American double Olympic champion Jim Hines, who became the first man to run the 100 metres in less than 10 seconds in 1968, has died at the age of 76, World Athletics said on Monday.
Hines won gold in the 100m at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, clocking 9.95 seconds to set a world record, which lasted 15 years until Calvin Smith ran 9.93.
He also won gold in the 4x100m relay at the same Olympics, before retiring from athletics to play in the National Football League (NFL) with the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs.
“World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that legendary U.S. sprinter Jim Hines died on Saturday,” the governing body said in a statement.
