At the Olympic trials Wailes and his crewmates set a world record in 5 minutes, 52 seconds.

[2] Rusty earned again Olympic Gold as part of the four-man coxless crew at the 1960 Games in Rome.

That team included John Sayre and two other rowers, Ayrault and Nash, from other colleges at the Lake Washington Rowing Club.

John and Rusty, along with their respective wives, Pat Sayre and Lynne Wailes, had been members of the Moral Re-Armament show 'Space is so Startling' (recording year, 1962).

On October 11, 2002, Rusty Wailes, who lived in Woodinville, WA, died of a heart attack while rowing on Lake Washington.