TOKYO — Robert Keyser Schul, his uniform splattered with mud and his mind set on victory, made his move only 200 meters from the finish of the grueling 5,000 meter run.
Until then, he had been content with the pack, seldom better than fifth in the race.
Now, it was tine.
The crowd roared as he stepped to the outside lane and began heading for the leaders with a tremendous burst of speed.
His powerful kick brought hind abreast with a German, Harald Norpoth, in second place with about 125 meters to go.
Norpoth, too, had started his move, trying to catch Michel Jazy of France, a favorite who on this final lap had been opening what seemed a insurmountable lead.
Norpoth was strong, but Schul was stronger.
In a matter of seconds the 27-year-old Ohioan was past the German and closing in on the leader.
With 60 meters to go, he caught him.
With 55 meters to go, he was pulling away — running for all he was worth; running for the ninth gold medal for the American men's track team; running for the first 5,000-meter victory by the U.S. in the history of the Olympic Games.
The crowd was wild.
Suddenly, Norpoth had come abreast of Jazy and another scrappy American, Bill Dellinger, was closing fast.
Schul crossed the finish line 13 minutes, 48.8 seconds after the starting gun had sounded, his legs still churning with that tremendous kick.
Norpoth suddenly was two, then three strides ahead of the fading Jazy. The German crossed the line second in 13:49.6.
And Jazy — in a tremendous lead 200 meters earlier — was caught again only feet from the finish.
Dellinger, running the race of his life, caught the Frenchman then took one last lurching stride toward the chalk-marked finish.
Photos told the story seconds later.
Dellinger was third.
Sixty-five thousand people, seated in a pouring rain, were on their feet giving a, tremendous ovation in one of the most dramatic finishes of this emotion-packed Olympiad.
"I knew that if I was close at the finish I could take it ... I was fresh at the 2½-mile mark. I felt good, and I knew anyone would have to have a real good lead to beat me."
A happy Robert Schul was surrounded by newsmen in the crowded interview room after the race. His finish showed the world that America has developed a strong group of distance runners in a country where sprinters have dominated the field.
It was not as surprising as the 10,000 meter win by Billy Mills of the U.S. earlier in the week, for Schul has the world record for the two-mile run, and was recognized as the greatest finisher of the 11 men in the race.
But it was a tremendous upset, for he had to beat Ronald W. Clarke of Australia, world record holder in the 10,000 meters who led this race at the 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 meter marks, and the other favorite, Jazy. Clarke was caught by Jazy just before reaching the 4,000-meter mark, and finished a disappointing 9th.
Schul, a dark-haired, lanky six-footer, said he could see Jazy's shoulders tighten midway through the last lap and took it as a sign that the Frenchman was tiring.
"He turned around to see if anyone was behind him and I knew he was worried ... I felt good, and the track didn't bother me. It was muddy, and you had to pull your feet out because it was soft. My legs didn't start to feel heavy until just before I crossed the finish, though."
But after the race rain made no difference to a grinning Schul. He had trained for this moment since 1961, when in the Air Force.
Schul trained and coached himself.
"I thought I could take it," he said.
"I knew I had the strongest finish in the world going for me."
