Billy Mills Victory on NPR

[TR]

Native American author Sherman Alexie is speaking about some of his all-time favorite Youtube videos, movies and tv shows. His first pick is the video of Billy Mills winning in Tokyo. Even the shows host seems to be impressed with how the race ends.

[user4]

It is the greatest athletic feat ever. It is the most dramatic ending on video since Ben Hur. It is the most surprising victory since Agincourt-1415. No matter how many times you watch it, it only gets better with age.

Watching that final stretch always makes me wonder how good Mills would have been as a middle distance runner, 800/1500 ?

[catson52]

A great and stirring run/victory. I feel Bikila's win in Rome ranks as the greatest unheralded feat of all time. Add in barefeet on cobbles, the dramatic lighting/course, and you have something totally unreal.

[jmd]

One of the greatest race in OG !
And this unforgettable : "Look at Mills ! Look at Mills !"
Yes, Ben Hur and Azincourt are blown past !

[user4]

One of the greatest race in OG !
And this unforgettable : "Look at Mills ! Look at Mills !"

Hard to understand the first commentator and his fixation on Clark while Mills goes thermonuclear and rockets past Clark and Gammoudi as if they were also-rans. Just to get an idea of the pedigree of the two guys that Mills satirizes on that home stretch, fathom this: Gammoudi (Silver 10k Tokyo) would go on to win the gold 5k, bronze 10k Mexico City 1968 and silver 5k Munich 1972.

(remove comma)

[Conor Dary]

With such a mob of runners in the homestretch it isn't too surprising Bud Palmer missed Mills. Dick Bank, with the memorable lines, apparently pissed off Palmer, by grabbing the mike, that they kicked him out of the booth.

Dick Bank a decade later left track and in favor of Little League Baseball, at least that is what I believe TandFNews reported....

[user4]

With such a mob of runners in the homestretch it isn't too surprising Bud Palmer missed Mills. Dick Bank, with the memorable lines, apparently pissed off Palmer, by grabbing the mike, that they kicked him out of the booth.

Dick Bank a decade later left track and in favor of Little League Baseball, at least that is what I believe TandFNews reported....

As track commentating goes, Dick Bank is now legend and Bud Palmer is an also-ran.