Olympic Track and Field Athlete Lee Evans Dead at 74

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Lee Evans, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who took part in the 1968 Summer Olympics, has died. He was 74.

The athlete suffered a stroke in Nigeria last week and was unconscious in a hospital in the country as of Sunday, the San Jose Mercury News reported, citing a close friend.

Segun Odegbami, Evans' friend, told the outlet that the former died before midnight local time in the intensive care unit. His children had been attempting to bring their father home for further medical care, the outlet reported.

Evans' death was later confirmed in a social media statement by USA Track and Field.

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Evans was a member of a 1968 Olympic team, winning the 400-meters at the Mexico City Games in 43.86 seconds, according to the Associated Press. The feat, NBC Sports reported, was the first time an athlete broke 44 seconds in the event.

"I was so tired, I knew I did something I've never done before," Evans told NBC Sports for the film 1968, which centers on the Olympics of that year. "I wasn't sure I won. Nobody told me I won, so they said, 'Lee, you son of a gun.' I said, 'Who won? Who won?'"

After breaking the record, Evans then won a second gold medal on the 4 by 400-meter relay team the next day, per The Washington Post. There, he set another world record of two minutes, 56.16 seconds.

The record stood for almost two decades, according to the AP, while the relay record was in place for 24 years.

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Evans' first victory came after his two teammates, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were sent home from the Games for raising their fists at the medal podium in solidarity with anti-racist movements at the time, per the AP. The outlet added that Evans was told by an official not to do something similar.

After his second victory, however — when he was joined by teammates Larry James and Ron Freeman on the podium — the three athletes wore black berets to show their support for the Black Panther Party.

"I feel I won this gold medal for the Black people in the USA," Evans said then, per the Post. "And [for] black people all over the world."

The trio removed their hats while the national anthem played, NBC Sports reported.

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After his storied track career, San Jose State University said Evans spent time in Africa as a track and field coach. He was also said to be involved in the Madagascar Project, "which included providing a fresh water supply, power, and electricity; creating economic self-sufficiency through profitable cash crop farming; improving the transportation system; and access to medical care."

And in 1989, Evans was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame and then later inducted into the U.S.A. Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1993.