8 Americans Win Tokyo Gold Medals

Americans won eight gold medals and Geoff Picard '65 completed his roundabout journey to the Olympic victory stand in Tokyo yesterday.

Picard, who stroked Harvard's national champion eight-oared crew, became a member of the United States Olympic four-oared boat when a member of the Lake Washington Rowing Club four became ill. Picard had gone to Tokyo as an alternate on the Harvard coxod-four crew, and was asked to fill in on the fours-without-cok.

The boat lost an early race, but won in the second-chance "repechage" heat to get into the final. Yesterday the team finished just two seconds back of the winning Danish crew. The Danes posted a time of 6:59.30; Great Britain was second in 7:00.47, and the U.S. third in 7:01.37. Californian Dick Lyon, and Ted Mittet and Ted Nash of Seattle rowed with Picard on the U.S. crew.

Meanwhile Bob Hayes and Al Oerter won gold medals in track. Hayes ran a 9.9 semifinal in the 100 meter dash for a world record that won't be recognized--it was set with the aid of a 12-mile an hour wind. His time in the final was 10.0, which ties the world mark.

Oerter, who strained two ribs in practice less than a week ago, threw the discus an Olympic record 200 ft., 1.63 inches. Dave Weil, a Californian, took the bronze medal.

Iolanda Balas of Rumania took the woman's high jump and Ken Matthews of Great Britain took the 20-kilometer walk in the other track finals yesterday.

Two American qualified for the 400-meter hurdles final, with Billy Hardin of LSU missing out in an upset. In another qualifying heat, Wyomia Tyus tied the world record of 11.2 in the women's 100-meter dash. Three pole vaulters, two half-milers, and steeplechaser George Young also made the finals in their events.

Don Schollander, a Yale freshman, won his third gold medal, setting a world record in the 400-meter freestyle with a 4:12.2 clocking. Lesley Bush, a 17-year-old from New Jersey, surprised defending champion Ingrid Kramer-Engel of Germany in woman's platform, diving. The women's 400-meter freestyle relay team took another gold medal for the U.S. Ian O'Brien of Australia won the 200-meter breaststroke in a world record 2:27.8 with America's Chet Jastremski third.

Philadelphia's Vesper Boat Club, which barely beat Harvard's crew in the final Olympic trials, upset Germany's defending champions to win the eight-oared rowing championships. Vesper, with a time of 6:18.23, beat the Germans by five seconds, with Czechoslovakia third.

The U.S. coxed-pair crew won a gold medal; the pairs-without-coxswain took a silver.

Shooter Gary Anderson added the eighth U.S. gold medal with a world record in three-position rifle shooting.