Billy Mills' rise to prominence began nearly 50 years ago. Now, as he looks back on his highly successful career as a distance runner, author, humanitarian and motivational speaker, he reflects on how significant a role the 1964 Tokyo Olympics played in his life.
In an exclusive interview with The Japan Times, the 75-year-old Mills said he considers Tokyo the best choice to host the 2020 Summer Games. That decision will be made by IOC members on Sept. 7 in Buenos Aires. Madrid and Istanbul are the other candidate cities.
With warm memories from his visit to Japan in October 1964, Mills, the surprise 10,000-meter gold medalist at National Stadium, pointed out that if Tokyo is awarded the 2020 Olympics, his life would come full circle.