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Rafer Johnson

Track and Field Disciplines

Rafer Johnson is an American former decathlete who won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics after taking silver in 1956. He later carried the American flag at the 1960 Games and became known for his public service work, including with the Special Olympics.

Facts
Birth Year
1934 1
Birth Date
1934-08-18 1
Death Year
2020 1
Death Date
2020-12-02 1
Nationality
American 1
Career Highlight
He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956. 1
Classification
Competition Category
Team 1
Connections

Plays

Athletics, Sports
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Rafer Johnson
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead sentence, birth-date parenthetical
    August 18, 1934
  • Lead sentence, death-date parenthetical
    December 2, 2020
  • Lead sentence, occupation clause
    was an American decathlete and film and television actor
  • Lead paragraph, Olympic medal sentence
    He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956.
  • Wikipedia, article summary lead
    In 1968, Johnson, football player Rosey Grier, and journalist George Plimpton tackled Sirhan Sirhan moments after he had fatally shot Robert F.
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