Athletics-Trailblazing American sprinter Lee Evans dies aged 74

[May 20, 2021]    (Reuters) - American sprinter and Olympic activist Lee Evans, the former 400 metres world record holder, died on Wednesday aged 74, USA Track and Field said.

Evans shattered the world record in the men's 400 metres at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, clocking 43.86 seconds to win gold, before topping the podium again in the 4x400 metres relay. His 400 metres record stood for 20 years.

U.S. sprinter and activist Lee Evans poses during the IAAF World Athletic Gala in Monte Carlo November 17, 2002. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

A prominent activist in the Black Power movement, Evans was a key member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, which protested against racial segregation and injustice in the U.S. and abroad.

He famously wore a black beret on the podium at the 1968 Olympics, where his fellow Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists as they stood during the medal ceremony for the 200 metres.

Evans enjoyed a lengthy career as a coach, training athletes in 20 different countries.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery, editing by Ed Osmond)

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