William McMillan (marksman)

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William W. McMillan, Jr. and James E. Hill after Olympics Wins, 1960.jpg

William Willard "Bill" McMillan Jr. (born January 29, 1929 in Frostburg , Maryland , † June 6, 2000 in Encinitas , California ) was an American marksman and 1960 Olympic champion .

Life

In the competition with the rapid fire pistol , he took seventh place at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. In 1956, his pistol failed in the US Olympic eliminations.

At the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960 he scored 587 points in competition, just like the Finn Pentti Linnosvuo and Alexander Sabelin from the Soviet Union. These three shooters shot out the medals in the jump-off. McMillan achieved 147 points in the jump-off, Linnosvuo 139 points and Sabelin 135 points. After Alfred Lane in 1912 and Henry Bailey in 1924 , William McMillan was the third American to win Olympic gold with the rapid-fire pistol. Up to and including 2004, no US American succeeded in doing this. At the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rome, he was allowed to carry the US flag.

McMillan tried several times to repeat his success. In Tokyo 1964 he was twelfth. In 1968 in Mexico City he finished 17th. It was followed by 45th place in Munich in 1972 and 20th place in Montreal in 1976 at his last Olympic Games.

McMillan only took part in the Olympic Games with the rapid-fire pistol. But he was also active in other branches of service. In 1958 he became world champion with the large-caliber sport pistol, three times he won the title of team world champion with a US team. He won the Pan American Games five times . He was four times US champion with the rapid fire pistol and won another time with the free pistol.

As a member of the United States Marine Corps , McMillan served in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In 1974 he ended his military career as a lieutenant colonel. He then worked as an attendant at the County Sheriff's Office in San Diego.

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personal data
SURNAME McMillan, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McMillan, William Willard Jr. (full name); McMillan, Bill junior (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American marksman and Olympic champion in 1960
DATE OF BIRTH January 29, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Frostburg , Maryland
DATE OF DEATH June 6, 2000
Place of death Encinitas , California