A good all-around athlete at the University of Colorado, William "Bill" Toomey came to the decathlon in his mid 20s after winning five National AAU pentathlon titles. Building on his natural strengths as a long jumper and 400m runner, he worked hard on the field events and after two years as a decathlete, he set a world record in 1966. He subsequently won virtually every decathlon title, including five National AAU championships, the 1967 Pan-American Games and the 1968 British AAA title. His greatest achievement was his 1968 victory at Mexico City, where he became the ninth American to win the Olympic decathlon since Jim Thorpe's victory in 1912. A year later, Toomey regained his world record, recording a total of 8309 points. Following his retirement, he served as a member of the President's Commission on Olympic Sports from 1976 to 1978, was a consultant to the Los Angeles Organizing Committee, and has become a broadcast personality and motivational speaker.
1968 Olympics: Decathlon (1st) 1967 Pan-Am Games: Decathlon (1st)
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