OLYMPIC THRILLS

Is fiction more thrilling than fact? The nine Olympic champions described here in their moments of victory are given word-by-word dialogues and exchange full conversations. Further, their ""thoughts"" are also written down verbatim. Among the athletes whose minds and mouths are thus invaded: Johnny Weissmuller, Sonja Henie, Jesse Owens, Bob Richardson. The thrill inherent in winning the contested event and the drama of the controversy that swirled about some of these people is lost in this formula-fiction approach. Following each chapter is a chart listing the winners in each athlete's specialty back to 1896.