Bob Schul, who won the 5,000 metre race at Tokyo 1964, has died at the age of 86. GETTY IMAGES

Bob Schul, the only American distance runner to win gold in the Olympic 5,000 meters, has died at the age of 86. Miami University in Ohio, where Schul shined on the track and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1973, announced his death on Sunday. The cause of death was not revealed.

Before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Schul boldly predicted his gold medal victory and fulfilled his promise. On a rainy day in Japan, he completed the final lap in a rapid 54.8 seconds, winning the race with his white shorts splattered with mud. 

Schul followed in the footsteps of his teammate Billy Mills, who won the gold medal in the 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Games. Schul's journey to Olympic glory was nearly improbable.

After recovering from mononucleosis and a calf injury, Schul was in peak condition thanks to a training regimen focused on high-speed workouts. He entered the 5,000 metres as a favorite, having remained undefeated that summer. He broke an American record in the 5,000 meters and set a world record in the two-mile run.


Bob Schul (719), who won the 5,000 metre race at the 1967 Tokyo Olympics had died aged 86. GETTY IMAGES
Bob Schul (719), who won the 5,000 metre race at the 1967 Tokyo Olympics had died aged 86. GETTY IMAGES


“I had told the press that I was going to win the gold medal,” Schul told ESPN in 2014. “Some people said that was cocky, and I said, ‘Well, what should I tell them, I was going to lose the race?’ I was extremely confident.”

As a child, he battled asthma and joined Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, as a walk-on. After serving in the Air Force, Schul turned his focus to running, training under the guidance of coach Mihaly Igloi.

In 1964, Schul set an American record in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13 minutes, 38 seconds. Throughout his career, he held five American and NCAA records in the two-mile, three-mile, and 5,000-meter events.

Schul was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1991. He also co-authored a book titled “In the Long Run.”