The discus dates back to the 
ancient Olympics.  Made of metal 
and varying in size and weight, the
discus was thrown back then 
using a technique similar to that of 
today's athletes.

The first modern Olympic winner in
the discus was an American 
college student, Robert Garrett, 
who was actually a shot putter 
from Princeton.  He had never 
seen a discus before the 
Olympics, but his performance 
was good enough to defeat the 
Greek champion's in 1896. 

The greatest Olympic discus 
thrower is American Al Oerter, 
who won Gold in four straight 
Olympics, from 1956 to 1968, each
time setting a new Olympic record. In each of his 4 Olympic 
appearances, Oerter was never 
the world record holder or the 
favorite to win the event.  Despite 
agonizing injuries in Tokyo -- he 
had a slipped disc, torn rib 
cartilage and was bleeding 
internally -- he threw for the Gold 
and broke the Olympic record on 
his final attempt, for a third Gold 
medal.  He went on to win a fourth,
at the age of 32, in Mexico City in 
1968.  Al Oerter is the only athlete 
to ever win 4 consecutive Gold 
medals in the same event in track &
field.