Willie Davenport was 22 when he earned bronze in the 110 metres hurdles at the 1965 Summer Universiade in Budapest, clocking 14.00sec behind the winner, Eddy Ottoz of Italy, who took gold in 13.6.

That might have come as something of a disappointment to the young man from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as he had competed at the previous year's Tokyo Olympics, being eliminated in the semi-finals after injuring his thigh.

Three years later, in the thin air of Mexico City, that result got stood on its head at the Olympics as Davenport earned gold - supplying what would be the eighth of nine consecutive victories in this event for the United States - as he equalled the Olympic record of 13.3, in hand-timing, and clocked 13.33 in terms of electronic timing.

Ottoz ran a national record of 13.4 to earn bronze and become Italy's first Olympic medallist in the event.

"From the first step, the gun, I knew I had won the race," said Davenport, who swiftly departed to join his college football team. A hugely talented American football player, he was three times on the brink of being drafted to the NFL/AFL but technicalities halted him on each occasion.

Mexico City was the second of four Olympic appearances in athletics for Davenport.

He finished fourth in 13.50 at the 1972 Munich Games - where gold went to his compatriot Rod Milburn, who equalled the world record of 13.24.

Four years later in Montreal Davenport, then 33, added to his Olympic medal collection as he earned bronze in 13.38 behind gold medallist Guy Drut of France, who clocked 13.30, and Alejandro Casanas of Cuba, who took silver in 13.33.

In 1980, Davenport earned a unique honour as he became the only US track and field athlete to compete at the Olympics - although not at the summer version in Moscow, which his country boycotted, but at the Winter Olympics at the home venue of Lake Placid.

Davenport was a brakeman in a US four-man bobsleigh team that finished 12th.

By the time he first competed at the Olympics, Davenport was a US Army private. By the time he died - of a heart attack at Chicago's O’Hare International Airport on June 17, 2002 - he had risen to the rank of colonel.