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Dave Sime, Olympic 100m silver medalist, dies at 79

Dave Sime

Dave Sime of America beating Martin Lauer of Germany in the final of the men’s 4 x 100 metres relay but the American team were disqualified for an early start on the second leg. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

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Dave Sime, the 1960 Olympic 100m silver medalist, died at 79 following a long a cancer battle on Tuesday.

Sime took silver behind German Armin Hary in the Rome 1960 Olympic 100m final, with Jesse Owens watching in the stands. Sime and Hary had the same time to the tenth of a second -- 10.2

“Frankly, I have nothing but bad memories about Rome,” Sime said in 2001, according to Sports Illustrated, adding that he gave his silver medal to his mother. “It was a negative experience. I wanted to win but came in second.”

In 1956, Sime shared a Sports Illustrated cover with fellow U.S. Olympic sprint hopeful Bobby Morrow. Sime missed the 1956 Olympics after a horse fell on his leg and he tore a groin at the Olympic trials, according to a November Newsweek profile and SI in 2001.

Morrow went on to sweep the 1956 Olympic 100m and 200m.

Sime went on to become a renowned eye doctor after his 1960 Olympic appearance.

One of Sime’s grandchildren is Stanford football player Christian McCaffrey, the 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up.

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