Photo: AP-
Metropolis Desk-
The first person to run the 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, Jim Hines, has passed away at the age of 76.
During the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, the American sprinter set two records: an Olympic record that was held until 1988 and a world record that stood for 15 years when she finished first in the event with a time of 9.95 seconds. In the 4 x 100m relay, he also helped the USA win gold.
He passed away on Monday, according to the official website of the Olympic Games. With a time of 9.93 seconds in Colorado in 1983, Calvin Smith broke Hines’ 100-meter world record.
Carl Lewis’ 9.92-second time at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul caused his Olympic record to be broken. Usain Bolt of Jamaica established the current world mark at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, clocking in at 9.58 seconds.
Hines signed for the Miami Dolphins NFL team as a wide receiver less than a week after his Olympic victory in Mexico, but he only participated in a few games before switching to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he made just one appearance.
Hines, who in 1967 also broke a world record for the 100-yard dash with a pace of 9.1 seconds, was born in Arkansas and raised in California before being offered a sprinting scholarship by Texas Southern University. The Olympic medals that Hines won, his wife’s jewelry, and his television were all taken from his Houston, Texas, house shortly after the Games.
Nevertheless, the medals were given back in a brown envelope after the sprinter posted an advertisement in the neighborhood daily. Hines worked with young people in Houston’s inner cities after his playing career.
In 1979, he was admitted into the United States National Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Source – Sky News
