What Happened When an Athlete Became the Biggest Underdog Winner of All Time

As we approach the 2024 Summer Olympics, we're reminded of the many great athletes who proved themselves over the years to be the best in the world. These Olympians have competed in many different events, from gymnastics to swimming to Greco-Roman wrestling. However, when many people think about the Summer Olympics, they imagine the runners lining up for a dramatic foot race. While many people have won the marathons, 10,000m runs, 4x4m relays, and other races, the competitors that many audiences remember are the underdogs who won in a dramatic upset.

Today, we're going to talk about Billy Mills, the runner who upset all of the favorites in the 10,000m race. He was an unlikely hero considered to be one of the biggest underdog winners of all time. We'll tell you the amazing story about this race. We'll start with who Mills was and how he made his way to the Olympics. Then we'll tell you about the favorites who were expected to win the race, why they were so beloved, how they fell short, and how Mills came out ahead. Finally, we'll top it all off with other honorable mentions of great underdogs of the past.

To learn about Mills, the amazing underdog athlete who stunned the favorites in a dramatic upset, 24/7 Tempo reviewed many sources, including Sports Illustrated, and several historical websites, such as Penn Museum and Olympics.com. We believe you’ll really enjoy the story of Mills and his unbelievable accomplishment. (If you want to learn about other amazing sports stories of underdogs who surprised the world, check out this list of the greatest comeback stories in golf.)

The story of this dramatic upset starts with a few facts about the setting. Mills' success story took place during the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The event he competed in was the 10,000m race. The 10,000-meter run is a long-distance track event where the athletes must run around an Olympic-sized track 25 times. Needless to say, it's a tough event that requires grit, determination, and incredible endurance. It's an event that's been in the Olympics for many years and will likely be around forever, and it's been the source of many dramatic wins.

Mills had a very interesting life leading up to his dramatic upset. He grew up in South Dakota on an Indian reservation as part of the Oglala Sioux tribe. At 12, he was orphaned. To cope, Mills got into boxing and running, and he did pretty well in both. He secured an athletic scholarship to college in Kansas and continued to do well on the school track team. After college, he would enlist in the Marines and continue to run. It was then that he qualified and earned a place on the American Olympic Team.

Although Mills ran track in college, was a three-time All-American in cross-country, and qualified for the Olympics, his performances still left a lot to be desired. During his qualifying run, he finished in second place behind the race favorite. He also didn't have all the accolades the top runners saw. On top of all that, he was a Type 2 diabetic, which can be an issue for a long-distance runner because the condition can often lead to fluctuations in blood sugar, which could often slow him down. To top it off, this qualification to the Olympics was his first.

Though Mills was no slouch in the running department, he was still unknown, especially in the group of 29 athletes with which he'd be competing. Among the top competitors was Australia's Ron Clarke. He was the current world record holder for the 10,000-meter race. Though he had never won a gold medal, he had won nine Australian championships and 12 Victorian track championships. He took home four silver medals during those matchups. He would win a bronze medal in the race with Billy Mills. Bonus fun fact: Clarke became the mayor of the Gold Coast in 2004.

Another tough competitor in the group was Tunisia's Mohammed Gammoudi. He had been first place at the 1963 Mediterranean Games and took home four gold medals during those competitions. Although he wouldn't win this race against Mills, Gammoudi did have a solid Olympic career later on. He'd end up winning a gold medal in the 1968 games for the 5000m run, a silver medal during the 1972 games for the 5000m run, and a bronze in the 10,000m run in 1968. That's why he was considered the other favorite in the contest with Mills.

Since it was such a long race, the runners all had to pace themselves, so no one was expecting a dramatic upset. It wasn't until the last several laps that things started to get interesting. While Clarke was leading, Mills was still holding his own. Out of nowhere, Gammoudi came between the two runners and pushed them to the side, which helped him to gain the lead. Suddenly, Mills seemed to get his second wind and was able to go from third place to first as he sprinted past the two other men and won the race.

Mills managed to win the race in dramatic fashion and stunned the world. During the post-race interview, Mills said that during the race, his vision was coming and going during the last few laps. It's possible that he was experiencing issues related to his diabetes. Still, he didn't let that get to him. He just kept repeating to himself that he could win the race. When asked about his true motivation, Mills said that it was "that one fleeting moment you know that you're the very best in the world."

Experts continue to claim that this victory is one of the greatest underdog stories of all time if not the absolute greatest. It also made history since Mills was the only American to have ever won the 10,000-meter Olympic race at that point. Mills continues to be an inspiration for young runners around the world, especially those from diverse backgrounds. Later in his life, Mills would co-found the group Running Strong for Indian Youth, a nonprofit for young runners. He was also a recipient of the distinguished Presidential Citizens Medal and the Theodore Roosevelt Award. Today, 86-year-old Mills lives near Sacramento, California.

While Mills is considered one of the greatest dramatic upsets in history, many other underdogs surprised the world. One is the "Flying Housewife," Fanny Blankers-Koen. She was an underdog because she was much older than the other Olympians and hadn't yet proven herself. She had poor performances in other similar races due to having a child only six weeks earlier. However, in the 1948 London Olympics, she amazed the world when she won gold in the 100m race, the 80m hurdles, and the 200m race. She was seven years older than the other competitors.

Another honorable mention is Emil Zatopek. He had previously won the 10,000m and 5,000m races during the 1952 Olympics. Since he was on a roll, he decided to enter the marathon at the last minute. He had never tried the marathon before but decided to try since he was there. The favorite to win was Jim Peters from Great Britain. During the race, Zatopek caught up with Peters and joked about how easy the race was. It's believed that the comment messed with Peters' head and he didn't even finish the race. Zatopek won the gold.

For many years, the Americans had been great at the men's 4x4m relay event. In fact, whenever the team won the 100m race, they usually won the 4×4 event. The 2004 Olympics was no exception since the Americans were winning. However, the runners from Great Britain thought they had a chance. During this race, the Americans had a bad baton handoff, and the Great Britain racers took advantage and won the gold. (Want to learn more about the magic of these games? Check out this picture gallery of the Summer Olympics over a century ago.)