U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Billy Mills comes in 14th in the Olympic marathon. Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bikila won the race, becoming the first athlete to successfully defend an Olympic marathon title. Just days earlier Mills beat 37 of the world's top endurance racers for the Olympic gold medal in the 10,000 meters with an Olympic record time of 28 minutes, 24.4 seconds. Mills won the gold in a dramatic, elbow-jabbing, traffic-jam stretch run, beating out Mohammed Gamoudi of Tunesia, who got second, and world record holder and favorite Ron Clarke of Australia, who captured the bronze medal.

Fred G. Braitsch Jr., ©1964, 2019 Stars and Stripes, All Rights Reserved | BUY THIS PHOTO