Javelin Throw
As the possibly apocryphal story goes, Oberst was walking by a Notre Dame track and field practice one day when a javelin landed nearby. He picked it up and threw it far beyond the original thrower. Rockne, who coached track and field as well as football, saw the toss, and drafted Oberst on the spot. Oberst was the 1921 NCAA javelin champion, with a throw of 191' 2" (58.27 m). At the 1924 Penn Relays, Oberst's throw of 196' 2 5/8" (59.80 m) beat the meet record by more than 8 feet. Oberst had a disappointing performance at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Cambridge, Massachusetts, finishing in 5th place with a throw of 180' 3" (54.94 m). The U.S. Olympic Committee added Oberst to the Olympic team, anyway, because of his better results at previous meets. The Olympic Trials winner, William Neufeld of UC Berkeley went on to finish fifth at the Olympics.
In Paris, Oberst's throw of 58.35 m won him the bronze medal, behind the defending Olympic champion, Jonni Myyrä of Finland (62.96 m) and Gunnar Lindström of Sweden (60.92 m). Oberst was the first American to win an Olympic medal in the javelin throw, and only seven Americans have medaled since, most notably Babe Didrikson at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Oberst's Notre Dame football teammate Tom Lieb also made the 1924 U.S. Olympic team, in the discus throw, and won the bronze medal.
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