CEDAR FALLS - Bill Joslyn returned from down under last week with a fist full of medals.

The retired Cedar Falls police officer competed in six events at the World Police and Fire Games in Adelaide, Australia, winning five gold medals and a silver.

Joslyn, 70, retired as a captain in the Cedar Falls Police Department in 1993.

He first started competing in the games in 1984. He had seen something in a police trade magazine. Joslyn was working on a physical fitness program within the Cedar Falls Police Department at the time and decided to give it a shot.

His first games were in Tempe, Ariz., where he competed in the decathlon. He brought home a gold medal.

Since then, the track and field events got into his blood. He's traveled to Australia twice and to Stockholm, Sweden, in addition to several locations around the United States and Canada.

He usually takes home a gold medal or two, but this year was a windfall. He earned gold medals in the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes, plus golds in the shot put and discus. He won the silver medal in the 800-meter run.

This was the first year the games offered an age division for those ages 70 to 74. In the past he had competed in a 65-and-over division.

He said there were only a handful of competitors in his age class in most of the events.

"In one of the events we ran by the stands and they were really yelling and cheering. I wasn't sure if they were just hoping I wouldn't drop dead," Joslyn said.

The reaction of people around the stands helped make the Adelaide games special. He said it's probably his favorite of all the events where he's competed.

Joslyn works out every day to keep in shape and prepare for the events. In Adelaide he injured a leg in his first event. The injury forced him to throw the shot and discus flatfooted. Since he returned he's had to cut his workout program down to just walking to allow the leg to recover.

The police and fire games brought in more than 9,000 competitors from around the world. They compete in most of the sports offered in the Olympics, plus some specialty events related to police or firefighting work, such as shooting, canine events and hose drags.

Joslyn said the games are both intense and friendly. At the high age divisions, most of the competitors lower their expectations to some degree.

"Most make a vacation about it first. Then they hope they don't get hurt," Joslyn said.

On the Adelaide trip Joslyn spent 10 days in Australia. He took advantage of down time to take a steamboat trip down the Murray River and to go to a wildlife reserve where he got to pet a koala bear and feed a kangaroo.

In two years the World Police and Fire Games will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Joslyn thinks that will be his last games, as a lung disease has limited his abilities.

Contact Jon Ericson at (319) 291-1402 or jonathan.ericson@wcfcourier.com.