3 Chapter 2 Olympic Champ

Chapter 2 Olympic Champ Going to Rome meant that Cassius would have to fly. There was one problem: The powerful boxer was afraid to fly! Joe Martin worked hard to convince his young student to fly to Rome. Cassius did not take chances, however. He bought a parachute to wear on the airplane!

After arriving safely, he soon became a familiar sight among the world's athletes. The energetic young man was thrilled to see everyone. Staying in the Olympic Village in Rome, he visited with athletes from dozens of countries. He wanted to meet everyone he could, mostly to talk about himself. Talking was something that Cassius was very good at. Even as a teenage boxer, he had not been afraid to boast about his skills. This was very different than many athletes, and certainly black athletes. Some white American fans did not appreciate black people who spoke up or spoke

out. Cassius didn't care. He was loud, funny, and proud. Cassius liked to brag and he liked to box. He battled men from Belgium, Russia, and Australia. Each was a difficult fight, but Cassius won them all. He had a unique way of expressing himself and he had a unique style in the ring. Unlike many fighters, he danced, shuffled, and moved around. Most fighters stood their ground and tried to overpower their opponents. Cassius could hit, but he was very good at avoiding hits, too. He seemed to be playing a role or acting out a certain part . . . until his powerful fists connected with big punches.

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His final Olympic match, for the lightheavyweight gold medal (for fighters up to 178 pounds), was his toughest yet. Cassius faced Zbigniew Pietrzykowski from Poland, who had been champion of Europe three times and had fought in the 1956 Olympics. The Polish fighter was older, bigger, and stronger. The first two rounds were about even. In the third round, Cassius gave the Polish boxer a bloody nose and landed many blows. When the judges scored the fight, Cassius was named the winner. The kid from Louisville had earned an Olympic gold medal! Clay returned to the United States, still talking and still wearing his gold medal. He toured New York City, shaking hands with everyone he met.

Then he returned to a "welcome home" event in Louisville. At the ceremony in Louisville, he read a poem he had written. Such poems would become a wellknown part of his personal style. To make America the greatest is my goal, So I beat the Russian, and I beat the Pole. Not everyone in town was so excited by his success. Even in 1960, some people still were not happy to see a black person getting so much attention. Cassius had represented America in