World Athletics announced on Monday the passing of Jim Hines, the trailblazing American sprinter who broke the 10-second barrier for the 100m event.
Hines, aged 76, made history at the 1968 US Championships in Sacramento when he officially recorded a sub-10 second time of 9.9 seconds.
Later that same year, at the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City's high altitude, Hines secured the Olympic gold medal in the 100m event, further lowering the world record to an electronically timed 9.95 seconds.
Impressively, this record stood for an incredible 15 years, making it the longest-standing men's 100m world record in the era of fully automatic timing. It was ultimately surpassed by fellow American Calvin Smith in 1983, also at altitude, with a time of 9.93 seconds.
Born in Dumas, Arkansas, in September 1946 and raised in Oakland, California, Hines initially had a passion for baseball. However, his talent for sprinting caught the attention of coach Jim Coleman, and by the age of 17, Hines ranked among the top 20 sprinters worldwide for the 100-yard distance.
He attended Texas Southern University, and in 1965, he achieved his first podium finish in the US Championships, securing second place in the 200m event.
At the Mexico Olympics, Hines triumphed over Lennox Miller from Jamaica and Charles Greene, clinching the gold medal in the 100m and setting a new world record in the process.
Hines continued his success at the Olympics by anchoring the USA's 4x100m relay team, contributing to their gold medal victory in a world record time of 38.24 seconds.
Shortly after the Olympics, Hines faced a setback when burglars broke into his home in Houston and stole his hard-earned gold medals. However, he placed an advertisement in his local newspaper, appealing for their return. Miraculously, the medals were anonymously mailed back to him in a plain brown envelope.
Following his retirement from athletics at the end of 1968, Hines pursued a career in the NFL, playing for the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jim Hines leaves behind a lasting legacy as a pioneering sprinter who shattered barriers and etched his name in the annals of track and field history.
