Native American Billy Mills won Olympic gold in 1964 and shocked the world

Billy Mills won a gold medal in the 10,000meter run at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Mills was largely unknown heading into the games. A Native American who was orphaned by the age of 12, Mills grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He did not always think he would be a runner and attributes the years he spent playing in the trees and swimming with his siblings to how he made his high school team at all. He attended the University of Kansas on an athletic scholarship and says the racism he experienced, along with the grief of losing his parents, sent him into a deep depression. Running and the pursuit of his Olympic goals helped to get him through his loneliness. Subscribe to The Washington Post on YouTube