Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dark Winds season 3, episode 1.Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) revealed a fascinating part of his backstory inDark Windsseason 3, and it connects to one of the most famous Olympians in U.S. history: Billy Mills.Dark Windsseason 3, episode 1has already set up a very personal story for Jim Chee. His and Joe Leaphorn’s (Zahn McClarnon) investigation into the disappearance of Ernesto Cata has already had Chee confront some of his past traumas, and thecast ofDark Windsseason 3will likely introduce even more people Chee would rather not encounter again.
Luckily, in the middle of all that darkness surrounding Chee’s past,Dark Windsseason 3also found a way to include a bit of brightness. Chee and Leaphorn have always had a good relationship - with some notable rough patches - and they can usually confide in one another. One of those moments revealed that Chee had a run-in with Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills, and that he was once a cross-country prodigy when he was in high school. It’s a great addition to Chee’s character, and a much appreciated part ofDark Windsseason 3.
Jim Chee Reveals That He Beat Billy Mills In A Race As A Kid During Dark Winds Season 3 Episode 1
Chee Said That He Used To Run Cross Country In School & Beat Mills During A Track Meet
While they were going to speak with George Bowlegs at his school, Jim Chee took Joe Leaphorn on a trip down memory lane.Chee explained that he used to run cross-country in school, and that in one race, he beat future Olympic gold medal winner Billy Mills. Leaphorn and Chee even had a few funny moments out of the revelation, like Chee saying that “he wasn’t an Olympian back then,” and Leaphorn referencing it after George Bowlegs outran them both. That little factoid didn’t have much impact onDark Winds, but it’s a delightful addition to Chee’s backstory in the show.
Dark Winds Renewed For Season 4 Ahead Of Its Season 3 Premiere
Dark Winds has officially been renewed for a fourth season by AMC ahead of the detective show’s upcoming season 3 premiere on March 9.
Most of Chee’s backstory inDark Windshas been quite dark, so the bit of light that his victory over Billy Mills brought was much appreciated. For example,Chee’s family home was destroyed after his mother was branded a witch, and even inDark Windsseason 3, he spoke about how his mother was abused and how he was bullied while he lived on the Navajo Nation. Giving Chee a victory in his youth helps brighten up his story and give him some happy memories he can be proud of from the reservation.
Billy Mills Really Won A Gold Medal At The 1964 Olympics
Mills Is A Lakota Man & The First & Only Non-European To Win Gold For The 10,000 Meter Race
Part of the reason Chee’s triumph over Billy Mills is such a fun detail is because of how much of a legend Mills is. Billy Mills grew up on the Oglala Lakota reservation in South Dakota, though he attended high school at what is now known as the Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas, which is how he competed against Chee.Even as a high schooler, Mills was a track and cross-country prodigy, which only made Chee’s fictional victory over him inDark Windsseason 3 even more impressive. After college, Mills joined the United States Marine Corps (viaUnited States Olympic & Paralympic Museum).
Billy Mills also set an Olympic record for the 10,000 meter race in 1964, and he beat his own personal best time by 50 seconds.
Billy Mills' real claim to fame came in 1964, when he competed in the Tokyo Olympics for the United States.Mills was considered a true underdog and a complete unknown in the 1964 Olympics, which made it all the more impressive that he won gold in the 10,000 meter race. To this day, Mills is the only non-European competitor to ever win Olympic gold in the 10,000 meter race. He’s a legend of both U.S. sports history and the Oglala Lakota tribe. Even if Jim Chee hadn’t beaten him inDark Winds, Billy Mills would have been a great reference for the show.
