As per World Athletics, Jim Hines, a sprinter for the United States and the first person to run the 100 metres in under 10 seconds, has died on Monday at the age of 76.

Hines was the first man to officially run a 100-meter race in under 10 seconds in the 1968 US Championships in Sacramento, with a hand-timed 9.9 seconds.

Hines later that year dropped the world record to an electronic timing of 9.95 seconds by winning the 100m gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City at altitude.

Surprisingly, that record lasted 15 years, making it the longest-standing men’s 100-meter world record during the fully automatic era.

However, the record was broken in 1983 by Calvin Smith, an American, with a 9.93 sec record.

Hines was born in Dumas, Arkansas, in September 1946, but spent his childhood in Oakland, California.

His first passion was baseball, but when Jim Coleman, an athletics coach, noted his knack for sprinting, he changed course. Hines was already among the top 20 in the world over 100 yards by the age of 17.

His first podium finish at the US Championships was in 1965, finishing second place in the 200 metres while being a student at Texas Southern University.

He set a new world record in the 100-meter race at the Mexico Olympics by leading home Lennox Miller of Jamaica and Charles Greene.

When he led the USA to victory in the 4x100m relay in 38.24, Hines added another Olympic gold medal as well as a world record.

Hines retired in 1968 and later played for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL.