Spotting an eagle on the jersey of another runner, he heard his deceased father’s voice, “You will have the wings of an eagle.” In the final stretch, the race for the gold was down to the Australian and a top-ranked Tunisian. Then, out of nowhere, Mills came charging with the long, easy strides of a sprinter. The television announcer could hardly believe what he was seeing. “Look at Mills!” he cried. “Look at Mills!” As the American crossed the finish line first, the announcer, witness to one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history, just screamed in a wordless spasm of shock and glee, “Aaahhh!”

After the race, Mills realized that the eagle he had seen on the jersey hadn’t actually been there at all. But the idea of it had been enough to propel him. He became the first American to win the gold in the 10,000-meter race. No one from the Western Hemisphere has done that since.” - Boston Globe