Athletics at the 1976 Montréal Summer Games:

In 1972 Bruce Jenner finished 10th in the Olympic decathlon. He then dedicated himself to become the greatest decathlete in the world. In 1974 and 1975 he competed frequently for a decathlete, winning nine of 10 decathlons (he did not finish the 1975 AAU), and being ranked #1 in the world for both years. At the 1976 Olympic Trials, he set his second world record in the event. His biggest competition at Montréal was considered to be the defending champion, Mykola Avilov. Also highly considered were two Poles, Ryszard Skowronek and Ryszard Katus, and the Frenchman, Yves Le Roy. West German Guido Kratschmer led after the first day, with Avilov second and Jenner third. But Jenner was probably the strongest second-day decathlete ever and he was so close that the gold medal would be his if he had a typical day two. And he won the gold medal comfortably. Once he cleared a height in the pole vault, first place was decided, and the only suspense remained the world record. Jenner ran 4:12.61 in the 1,500 to break the world record with 8,618 points (later changed to 8,617 when the tables were changed slightly in 1977). Kratschmer finished second and Avilov won the bronze medal. Jenner used his decathlon victory to become a wealthy man, appearing on television and in movies and with numerous commercial endorsements.