Billy Mills Recalls His Amazing Win in Olympics

Billy Mills, a Lakota Sioux who is the only American ever to have won the 10,000-meter run in the Olympic Games, says everyone has the power to dream dreams and to change his or her life.

Speaking at Southern Utah State College’s Native American Week, Mills, of Pine Ridge, N.D., recalled how he survived his early years by using sports to create his own personal culture.

Orphaned as a child, Mills said his mixed blood kept him from feeling part of either Indian or white society.

He recalled how, near the end of his history making 1964 Olympics race in Tokyo, he settled behind the leaders and wondered if he could continue.

“I felt this incredible strength within me, and I started to think, ‘I can win, I can win, I can win,’ over and over in my mind,” Mills said. “I had visualized winning the race over in my mind many times as I had trained and saw myself overcome the leaders right at the last. My dream became reality.”

He told how he came out of the pack to claim the gold medal, moving ahead of the leaders and hitting the tape. Sportswriters called it one of the greatest upsets of all time.

“After the race, a Japanese official grabbed a hold of me and asked me who I was,” Mills remembered. He said at that moment, he felt confidence in his identity.

In the excitement, he didn’t get to run his victory lap, But in 1984, 20 years later, he returned to Tokyo and was given the honor of doing so. It also was the year that Mills’ story was made into a motion picture starring Robby Benson, “Running Brave.” The film won best film honors from the International Sports Film Festival in France.

Before the Olympic race, a coach came into the room he was sharing with one of the race favorites and reviewed with him the 10 men who he felt could keep the athlete from winning the race. Mills was not on the list.

“I kept hoping he would mention my name in the top 10, but it didn’t appear,” Mills said.

The coach then asked Mills’ friend if he thought there were any athletes that had been left off the list. “He turned to me and said, ‘I think Billy has a chance to win.’ ” Mills said, noting that comment of kindness boosted his confidence going into the race.

“The philosophy we need is that simple ability to be man or woman enough to place ourselves into a positive risk situation and to accept defeat, not failure,” Mills said.

“Most of us--for fear of failure--will not place ourselves in a positive risk situation. But one of the greatest lessons to be learned today is the ability to accept defeat, not failure, and to accept it with dignity and character,” he added.

Mills now is president of his own insurance company and has been inducted into five athletic halls of fame. He is married and has three daughters.