L. J. Silvester: Mormon Athlete

L. J. Silvester is a four-time Olympian—he competed in games in 1964 (Tokyo), where he placed fourth; 1968 (Mexico City), where he placed fifth; 1972 (Munich), where he won a silver medal in discus; and 1976 (Montreal), where he placed eighth. He participated in the Olympic Trials for the 1960 Games in Rome. Moments before the competition, Silvester struck his head on a heating duct in a tunnel under the stadium and passed out from a gash on his head. After being revived with smelling salts and stitched up, he went on to compete. He missed making the team by one place.

Competing primarily in discus and sometimes in the shot put, Silvester set seven world records and won six national championships. He won a bronze medal in discus at the 1975 Pan American Games. He competed until he was thirty-nine years old and then was a physical education professor at Brigham Young University

Sylvester was born on August 27, 1937, in Tremonton, Utah. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Utah State University and his PhD from BYU. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.