American sprinter Jim Hines, the first man to break the 10-second barrier for the 100 metres, has died aged 76.
Hines clocked 9.95 seconds when winning gold in the 100m at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, a new world record which stood for 15 years. He also won gold for the USA in the 4x100m relay, while his winning time in the individual event remained an Olympic record until 1988. His death was announced on the Olympic Games’ official website on Monday.
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Calvin Smith broke Hines’ 100m world record when running a time of 9.93secs in Colorado in 1983, while Carl Lewis clocked 9.92secs to set a new Olympic best at the Seoul Games in 1988.
Less than a week after his Olympic triumph in Mexico, Hines signed for NFL side Miami Dolphins, but he played only a handful of games before moving on to Kansas City Chiefs, for whom he made just one appearance.
Hines, who also set a world record at 100 yards with a time of 9.1secs in 1967, was born in Arkansas and grew up in California before his sprinting talents earned him a scholarship at Texas Southern University.
Soon after the Olympics, thieves stole Hines’ Olympic medals, his wife’s jewellery and his television from his home in Houston, but the medals were returned in a brown envelope after the sprinter had placed an advert in his local newspaper.
