Rudy Sablo, 84; Champion Weightlifter Became Olympic Official

Rudy Sablo, 84, champion weightlifter, coach and Olympic official, died Feb. 4 in his New York City home of unspecified causes.

Elected to the U.S. Weightlifting Hall of Fame, Sablo became a competitive athlete in 1935. His career was interrupted by World War II, when he became a fitness instructor for the Tuskegee Airmen.

Sablo next had a 20-year career as a New York firefighter. After the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he suited up again and went to the site to offer assistance. He proved such an inspiration to the firefighters that they added his uniform to their museum.

A fan of weightlifting events around the world, Sablo served as chairman of the Amateur Athletic Union’s national weightlifting committee and helped found the Empire State Games, a New York state competition. He was manager of the U.S. weightlifting teams in the Olympics in 1972 and 1976 and served on the U.S. Olympic Committee’s board. The USOC presented him with its Olympic Shield award.