mosaec

John Devitt, Champion Swimmer With a Tarnished Gold Medal, Dies at 86

He won two Olympic gold medals for Australia, but the second was awarded after a disputed finish — one of the more freakish moments in sports history.

By Frank Litsky

Deaths (Obituaries) Olympic Games (1960) Olympic Games (2020) Owens, Jesse Ralph Boston Track and Field

Ralph Boston, Olympian Who Soared Into the Record Books, Dies at 83

A dominant long jumper in the 1960s, he surpassed Jesse Owens’s 25-year-old record before becoming the first to break the 27-foot mark.

By Glenn Rifkin