Louis Zamperini, 97

(ATR) Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner and World War II prisoner of war, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 97.

Zamperini competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, finishing eighth in the 5,000 meters. He met Adolf Hitler after the race, who said, "Ah, you’re the boy with the fast finish."

He had qualified for the Olympics two years earlier by finishing in a dead heat with Don Lash, the world record holder.

The United States Olympic Committee issued a statement mourning his loss.

"We’re proud to say that among his many accomplishments and triumphs, Mr. Zamperini was an Olympian," read the statement. "His fighting spirit was a true representation of Team USA and our country, both in Berlin and through his life.

"His presence will be missed."

In 1944, during World War II, Zamperini and two fellow airmen crashed into the Pacific Ocean and were assumed dead while they clung to life in a raft.

While adrift, Zamperini went from 125 pounds to 75 pounds before he was captured by the Japanese. The men lived off of rainwater while dodging sharks and Japanese gunners. Eventually, one died while Zamperini and the other man were later captured by the Japanese. They were liberated the next year after a torturous prison stint.

"I could take the beatings and the physical punishment," Zamperini told the New York Times, "but it was the attempt to destroy your dignity, to make you a nonentity that was the hardest thing to bear."

Zamperini’s story became a bestselling biography by Laura Hillenbrand. Universal Pictures is currently producing a film adaptation with Angelina Jolie as director.

Written by Nick Devlin

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