Wilhelm was a high school
track and field star for
Fremont High School (Sunnyvale, California), and was the 1963
CIF California State Meet shot put champion as well as runner up in the discus competition. He won the Golden West Invitational high school shot put. He continued his athletic development at
Stanford University, competing in
shot,
discus and
wrestling. He was the 1965 AAWU Wrestling Champion and finished the season undefeated with 21 victories. He finished 4th in the 1966
AAU National Freestyle Wrestling and Greco Roman Championships (unlimited weight class). After one year at Stanford, Wilhelm transferred to Oklahoma State University, where, in addition to competing in the shot put, he was also a member of the varsity wrestling team. He placed in the top 10
US Men's
Shot rankings for 1967 (9th), 1969 (5th), 1970 (3rd), 1971 (4th), 1972 (8th), and 1973 (3rd). Wilhelm is still is #251 on the all-time world
shot put records, with a mark of 20.12m (66'-1/4") set on July 8, 1972, during the Olympic trials.
Weightlifting Wilhelm became a
weightlifter, and was the
US National
AAU Super Heavyweight
Weightlifting Champion for both 1975 and 1976. He won a silver medal for the
United States at the 1975
Pan-American Games in
Mexico City in the +110 kg division, and placed 5th at the 1976
Olympic Games in
Montreal, QC,
Canada.
World's Strongest Man Wilhelm won the inaugural
World's Strongest Man competition in 1977, and returned to win again in 1978. He then spent several years helping to organize and officiate further contests. ==References==