Ohio St. athlete coping with shot-put tragedy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS, Ohio ? The first time Patrick Whalen saw Paul Suzuki it was already too late.
The 13.2-pound shot put had left the right hand of the barrel-chested Buckeye and started on its trajectory into the southern California sky.
No prayers could alter its three-second flight. No shouts of warning could alert the 77-year-old track official.
Long ago, coaches had taught Whalen to be careful throwing track-and-field implements used in ancient times as instruments of war. On this day, he had followed proper etiquette, scanning the V-shaped shot-put sector before launching the metal ball.
