Who won the men's 10,000 metres at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics?

Billy Mills won the men's 10,000 metres at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Mills ran 28:24.4 to win one of the most famous distance finals in Olympic history. The American entered the race as a relatively unknown contender and defeated the heavily favoured Australian Ron Clarke and Tunisian Mohamed Gammoudi in a dramatic closing sprint.

Mills' winning time was an Olympic record and a United States record. He remains the only American to win the Olympic men's 10,000 metres, a distinction that has made the Tokyo final a standard example of an unexpected victory.

The race was especially memorable because Mills appeared boxed in near the final turn. He surged down the finishing straight, passing both leading runners. The 1964 Olympics were the first Games held in Asia.