At the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games Billy Mills was virtually unknown.
As the field toed the line for the start of the 10K final, Murray Halberg, Pyotr Bolotnikov and Ron Clarke were the favorites. Four current or future Olympic Gold Medalists and world record holders were in this race.
It was Billy Mills, shattering his personal best by 46 seconds, who created the most electrifying finish in Olympic history. After being shoved out into lane four by Mohammed Gammoudi on the final lap, he found the speed to recover from a 10 yard deficit in the home stretch and sprint his way into the record books as the only American athlete ever to win the 10,000 meter gold medal.
This archival photo shows the moment of victory as Billy Mills achieves his Olympic destiny.
This poster was created with the approval and cooperation of Billy and Pat Mills.
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