Hart of Gold: My Meeting with the "World's Fastest Human"

The 1972 Munich Olympics were one of the most tragic events in not only athletic history, but in human history. It was the disappointment of the U.S. Men's basketball team being outrageously short-changed out of a gold medal that rightfully belonged to them. It was the sadness of the late Jim McKay of ABC sports having to tell millions of viewers on that fateful September day, "They're all gone," as the lives of the 11 Israeli athletes were taken by terrorists. There were many others, including a story that was the epitome of brokenness as a young man's dream turned into a nightmare.

This is the story of Eddie Hart, who at the time was called the "World's Fastest Human," for his breathtaking ability to win the 100 meter dash with a 9.9 record time. He knew that since he was 13 that is what he wanted to be called, and he accomplished that feat at the U.S. Olympic trials, one week before his team was scheduled to go to Germany.

Though I will not give away all of the details here, it was a coaching error that caused him to miss out on the event by a few seconds, disqualifying him from running the race he had dreamed about since he was a child. The heartbreak he experienced was like none other, as he witnessed someone else go off with the title that he gave his blood, sweat and tears for. It was a moment that will remain with him always.

I recently had the opportunity to hear him speak to a group of local youth, as he shared with his sensational charm and energetic vigor how he knew what he wanted to be, a runner. He would tell the stories of how one year he ended up in 5th place, went home crying, but did not give up. Hart would keep going, only thinking of what he told his father he wanted to be. He mentioned how he got his speed from running away from his mother after hitting her. As he said in the session, "She's 82 years old and I'm still scared of her!"

Let's get back to Munich, and the aftermath of where he went from there. He had a choice: remain bitter about what his coach had done, or forgive him. He took the road we all need to travel, and that was one of forgiveness. He sought out his coach soon after and let him know that he had let it go, and that his coach no longer had to live with the burden of costing Eddie his dream. He goes around the country now speaking to young people about achieving their goals, all while teaching us that you cannot go around in life not forgiving one another. At some point we have to forgive, because forgiveness is not about that other person. It's about releasing the pain that you feel inside, and moving on to enjoy your life.

So you're probably wondering, did he win anything at the Olympics that year? Well, to put it simply, he washed off the tears, joined his teammates for the 4 X 100 Meter Relay, and without a shadow of a doubt, established that he can always refer to himself as Eddie Hart, Olympic Gold Medalist.

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