MATHIAS, BOB

born Nov. 17, 1930, Tulare, Calif. U.S. byname of Robert Bruce Mathias American athlete, the youngest to win a gold medal in the decathlon in Olympic competition. After his victory in 1948, at the age of 17, he returned to win a second Olympic gold medal in 1952. Afflicted with anemia in boyhood, Mathias developed strength by engaging in sports, winning success as a teenager in football and basketball. At the suggestion of his high school track coach, Mathias entered his first decathlon competitions in 1948. At the Olympic Games in London that year, Mathias, despite leading in the shot put and high jump, was in third place after the first day of the decathlon. The next day a strong discus throw (144 feet 4 inches) put him in first place, and he went on to win the gold. Mathias won four U.S. decathlon championships (194850, 1952). He attended Stanford University (B.A., 1953), where he played fullback on the football team. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Fin., he won the decathlon easily, despite an injured thigh muscle, setting a record of 7,887 points and taking first place in 5 of the 10 decathlon contests. Altogether he entered and won 11 decathlons in his career. He performed on television and in films, starring in The Bob Mathias Story; he later became a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives.