by Adrienne J. Mullikin
Jim Dunlap's 1994 study,
"Mountaineers in the
Olympics," was the main
source for this story.
For most athletes, the notion of competing in the Olympic
Games is an aspiration so spectacular, so supreme, that thoughts
of showcasing their athletic gifts on the world stage remain
unfocused visions. But for 14 exceptionally talented athletes
from WVU, those nebulous visions were sharpened into the reality
of representing the United States—and WVU—at the Olympics.
Rifle: 10 WVU Olympians
Since 1980, the WVU rifle team has won 13 NCAA titles. Yet before
that unprecedented dynasty began, West Virginia had a reputation
for superior shooters. At least one WVU shooter has gone to every
Olympics since 1968.
In 1960, following his success at WVU, which included winning an individual national title and being captain of WVU's first championship rifle team, Bruce Meredith sought to make the U.S. Olympic team.
Meredith tried out unsuccessfully for the 1960, 1968, 1976, 1980, and 1984 games. But he did not give up. Meredith became a resident of the Virgin Islands, and at age 50 was a member of the Virgin Islands team in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
When time finally came for the long-awaited competition, weather conditions were far from optimal: dark, cloudy, and foggy. "It was the only match in my life that I shot and I couldn't see the target," said Meredith.
Meredith decided to give it one more try at the Barcelona games in 1992. There, he placed 31st out of 55 competitors. "I felt better because it was a better reflection of what I could do. It meant a lot to me to be able to come back and improve," explained Meredith.
"It was great to be there, but I think it is probably more exciting for the kids than for the people who are a little older and have been around. I think the most important thing to remember about the Olympics is that it is a lot of average people doing above-average things."
In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, Jack Wright became the first Mountaineer shooter to earn an Olympic gold medal. Two other outstanding Olympic shooters to come out of WVU were Ed Etzel and John Rost.
Etzel qualified for the 1984 games in Los Angeles. After shooting a perfect 600 in the trials, Etzel then proceeded to tie the Olympic record with a 599, winning the gold medal. His instant fame earned him a guest appearance on Good Morning America.
Now a sports psychologist at WVU, Etzel had always aspired to make it to the Olympics. "From the time I was a teenager, through my college years, and my time in the military, it was something I was shooting for, no pun intended," said Etzel.
"The Olympics can be very distracting to an athlete. I wanted to be in good physical shape to deal with it. There were about 3,000 people there and ABC television had their cameras on me at all times. As if that wasn't enough, I could look up to see my mother, brother, aunts, uncles, and even an old college roommate I hadn't seen in years. So all of that made it a little strange. It was kind of a blur."
Unforgettable Experiences
Like Etzel, John Rost also earned the privilege of shooting against
the world's best in the 1984 Olympics. Rost placed sixth in the
1984 with a 593, only six points off Etzel's gold medal-winning
score—but not good enough to be a medalist.
"It wouldn't have taken much to improve my score to the point where I would have medaled," said Rost. "I didn't feel as though I should have been disappointed in any way. It was my best shot and I was happy with that."
During the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Dave Johnson placed 11th in air rifle and 12th in three-position rifle. Another WVU shooter who excelled was Web Wright, who competed in Seoul in 1988.
"I just kind of thought the Olympics were an expected thing," said Wright. His unyielding determination and remarkable precision brought him to that level, and Wright was confident in his ability to contend with the world's best athletes. But once he arrived in Seoul, he encountered a few obstacles that overwhelmed him.
The media attention was almost stifling. "I guess people in other sports like basketball or boxing are used to that type of coverage, but they were all over the place," recalled Wright. "There were times when I wanted to be on my own, but there was always something going on. I was trying to get in the right mental state, but it didn't work out like that."
Shooting in poor weather, Wright tied for 24th overall. A perfectionist, he was furious with his finish. However, he never lost sight of the fact that this experience placed him among the world's elite.
"I was really disappointed and it took about two weeks before I could talk to anyone about it," said Wright. "The dark and windy conditions made it difficult for everyone. It was frustrating. But being around 13,000 of the world's greatest athletes was something I will never forget."
