Terry Rombeck/Journal-World PhotoJohn Hunt leaned forward and shook Billy Mills’ hand just as the starting gun popped on the Memorial Stadium track.
“Nice to see you after 40 years,” Hunt said.
The last time the two were at the same track was in 1964 in Tokyo.
Mills, a former Kansas University standout, shocked the world by logging one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in Olympic history and taking the gold medal in the 10,000-meter run.
Hunt, then a Naval data processor stationed near Tokyo, was in the stands, giving a standing ovation to Mills as he circled the track for a victory lap.
The moment was inspiring to Hunt, as it was for millions around the world. He has wanted to meet Mills ever since.
The prospect of such a meeting brought 75-year-old Hunt and his newlywed wife, Marilyn, to the Kansas Relays Friday from their hometown of Salina. Their friend, 1950s KU distance runner Tom Rupp, promised to introduce them to Mills.
“I said, ‘Come on, John. This is as close as we’re going to be to him,'” Marilyn Hunt said.
After waiting 40 years to meet Mills, John Hunt sat patiently in the Memorial Stadium stands for 3 1/2 hours Friday, not knowing when the Olympian would arrive.
He recalled his days stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, about 25 miles south of Tokyo. He had been in the Navy since 1946 but was in Japan for only a year.
Hunt and several friends paid the equivalent of 10 cents a day to ride a train to Tokyo to watch several days worth of Olympic events, including basketball and swimming.
But it was watching Mills run that left the biggest impression on Hunt. Though he was a native Kansan and a lifelong KU fan, Hunt — like most of the world — had never heard of Mills.
He remembers watching the American enter the sparsely filled stadium. Mills was well back in the pack of runners for the final 400 meters.
“It seemed like he passed six or seven guys in the stadium,” Hunt said. “He was in the back and then, poof, he was ahead. It was amazing. It just seemed to be all of a sudden. It just electrified the crowd.”
In the last 100 meters, Mills blew by favorites from Tunisia and Australia to post a time of 28 minutes, 24 seconds, trimming nearly a minute off his previous best. At the time, it was an Olympic record, and he’s still the only American to win gold in the 10,000-meter race.
“I’ve always wanted to tell him I was proud of him for representing the U.S.,” Hunt said.
Finally, that moment arrived. During their brief meeting, the pair recalled that moment in Tokyo.
“I prepared for it, but when it happened it was all God-given,” Mills told Hunt.
The 63-year-old Mills said he only occasionally talked with people who were at the Tokyo stadium.
“It doesn’t happen a lot, but it’s always a special feeling,” he said. “It’s a beautiful feeling, because I can sense there was magic in that moment for a lot of people. I felt like I had wings on my feet for the last 100 meters.”
As the 40th anniversary of the run approaches, Mills, a Sioux, is busy with Running Strong for American Indian Youth, an organization he co-founded in Lorton, Va. During the past 16 years, the group has raised $33 million for programs in such areas as midwifery, housing and water distribution for American Indians.
“I try to take that moment and give back,” Mills said.
After a few minutes of talking with Hunt, Mills left to watch the girls’ javelin event. But Hunt was satisfied and prepared to drive back to Salina.
“See,” Marilyn Hunt told her husband, “good things come to those who wait.”
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Relays off and running