Former American athlete Rafer Johnson, an Olympic decathlon winner from Rome in 1960, died at the age of 86. Four years earlier, he won silver in Melbourne and later made history by arresting an assassin who shot Senator Robert Kennedy.
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Rafer Johnson, a former American athlete and Olympic decathlon winner from Rome in 1960, died at the age of 86.
Twitter @USOPMuseum
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Johnson broke the decathlon world record three times, lighting a Olympic flame in Los Angeles in 1984. But his acting career was also remarkable, which almost started even before the Olympic triumph. However, he had to reject the role of a gladiator in the famous film Spartacus under the threat of losing his amateur status.
In 1968, Johnson was on the team of presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, the brother of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was shot dead at a hotel in Los Angeles by Palestinian Sirhan Bishar Sirhan, whom Johnson and his other men detained immediately after the crime.
We carry a profound sadness today. Rafer Johnson was a legend of our university and an inspiration to all who knew him.
Our deepest sympathies are with Rafer’s family in this time of mourning. https://t.co/kzMu9j2ySY
— UCLA Track & Field (@UCLATrack_Field) December 2, 2020
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