Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Bob Richards, the first person to win two Olympic pole vault gold medals and the first athlete to appear on the front of a Wheaties box, died at age 97 on Sunday.
A Facebook post by his son Brandon said that Richards "passed in his sleep peacefully surrounded by loved ones."
Brandon Richards said that his father gave over 25,000 motivational speeches to companies and organizations.
"He always motivated us kids the same way to be the best we could be," Brandon Richards said. "He was the greatest dad I could ever ask for and I will miss him dearly."
Richards earned a bronze medal at the Olympics in 1948, then won gold in 1952 at Helsinki and in 1956 at Melbourne.
The only other person to win two Olympic pole vault titles is Yelena Isinbayeva from Russia.
His athletic success was celebrated on the cover of Wheaties cereal boxes for 13 years after he became the first athlete to appear on the front of a Wheaties box in 1958.
He also was the oldest living Olympic track and field champion before his death.
