Jim Hines, the first sprinter to run 100m in under 10 seconds, has passed away at the age of 76.
This was confirmed by World Athletics on Monday. In 1968, Hines made history by becoming the first man to officially break the 10-second barrier for 100m, running a hand-timed 9.9sec.
Later that year, he won the Olympic 100m gold medal at altitude in Mexico City, setting a world record of 9.95sec with electronic timing.
This record stood for 15 years, the longest of any men’s 100m world record in the fully automatic era. It was eventually broken by Calvin Smith in 1983 with 9.93sec, also at altitude. Hines was born in Dumas, Arkansas, in September 1946, but was raised in Oakland, California.
His early passion was for baseball, but an athletics coach spotted his talent for sprinting and by the time he was 17, he was already ranked among the top 20 in the world over 100 yards.
He attended Texas Southern University and his first podium finish in the US Championships came in 1965 when he came second in the 200m. At the Mexico Olympics, Hines led home Lennox Miller of Jamaica and Charles Greene in the 100m, setting the new world record.
He also won another Olympic gold medal and world record when he anchored the USA to gold in the 4x100m relay in 38.24.
Unfortunately, burglars broke into his home in Houston soon after the Olympics and stole his gold medals. However, after placing an advert in his local newspaper appealing for the medals to be returned, they were posted back to him in a plain brown envelope.
Hines retired from athletics at the end of 1968 and went on to play in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
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