TOKYO – A few years before Billy Mills won his gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Native American was several floors up in front of an open hotel window,standing on a chair and ready to jump.He was despondent over yet another racial slight, this time being excluded from a photograph because of his brown skin.
It happened several times, often after he'd won a big race.Unknown to him at the time, his bouts of depression were also triggered by un-diagnosed hypoglycemia and type-two diabetes. “The feeling was there,” he said. “Just let go.