Lee Evans, the 1968 Olympic 400m champion has died at age 74, according to USA Track and Field.
Evans suffered a stroke last week in Nigeria and was unconscious at the Babcock University hospital as of Sunday, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Former Nigerian international footballer Segun Odegbami also confirmed the sad news to Complete Sports.
‘For my brother and friend, Lee Edward Evans – it is sunset!’, Odegbami wrote in a short message to Complete Sports via WhatsApp.
Evans was 21 when he won the 400m at the Mexico City Games in 43.86 seconds, the first time somebody broke 44 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” on those Olympics. “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?’”
He later anchored the U.S. 4x400m to gold in a world record. Both records stood for two decades.
Evans ran collegiately for San Jose State — “Speed City” — with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, 1968 Olympic teammates who took gold and bronze, respectively, in the 200m in Mexico City.
Evans was a founding member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights and one of the athletes to fight for racial justice before and during those Games.