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INDIANAPOLIS — Bob Richards, a two-time Olympic pole vault gold medalist who also became an ordained minister, has died. He was 97. USA Track and Field confirmed his death. His son, Brandon, wrote in a social media post that his father died Sunday "peacefully surrounded by loved ones." Richards competed at the 1948, '52 and '56 Olympics in the pole vault. He won a bronze medal in his first Olympic go-around, followed by back-to-back gold medals. The versatile athlete known as the "Vaulting Vicar" also competed in the Olympic decathlon in 1956.
