|
Tommie Smith
The famous "silent protest" during the medal presentation ceremony of the 200m event at the 1968 Olympics remains one of the most memorable events in the history of the Olympic Games. The bent head and raised fist of the winner of the event, American Tommie Smith (and of his compatriot John Carlos, who finished third), was the most impressive expression of support to the movement for the political and social rights of the Blacks in the USA. That was Smith's last appearance as a racer, seeing that immediately afterwards he was forced to leave Mexico City and return to the States. The pressure exerted on him was such, that he was forced to give up the track. Smith was born on 5 June 1944 being the seventh of twelve children of a poor family from Clarksville, Texas. He took up sport during his school years, in Lemoore, California. When he graduated, he had won for three years in a row the title of the "most valuable athlete", both in athletics and in team sports, such as basketball and American football. In this capacity he was accepted in San Jose University. There he was systematically involved in sport, while studying social sciences (undergraduate studies) and sociology (postgraduate studies). At the same time and especially after 1965, he excelled in the sprints at university level, as well as at national and international level, and even set a world record in the 400m (1967), in the 200m (1968) and in the 4x400m relay.
After the stir caused by his attitude at the medal presentation ceremony for the 200m event, Smith gave up athletics. He turned to professional American football and for three years he was a player of the Cincinnati Bengals. At the same time he finished his postgraduate studies and began a new career, this time as an academic in several universities of the USA. Although academic career was since then his main occupation, he eventually became one of the greatest trainers in athletics, originally at university level and later nationwide. Today he is acknowledged as one of the most important athletes in the 200m and 400m in the history of American and international sport. Unfortunately, the reactions caused by the "silent protest" made him give up athletics in the most productive period of his life as an athlete. His victory in the 200m in the 1968 Olympics set a new world record with a time of 19.83, which remained unbroken until 1979 as a world record and until 1984 as an Olympic record. What is more, this performance, which was his last as a track and field athlete, could have given him the gold medal in the Olympic Games of 1972, 1976, 1980, 1992 and 2000.
|
