Jim Hines, the first man to break the 10-second barrier for the 100 metres, has died aged 76.

The American sprinter clocked 9.95 seconds when winning gold in the event at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, setting a world record which would stand for 15 years and an Olympic record that stood until 1988.

He also won gold for the USA in the 4 x 100m relay.

His death was announced on the Olympic Games’ official website on Monday.

Calvin Smith broke Hines’ 100m world record by running a time of 9.93 seconds in Colorado in 1983.

His Olympic record fell after Carl Lewis clocked 9.92 seconds at the Seoul Games in 1988.

The current world record of 9.58 seconds was set by Jamaica’s Usain Bolt at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

Less than a week after his Olympic triumph in Mexico, Hines signed for the Miami Dolphins NFL side as a wide receiver, but played only a handful of games before moving on to Kansas City Chiefs, for whom he made just one appearance.

Hines, who also set a world record at 100 yards with a time of 9.1 seconds in 1967, was born in Arkansas and grew up in California before his sprinting talents earned him a scholarship at Texas Southern University.

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Soon after the Olympics, thieves stole Hines’ Olympic medals, his wife’s jewellery and his television from his home in Houston, Texas.

However, the medals were returned in a brown envelope after the sprinter placed an advert in a local newspaper.

Following his playing career, Hines worked with inner-city youth in Houston.

He was inducted into the US national track and field hall of fame in 1979.

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