Etn1965 Vol11 07
TRACKNEWSLETTER Supplementing TRACK & FIELD NEWS Vol , 11, No·, 7 Januaiy 14, 1965 Page 33 Mills Stuns Simpson , Weisiger , San Roma ni Mike Larrabee : Succe ss at Age 30 by Craig Moore by Melvyn Watman San Franc isco, Jan. 11- -Billy Mills, making a rare appear (Reprinted from Athletics Weekly) ance iii the m ile and facing three superior sub-four minute milers, The story of Mike l.arrabee's long, slow · climb to stardom broug ht a crow d of 11, 412 to their feet a s he grabbed the lead at the serves as a classic example of the "if at first you don't succeed, try, start and wa s neve r headed. At the gun lap he was 10 yards ahead try again" credo. Mike tried so often that he could have been for of Alan Sim ps on of Great Br itain, who was the only athlete near enough given had he decided to give it up as a bad job, but he perservered to cha ll enge. And chall enge he did. Renowned for a fast finish, Simp 7 in the justified belief of his own ability. sQn uncorked one which caught Mills 40 yards from home. As in the This California schoolteacher who, two months before his 31st Olympics, Mills found himself in the stretch and in trouble. As in the birthday, won the Olympic 400-meter title--having tied the world re Olympics, Billy responded. Obviously straining, he pounded down the cord of 44,9 the previous month--had shown flashes of brilliance dur. straightaway and hung on for a one yard :victory, 4:08 .1 to 4:08 .3, ing the previous decade without ever quite shaping up as one of the all which earned him the outstanding athlete of the meet award.
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