May 19, 2021 2 min read

Olympic gold medalist Evans dies at 74

Lee Evans, the record-setting sprinter who wore a black beret in a sign of protest at the 1968 Olympics then went onto a life of humanitarian work in support of social justice, died Wednesday. He was 74.

USA Track and Field confirmed Evans’ death. The San Jose Mercury News reported that Evans’ family had started a fundraiser in hopes of bringing him back to the U.S. from Nigeria, where he coached track, to receive medical care after he suffered a stroke last week.

Evans became the first man to crack 44 seconds in the 400 meters, winning the gold medal at the Mexico City Games in 43.86. His victory came shortly after his teammates, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were sent home from the Olympics for raising their fists on the medals stand.

In later interviews, Evans said an official warned him not do anything similar. He took a different approach, wearing a black beret to show support for the Black Panther Party and other civil rights organizations.

Lowe to host daytime Olympics coverage

Rebecca Lowe will be the daytime host for NBC’s coverage of the Tokyo Olympics.

Lowe was previously a host for NBCSN’s Olympics coverage from Sochi in 2014 before anchoring the 2016 Rio and 2018 Pyeongchang games.

Lowe has been with NBC since 2013 and has been the host of the network’s coverage of England’s Premier League.

NBC is expected to announce its schedule in the next couple of weeks leading up to the opening ceremony on July 23. Mike Tirico will anchor primetime coverage for the second time.

NBC announced earlier this year that it would air the opening ceremony live.