TRACK & FIELD
Meeting an Iconic Legend
One of the highlights of the 2023 World Championships for me was the chance to meet and interview 200m gold medallist in the 1968 Olympic , Tommie Smith of the USA , at PUMA House in Budapest . His famous Black Power salute caused worldwide uproar in that momentous year , and made a huge impression on my younger self . – BY NORRIE WILLIAMSON
The protest statement that shocked many and caused a global stir at the 1968 Olympics
In October 1968 I was hospitalised with osteomyelitis , a bone disease that could potentially have led to a leg amputation . Thankfully , my alert GP had spotted it early and booked me into the Princess Margaret Rose Hospital in Edinburgh . I was bedridden for the next two weeks , which happened to coincide with the Mexico Olympics , an event I would probably have paid cursory attention to as a 14-year-old had it not been for my confinement .
Although still black and white , the TV in our ward was well watched for those weeks . I ’ ve never been good at being inactive , but the Olympics caught my imagination and provided a welcome break from the boredom of lying in hospital , which meant that I not only got to see the USA ’ s Bob Beamon leap to a World Record 8.90m in the long jump , but also the massively controversial Black Power salute of Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos during the medal ceremony for the men ’ s 200m .
Changing Times
That year was a time of innovation in athletics , seeing the use of both hand timing to 1 / 10th of a second and fully automatic timing to 1 / 100th of a second , as well as the introduction of synthetic tracks . The difficulties of using the traditionally long cinder
26 ISSUE 161 | www . modernathlete . co . za Author Norrie Williamson meets Olympic
legend Tommie Smith spikes on synthetic tracks saw PUMA introduce the Brush Spike , which used 68 needle-like spikes in two three-row blocks to provide grip . In controversial circumstances , rumoured to involve a payment by a competitive shoe brand , the IAAF disallowed both John Carlos ’ 19.92 World Record for 200m in the US trials , as well as Vince Mathews ’ 44.4 for the 400m , due to them using the Brush Spikes , and going into the Mexico Olympics , the rules were modified to restrict the number of spikes to six .
Even with this restriction , as the build-up progressed through the heats , quarter finals and semi-finals in Mexico , numerous records were set or exchanged hands . In the exciting 200m , the official World Record prior to the Games was Smith ’ s 20.0 , while the Olympic Record stood at 20.3 , but these marks were destined to fall in Mexico . In the first-round heats , Smith matched the hand-timed Olympic Record with his 20.3 / 20.37 , but this was soon beaten by Australia ’ s Peter Norman when he posted a 20.2 / 20.23 in a later heat .
Smith reclaimed the Olympic Record in the quarterfinal when he clocked 20.2 / 20.28 , but in the first semi-final , Carlos took it down to 20.1 / 20.14 , with Norman following in 20.2 / 20.22 . Smith then matched Carlos ’ time exactly in the second semi-final , and all eyes were on this trio when they took their marks for the final . History records that Smith won the gold medal in a scintillating World Record 19.8 / 19.83 , the first ever official , legal sub-20 in the event . ( The use of dual timing systems could account for the 19.78 that was initially shown on the result board , but the official time was given as 19.83 ). Behind Smith , Norman took second in 20.06 , with Carlos third in 20.10 .
Controversial Moment
However , these times , and to a large extent the outcome of the final , were overshadowed by what happened next . As Smith and Carlos climbed onto the podium , they held their PUMA spikes aloft , highlighting that both were in black socks , a symbol they felt would indicate black poverty . This was largely overlooked until the beginning of the USA National Anthem , when Smith and Carlos stood with heads bowed , one fist raised covered in a black glove .
As a member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights ( OPHR ), Smith had originally advocated a boycott of the 1968 Olympics unless four conditions were met , including South Africa and Rhodesia being uninvited from the Games because of their domestic racial policies . The International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) did block the participation of these two countries , but none of the other conditions set by the OPHR were met . Therefore , Smith and Carlos decided to attend the Games , but if they podiumed , they would not only wear OPHR badges , but would also make a statement that would grab the world ’ s attention .
Living in Scotland and being just 14 , I did not appreciate the full impact of these actions , but that gloved salute would cause ructions around the world . The media focused on it for days as the two athletes were kicked out of the Games for “ a deliberate and violent breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit ,” but the intention escaped me at the time . Over the years , that incident evolved in meaning , particularly in the 1980s and early 1990s , by which time I had not only emigrated to South Africa , but also become far more aware of the issues of the time .
Meeting the Legend
Fast forward to 21 August 2023 , and an invite to meet Tommie Smith at the PUMA House in Budapest . After a short wait , a tall upright figure emerged from a back room , accompanied by PUMA staff who indicated that we should follow them to an interview room . Dutifully