Based on original reporting by Olaf Brockmann for World Athletics Heritage
MUNICH — The 1972 Olympic 800m final is remembered for Dave Wottle’s unforgettable come-from-behind victory, capped by his stunned expression beneath a golf cap as he crossed the finish line in 1:45.86. But until now, the full story of that gold medal moment remained incomplete.
As Olaf Brockmann reveals in a newly unearthed account, Wottle may never have made it to the start line if not for the quiet intervention of West German runner Franz-Josef Kemper — a man who sacrificed potential Olympic glory to help a rival in need.
Just moments before the race, Wottle was informed by an official that his shoes contained one spike too many — nine instead of the permitted eight — a technical violation that could lead to disqualification. Panicked and without a spike wrench, Wottle was on the verge of elimination.
Kemper, who would go on to finish fourth in the final, sprang into action. He didn’t have a wrench either, but tracked one down from fellow competitor Andy Carter. Kemper personally delivered it to Wottle, who was then able to remove the offending spike and toe the line.
“He was the only one who helped me,” Wottle recalled. “You could almost say it cost him a medal. If I’d been disqualified, he would’ve taken bronze.”
The gesture went unreported for over five decades. Wottle said he’s mentioned the moment privately, but had never shared it publicly until now. “His kindness at that critical time symbolised the true meaning of the Olympics to me,” he said.
The moment is immortalised in a now-famous photograph — Kemper, post-race, offering congratulations to a dazed Wottle. For both men, it remains their favorite image from Munich.
“I love that picture,” said Wottle. “Whenever I see it, I instantly think of what he did for me in the tunnel before the race.”
When Wottle recently reached out to Kemper to thank him, the German responded warmly — though, unsurprisingly, he couldn’t recall the moment. “It was 53 years ago,” he noted. Perhaps to Kemper, it was simply an automatic act of sportsmanship. To Wottle, it was the defining gesture of an Olympic dream realized.
