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Lee Evans, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who took part in the 1968 Summer Olympics, has died. He was 74.
The athlete suffered a stroke in Nigeria last week and was unconscious in a hospital in the country as of Sunday, theSan Jose Mercury Newsreported, citing a close friend.
Segun Odegbami, Evans' friend, told the outlet that the former died before midnight local time in the intensive care unit. His children had been attempting to bring their father home for further medical care, the outlet reported.
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“I was so tired, I knew I did something I’ve never done before,” Evans told NBC Sports for the film1968, which centers on the Olympics of that year. “I wasn’t sure I won. Nobody told me I won, so they said, ‘Lee, you son of a gun.’ I said, ‘Who won? Who won?'”
The record stood for almost two decades, according to the AP, while the relay record was in place for 24 years.
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“I feel I won this gold medal for the Black people in the USA,” Evans said then, per thePost. “And [for] black people all over the world.”
The trio removed their hats while the national anthem played, NBC Sports reported.
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After his storied track career, San Jose State UniversitysaidEvans spent time in Africa as a track and field coach. He was also said to be involved in the Madagascar Project, “which included providing a fresh water supply, power, and electricity; creating economic self-sufficiency through profitable cash crop farming; improving the transportation system; and access to medical care.”
And in 1989, Evans was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame and then later inducted into the U.S.A. Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1993.
source: people.com
