Remembering Dave Wottle's thrilling victory at the Munich Olympics, a race that still inspires and entertains 50 years on

Dave Wottle (center) crosses the finish line of the 800m final at the 1972 Munich Olympics ahead of Yevgeniy Arzhanov (right) and Mike Boit (left).

By George Ramsay, CNN

Updated 0844 GMT (1644 HKT) September 2, 2022

(CNN)The race may have happened half a century ago, but Dave Wottle can still feel every emotion he experienced that day in Munich — from the dejection of the first 100 meters to the charge of adrenaline when he saw his name flash up on the stadium screen two minutes later.

The first wave of emotion arrived almost as soon as the crack of the starting gun had sounded and Wottle watched the other competitors pull away. Within moments, he found himself trailing — and by some distance. «I was disheartened,» Wottle tells CNN Sport as he looks back on the 800-meter final at the Munich Olympics. «I was probably a little depressed. I wasn't able to keep up with them. »That brought doubts into me, like: 'Wow, I can't believe I'm so far behind. Am I that far out of shape that I can't stay up with these guys?'"But what unfolded over the course of race is now Olympic folklore. Read MoreStride by stride, Wottle began to gain ground on the other runners, and by the end of the first lap was within touching distance of the pack. Relieved, his competitive drive returned as he trained his eye on those in front of him. He started overtaking other runners on the final lap and prepared to launch his kick — what he calls «attack mode» — with 200 meters to go.Now, Wottle's hopes of a medal — improbable just moments before — started to crystallize. He overtook Kenyans Mike Boit and Robert Ouko on the final straight, then Yevgeniy Arzhanov, the pre-race favorite from the Soviet Union, suddenly started to fade with meters to