BILLY MILLS
The Olympic Legend
The Olympic Legend
Posted December 14th, 2006 at 9:19 AM by Jenna Sumara
Section: News & Results, Motivation, Columns, Olympics, SPOTLIGHT
This is part two of the 5-part series: “BILLY MILLS: Overlooked Hero of Running” (Links to the other installments in this series are located at the conclusion of this article).
Billy Mills was born in Pine Ridge, South Dakota on June 30, 1938 in the Oglala Sioux Indian reservation. Billy’s Lakota name is Makata Taka Hela meaning “love your country” or more traditionally translated, “respects the earth”.
After losing his parents when he was only 12-yrs old, Mills became involved with running at the Haskell Institute; an Indian school located in Lawrence, Kansas. In the late 1950’s, Mills attended the University of Kansas on an athletic scholarship.
At Kansas his hard work and natural abilities on the track continued to flourish. In 1958 and 1959 he was All-American in cross country. In the 1960 Big Eight Conference, Mills won an individual title in cross country. The following year, Mills again became the conference champion in the two mile race; coming in with a time of a little over nine minutes.
After college, Mills decided to join the Marine Corps and became a lieutenant. Although he enjoyed military life, Mills was drawn back to running and began racing while in the service. These racing times enabled him to qualify for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo; where Mills would pull-off one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
No American had ever won a medal in the 10,000m and at the time, Mills wasn’t even a dot on the radar in terms of coverage. The primary focus was on Australia’s Ron Clarke, who held the world record in the event and Tunisia’s Mohammad Gammoudi, who was considered to be Clarke’s only rival for the Gold. As a matter of fact, after the race, Clarke said: “Worry about him? I never even heard of him.”
After unremarkable qualifying times; few expected Mills to even have a shot. Mills even had to run the event in borrowed shoes because the shoe sponsor said there were only enough for the potential winners.
Mills was initially able to keep up with the lead back, but as the race progressed he fell back and got caught up in a slower pack of runners. However, Mills was able work his way around the pack (exerting tremendous energy in the process) to at least get within a reasonable distance of Clarke and Gammoudi. Before giving away how the rest of the race unfolded, we thought you should see it for yourself . . . Click on the play button to watch the race’s final lap!
As you saw, the biggest push came in the last 100 meters of the race where Mills was able to sprint past both of his competitors; pulling in a last lap time of 59.8 seconds. This brought his overall race time to 28 minutes and 24 seconds; a personal best and a new Olympic record.
Following the Olympics, Mills forged on and broke new world records. In 1965 he set the outdoor world record for the 6-mile and US records in the 10,000 meter and three mile races.
Mills was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984 and is an official member of the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame.
He remains the only American to ever win a gold medal in a 10,000 meter Olympic race and is an inspiration to countless people, both within the Native American community and beyond.
Check out the first installment in this series:
The next installment, Part 3, will be about Mills’ life after running. It is entitled - BILLY MILLS: Compassionate Warrior
Sources: [Essortment - Biography of Bills Mills], [Running Past]
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Tags: 10000m, 1964 tokyo olympics, all american, american indian, Billy Mills, billy mills running strong for american indiana youth schoarship, cross country, distance running, global unity through global diversity, humanitarian, Lakota, Makata Taka Hela, marine, Marine Corps, Mohammad Gammoudi, native american, Oglala Lakota, Oglala Sioux Indian reservation, Olympian, olympic champion, olympic legend, Olympic record, olympic gold, outdoor world record, ron clarke, running brave, running strong, running strong for american indian youth, Sioux, university of kansas, value based self empowerment, warrior, world record
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8 Responses to “BILLY MILLS
The Olympic Legend ”
The Olympic Legend
The Final Sprint
[…] At the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Billy set an Olympic record and won a gold medal in the 10,000m; becoming the first and still the last American to medal in the event. […]
February 14th, 2007 at 12:40 pmThere was a Native American,Louis Tanawana, who won a silver medal in the 10,000 meters in the 1912 Olympics. Also an American woman who went to Princeton, who won a bronze medal in the 1o,000 meters in the 1992 Olympics in Spain.
February 15th, 2007 at 5:28 pmThanks Jim. That’s true, but Billy was the first and remains the last American to win a gold medal in the 10,000m
Thanks again,
Adam
–
February 17th, 2007 at 12:42 amAdam Jacobs
Editor-in-Chief
TheFinalSprint.com
billy mills I what to see you with my on eyes
May 17th, 2007 at 5:13 pmThis is my cousin! I am very proud of him!
August 12th, 2008 at 11:42 amBilly Mills is the most inspirational person in my life! That particular kick at the end of the 10,000 meter run in Tokoyo, Japan is the most incredible finish I have ever seen… Billy Mills is definitely a living legend.
Benjamin Guerrero
September 20th, 2009 at 3:20 pmA friend of Billy Mills.
San Antonio, Texas
Billy Mills will never be forgotten. He is a true American Legend for being the only person in the Western Hemiphere to win the mens 10,000 meter run in the Olympics. In addition, Billy Mills is a man of vision and respect who cares about others before himself. He stated to my family and I to follow our dreams - and that is exactly what I will do….
Thank you so much Billy for your words, friendship, and support!
Benjamin Guerrero
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:18 amSan Antonio, Tx
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February 9th, 2010 at 5:31 am