- Michael Larrabee
Michael ("Mike") Denny Larrabee (
December 2 ,1933 –April 22 ,2003 ) was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the1964 Summer Olympics .Born in
Hollywood, California , but raised inVentura, California , Larrabee was a young running talent in the mid 1950s. In 1952, his athletic performances earned him a scholarship at theUniversity of Southern California , from which he graduated asgeology major. A series of injuries hampered his running career--causing him to miss out on the 1956 and 1960Olympics , but he had his best season ever in 1964.At first he won his only AAU title in 400 m, then he won the 400 m (tying the world record of 44.9) at the 1964 Olympic Trials in Los Angeles. In the
Tokyo Olympics final, Larrabee was in fifth place going into the final turn, when he passed everyone in front of him with a burst of speed to win the gold medal in 45.1. Larrabee also ran the second leg on United States gold medal winning 4x400 m relay team that won in the world record time of 3:00.7.After the Tokyo Olympics Larrabee worked as a
mathematics teacher, ran a beverage distributing company with his brother and worked part-time asAdidas ’ U.S. shoe representative to track and field, a position that allowed him to travel and keep connected to the sport.Larrabee remained physically active well after his running career had wound down, taking up
tennis ,scuba diving ,skiing ,hiking (for which he raisedllama s as pack animals) andmountain climbing .Although he was diagnosed with advanced
pancreatic cancer in 2001 and was only expected to live a few weeks, he continued to live life to the fullest for two more years, thanks tochemotherapy treatments. Mike Larrabee died in his home atSanta Maria, California , aged 69. He was posthumously added to theTrack and Field Hall of Fame in December 2003.External links
* [http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=21040.html Obituary at iaaf.org]
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qp37qrwvPl4 National Track and Field Hall of Fame Video on Mike Larrabee]
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