 Mills (left) and Gammoudi at the 1964 Olympics | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | Tamakhóčhe Theȟíla | |||||||||||
| Full name | William Mervin Mills | |||||||||||
| Nationality | Oglala Sioux Tribe, American | |||||||||||
| Born | June 30, 1938 Pine Ridge, South Dakota, U.S.[1] | |||||||||||
| Alma mater | Haskell Institute University of Kansas | |||||||||||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)[1] | |||||||||||
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||
| Club | U.S. Marine Corps | |||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 5000m: 13:41.4[2] 10,000m: 28:17.6[2] Marathon: 2:22:56[2] | |||||||||||
Medal record
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William Mervin Mills (born June 30, 1938), also known by his Oglala Lakota name Tamakhóčhe Theȟíla, is an American Oglala Lakota former track and field athlete who won a gold medal in the 10,000 metre run (6.2 mi) at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. His 1964 victory is considered one of the greatest Olympic upsets because he was a virtual unknown going into the event. He was the first non-European to win the Olympic event and remains the only winner from the Americas.[3] He was also a United States Marine officer.
- ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Billy Mills". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Billy MILLS - Athlete Profile". IAAF.
- ^ "Marine Corps History Division". Marine Corps History Division, United States Marine Corps. August 13, 2008. Archived from the original on April 8, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
Then-1stLt William 'Billy' Mills, USMCR, wove through a field of lapped runners and passed the race favorite, Ron Clarke of Australia, to win the 10,000 metre race at the 1964 Olympic Games. His victory has been described as the biggest upset in the history of the Olympic 10,000-metre run (and one of the biggest of all time in any Olympic event). Mills is still the only American ever to win a gold medal in that event.