Jeff Blatnick dies at 55,won gold in Olympic wrestling in 1984

	Jeff Blatnick dies at 55,won gold in Olympic wrestling in 1984 Jeff Blatnick, who overcame cancer to win a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, died Wednesday. He was 55. Blatnick died of complications from heart surgery, USA Wrestling said on its website, citing a report from television station WNYT in Albany, NY Officials at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady confirmed that he died there of heart failure. Blatnick was a high school state champion in suburban Albany in the mid-1970s and a two-time Division II national champion and three-time Division II All-American at Springfield College in Massachusetts. He qualified for the US Olympic team and was a member of the 1980 squad that didn't compete because the US boycotted that year's games in Moscow. In 1982, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, or cancer of the lymph system. After radiation treatment and the removal of his spleen, the disease went into remission, allowing Blatnick to compete at the 1984 Olympics. He had switched from freestyle to Greco-Roman wrestling, which allows no holds below the hips. At 248 pounds, he competed as a super heavyweight during the contest, held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Inspired by the memory of his brother, David, who died in a 1977 motorcycle accident, Blatnick defeated 275-pound Tomas Johansson of Sweden in the final to win gold, afterward falling to his knees and crying. "I'm a happy dude," the 27-year-old Blatnick said through tears in a TV interview at the side of the mat. Blatnick and his <b>...</b>	From: SuperKevinHDD Views: 36 10 ratings
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