnastics Championships. He did much better this time around and blew away the competition with some solid performances. On the 29th of October, he won 6 medals out of which three were gold ones. Eyser managed
to get the gold medals in the parallel bars, the long horse vault and the 25-foot rope climb. He also managed to get two silver medals and a bronze one as well.
This fascinating man seemed to be standing all on his own as the greatest athlete with one leg to compete in the Olympic Games, until 2008. That was the year when South African swimmer Natalie du Toit, who, competing with a prosthetic
leg, finished 16th in the 10km marathon.
After retiring from gymnastics, Eyser continued to train and was a part of the Concordia club and led his team to great victories in later life as well. This talented athlete did not let the fact that he had only one leg stop his
rise to the top of his sport and he is an inspiration to all able bodied and disabled athletes out there today. He achieved something that no one before him or after him has been able to do. His is a huge feat and he will always be remembered for it.
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