Jim Hines dead: US sprinter & first man to run 100m in under 10 seconds dies aged 76
THE first man to run the 100m in under 10 seconds has died aged 76.
US sprinter Jim Hines smashed the record in 1968 when he managed to cross the finish line in a hand-timed 9.9 seconds.
US sprinter Jim Hines has died aged 76
Later that year the athlete broke his own record and won gold at the Olympics.
BBC reported Jim held the record for nearly 15 years – until Calvin Smith ran a time of 9.93 in 1983.
That is the longest length of time an athlete has ever held the record for the men’s 100m.
Jim was born in the state of Arkansas in 1946 and raised in Oakland, California.
He always had a love of sport and picked up basketball at a young age.
But as a teenager Jim started showing a real talent for sprinting, and started chasing that dream.
He attended Texas Southern University where he ran for the Tigers track team, before competing in national championships and the Olympics.
On top of landing gold in 100m at the Mexico Olympics, he was also part of the medal-winning US 4x100m relay team.
Jim gave up his sprinting career not long after landing the medals and took up NFL.
He spent three years in the league, playing for the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs.
