Olympic pole vault champion Bob Richards dies at 97

Richards won gold in 1952 in Helsinki and four years later in Melbourne -- and remains the only man to win the Olympic event twice.

Published : Feb 28, 2023 09:20 IST

American pole vaulter Bob Richards during a practice session at the Olympic Village in Melbourne on November 19, 1956.
American pole vaulter Bob Richards during a practice session at the Olympic Village in Melbourne on November 19, 1956. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES
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American pole vaulter Bob Richards during a practice session at the Olympic Village in Melbourne on November 19, 1956. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Double Olympic pole vault champion Bob Richards died on Sunday aged 97, his family said on Facebook.

Richards won gold in 1952 in Helsinki and four years later in Melbourne -- and remains the only man to win the Olympic event twice. In 1958 he became the first athlete to appear on the front of the American breakfast cereal Wheaties.

Richards became an ordained minister in 1946 and also ran for President of the United States in 1984 on the Populist Party ticket.

“He passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones. He is in a better place now and at peace,” his son Brandon said.

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