After a lapse of 1,500 years, the modern Olympic Games were revived in Athens, Greece in 1896, and have been providing moments of glory ever since.
Only two Mercer County-area athletes have had what it takes to compete in the modern Olympics.
Hermitage resident Rod White has increased that local participation number by 33 percent this year by qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team in archery.
Before White, Mercer Countians made their mark in the most glorious and historical of Olympic competitions _ the marathon.
In 1956, Farrell's Nick Costes finished 20th in the marathon at the Melbourne, Australia Summer Games.
Some 36 years before in 1920, Sharon-area runner Joe Organ became the first local athlete to qualify for the Olympics and he finished an outstanding seventh in the marathon at the Antwerp, Belgium Games.
Organ and his mother, Mrs. W.H. Organ, lived at Lucy Street in Masury, perhaps explaining why he was claimed by the Sharon community at the time.
Excerpts of Organ's exploits from 1920 editions of The Herald:
July 20 _ Joe Organ, Sharon's star long distance runner, who wears the colors of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association has left for New York, preparatory to sailing for Antwerp, Belgium, with the American Olympic Team...
...Joe Organ is not given to boasting of his accomplishments or what he may do in the future, but he said, before leaving the city, that he was enjoying better health than (he had) for a long time, and was confident that he would be able to run one of the best races of his career in the international marathon.
Those conversant with his ability and with the ability of the men who will oppose him as representatives of other nations in the long grind are of the opinion that Joe will come close to winning the classic event.
He did.
Aug. 23 _ Pitted against the world's greatest distance runners in the Olympics at Antwerp yesterday, Joe Organ, Sharon boy, lacking in the professional training that the others have had, finished seventh in the marathon race, which was won by (Hannes) Kohelmainen, Finland's wonderful representative, who lopped over four minutes off the previous world's record.
Organ was the only American to gain a place in the finish and his time was only five minutes over what had been the world's record; a remarkable showing, indeed.
Interest throughout the Shenango Valley was keen in Joe's performance and The Herald phones were kept busy answering the calls from his local admirers. While the regret was general that he did not get further up in the race, great satisfaction was felt over the fact that he carried America into the finish. There was only a little more than a minute's difference between his time and that of Tomoskiki, who finished fifth, and only nine minutes between him and the remarkable Finn, who took first.
The official time for the contestants was as follows: Kohelmainen, 2 hours, 32 minutes, 35 4/5 seconds; Lossman, Esthonia, second, 2:32.48; Arrie, Italy, third, 2:38.37 4/5; Broos, Belgium, fourth, 2:39.25 4/5; Tomoskoki, Finland, fifth, 2:40.18 4/5; Sosus, Denmark, sixth, 2:41.18; Organ, United States, seventh, 2:41.30.
The Sharon Chamber of Commerce, today, in recognition of Joe's fine work, dispatched the following cablegram to him: ``Sharon rejoices in your splendid showing,'' a sentiment in which the whole community concurs...
published Thursday, July 18,1996
