The Olympics begin this week in Paris, with the opening ceremonies being held Friday. Until then, we look back at some athletes from Hampton Roads who won gold on the world’s biggest stage.
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Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker promised his mother and his old neighborhood he’d return to Norfolk with an Olympic gold medal.
After five dominating boxing matches in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the 5-foot-6 wunderkind, 20, delivered and took his first major step toward stardom.
Whitaker, after winning a silver medal in the previous Games, jabbed, bobbed and danced his way through five three-round bouts. He won the first first four fights by 5-0 decision, then in the gold medal match punished Luis Ortiz, of Puerto Rico, through the first two rounds. Ortiz’s cornerman had seen enough, and waved a white towel to end the fight with three seconds left in the second round.
“Although punching power won him the gold-medal bout, it was Whitaker’s fancy footwork that dazzled ringside observers,” The Pilot’s Bob Molinaro wrote from Los Angeles. “With each fight, Whitaker had the international press searching for adjectives to describe his colorful choreography.
“Back home, everybody thinks I’m John Travolta,” Whitaker told reporters.
Whitaker was thinking of his old Young Park neighbors during his quest for gold, and he had delivered on a promise to his mother, Novella — who was in LA to watch — and the many family members and neighbors back home.
“I didn’t just win it for me,” Whitaker said afterward. “I won it for the people of Norfolk.”
When Whitaker’s win became official, Cumberland Street celebrated.
“Almost every screen door opened, and neighbors waved, smiles and shouted,” The Pilot’s Sharon Novotne reported. “Car horns honked, Whitaker’s brothers and sisters barged out of the family home to hug neighbors on the lawn.”
Postscript
Whitaker went on to become a four-time world champion, and Ring Magazine named him its 1989 Boxer of the Year. He retired in 2001, spent six years working as a trainer and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006. Whitaker, 55, died in 2019 when he was hit by a vehicle crossing a street in Virginia Beach.
This year’s 757 Olympians
United States
Leah Crouse, field hockey (Virginia Beach)
Justin Dowell, cycling/BMX (Virginia Beach)
Grant Holloway, track and field (Chesapeake)
Quincy Wilson, track and field (Chesapeake)
Nigeria
Edose Ibadin, track and field for Nigeria (Hampton University)
Chidi Okezie, track and field (Hampton University)
