|
Page 2...Prefontaine
|
| | |
|
|
High School and College
|
|
|
|
Growing up in Coos Bay every kid played sports...it was just a way of life. So steve followed this tradition and tried out for Football. After being benched his entire freshman year he decided to try a different sport.....Cross Country. By his Junior year he was undefeated in Cross Country and by his senior year he had goals of being number one. In college Pre began his plans of making it to the Olympics. Pre became the first person ever to win 4 NCAA titles in one event(the 5000m).
|
|
|
|
The Olympics....
|
|
Just imagine....Having a goal in life, and everything you do in you day to day life goes to obtaining that goal. For Pre, his goal was a gold medal. He was perhaps the best shot that the U.S. has ever had at getting a gold metal in the 5000m. This race is said to be his best. It shows exactly how much heart and guts Pre actually had. The race started out slow. No one really wanted to take the lead. For pre this was bad because he was the slowest kicker of the group. With a mile to go Pre jumped to the front of the pack. He cut the pace drasticly and dropped many from the pack. Only 3 remained. With 600m to go Pre unleashed a potent kick. Lasse viren from Finland took the lead with a lap to go. Pre tried to go around him throughout the last lap but was blocked in each time. In the last straight he used all his energy and tried one last time but failed. Pre staggered in and received a 4th place finish....no American has placed higher since.
|
|
|
|
His Death....
|
No one knows what really happened that night on the way home. It was late in the evening and Pre had a few drinks but nothing to impare his driving. The people in the area said they heard brakes slam and then a crash....and with that the greatest runner America has ever seen was gone. The lungs that brought him many records could not withsatnd the pressure from the car and he suffacated to death. In his short life span Pre made a remarkable impact on the nation. For athletes he helped to stop the harsh treatment by the Amatuer Association. For the people he was a tremendous role model for runners of all ages. His heart and dedication to the sport of running will never be matched. He is an example of what American runners should strive to be.
| |
|
|
Favourite links
| |
| |
