Hall of Famer and two-time Olympic 800 champion Mal Whitfield, talking about his rivalry with the Jamaican great. Whitfield and Wint finished 1-2 at both the '48 Games in London and at the '52 Olympics in Helsinki

"[Arthur Wint] and I were . . . closer than any two competitors in the same event. We had something in common; he was also a pilot -- for the Royal Air Force. But I knew I was going to win [at the 1948 Olympics] from the get-go. He was a chain smoker, and I was living this gorgeous clean life, no whiskey, no smoking. We were sitting around in London a few days before the race and somebody asked me about the 800. I said, 'if he ever dreamt that he was going to beat me in the 800 meters, he better wake up in the morning and apologize to himself.'"
(Whitfield beat Wint in the 800m in both 1948 and 1952. However, Wint bested Whitfield in the 400m in 1948.)