In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, two more members of the WVU rifle team basked in the Olympic spotlight: Ann-Marie Pfiffner and Mike Anti. Neither was able to capture a medal.
"That would have been the icing on the cake," Anti recalled. "Knowing that I had reached a goal that I had set when I was very young was satisfying. I enjoyed watching people receive their medals. That's something that I will never forget. I learned how important it is to set goals. No matter how far out of reach they may seem, they are attainable and that makes life exciting. If you don't have goals, I think you are just kind of drifting out there."
"I was relaxed and able to enjoy myself because I knew that I belonged there," said Pfiffner. "I had the chance to come face-to-face with some great athletes. It was a good experience, but it wasn't what I wanted to do. I wanted to win. That's something that I learned when I was shooting at WVU."
A pair of WVU shooters competed for the Swedish Olympic team: Christian Heller from Uppsala, Sweden, and Stefan Thynell from Göteborg, Sweden.
Basketball: Jerry West 
One of the best-known athletes ever to don the Old Gold and
Blue is basketball star Jerry West. The all-time leading scorer
in WVU history with 2,309 points, West represented the United
States in the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
West's teammates included Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati), Jerry Lucas (Ohio State), Darrall Imhoff (California), Terry Dischinger (Purdue), Jay Arnette (Texas), and Walter Bellamy (Indiana).
These players, coached by Pete Newell, had no trouble disposing of their competition. They won all eight games by an average of 24 points, bringing home the gold medal. West averaged 13.7 points per game, third-best on the team. "The unknown is something that I think scares everyone. We didn't know what to expect when we got to Rome," recalled West. "Obviously, once we got there, we found out that we were a lot better than we thought. We were a very aggressive team."
West was later drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, and is currently the vice president and general manager for the team. "For someone young, just getting started in life, it was a tremendous thrill to get a chance to play for your country. In my life, I have had three great thrills: one, to be drafted into the NBA; two, winning a gold medal; and three, winning a world championship."
Swimming: Aileen Convery
WVU swimmer Aileen Convery, a native of Dublin, Ireland, competed
at the 1988 Games in Seoul as a member of the Irish Olympic team.
Wrestling: Nate Carr
Former WVU assistant wrestling coach Nate Carr started training
for the 1988 Olympics while coaching the Mountaineer wrestling
team. Carr's focus was solely on winning a gold medal, and he
chose not to wander through the Olympic village or partake in
any of the extracurricular activities that went along with being
in Seoul. "I was focused and not into touring," said
Carr.
Carr cruised through the opening rounds of the competition, outscoring his opposition 67-7. In his semifinal match, Carr was pitted against a Korean wrestler who represented the only obstacle between him and a match with a member of the Russian team for the gold.
Slated for the 12th out of 13 matches, Carr chose to rest before his match approached. But at the last second, Carr was told that he would wrestle in the first match of the day, and had little time to warm up. Already out of sync, Carr failed to receive the point after he dragged his opponent out of bounds from the center. Losing the match 3-2, he protested, but to no avail. Though the judge eventually was suspended, Carr had to settle for the bronze medal.
Track: James Jett
Being caught off guard and thrown into the spotlight is something
former WVU track and football star James Jett knows very well.
Jett earned a gold medal as an alternate at the 1992 Barcelona
Games.
When a teammate ruptured an Achilles tendon, Jett took his spot on the relay team in the preliminaries and finished second. "The butterflies were flying around then," he said. "I lined up wondering, Do I belong here?"
However, the famed Carl Lewis ran in the finals instead of Jett, and the team went on to bring home the gold medal. "I was more nervous watching the finals than running the preliminaries," said Jett. "I can't describe the feeling when I saw that they won and I knew that I was going to receive a gold medal."
The Olympic Games—and the athletes who have participated in them—continue to be a source of inspiration for athletes at WVU and all over the world. Like their predecessors, those fortunate few who possess determination, talent, and a little luck will pursue golden dreams at this summer's games in Sydney, Australia.
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