1960 Olympic double champion Otis Davis dies

2024.09.27

Otis Davis, who won gold in the 400 meters and 4×400 meters in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, passed away on Saturday, April 14, at the age of 92, a news that saddens athletic world.

Although Davis didn’t begin competing in the 400 meters until he was 26 years old, the American sprinter went on to win an Olympic gold medal a few years later. When he ran 44.9 in the 1960 Olympic final to defeat Germany’s Carl Kaufmann in a photo finish, he became the first person to break 45 seconds in the one-lap race. He later led the US team to the Olympic 4x400m championship.

Born on July 12, 1932, Davis was raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He served in the US Air Force for four years before accepting a basketball scholarship to attend the University of Oregon. He had previously participated in the Air Force basketball squad.

He joined the sports team there, where he was coached by Bill Bowerman. He began by competing in the long and high jumps before turning his attention to sprinting.

Davis easily defeated Kaufmann to win the 400-meter race in Rome, despite having only competed in the event nine times prior to the 1960 Olympics. They both ran 44.9, making history as the first time a time under 45 seconds for the race. Two days later, they faced off again in the 4×400-meter final, with Davis leading the US four to victory in a new world record of 3:02.2.

@charith rajapaksha