Wishing a Happy Birthday to Tommie Smith. Tommie Smith was one of the fastest men on the planet, but many May remember him for his raised-fist protest he took part in at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, a gesture that became a symbol of the civil rights era to this very day.
He was just 24 when his sprinting career was cut short as result of the 1968 Olympic Games. In Mexico City, Smith completed the 200m setting a new World Record with a time of 19.83, a time that stood for 11 years. This was the first legally run Sub-20 second 200m in Track and Field history.
After breaking the 200m World Record, Smith and fellow American John Carlos, who finished third, stood on the podium in black socks with their heads bowed and black-gloved fists in the air during the playing of the U.S. national anthem.
The image became an enduring symbol of the for the fight for racial equality. Smith and Carlos, who said they wore the black socks removing there shoes to represent black poverty.
After they left the podium both Smith and Carlos were suspended from the U.S. Olympic team and sent home, it wasn’t until 2019 when USOPC finally apologized for the what they had endured.
In his career, he set multiple World Records, some distances no longer being ratified by the IAAF. It was twice in the 200m; first being in 1966 with a 20.0 then in 1968 with a time of 19.83. In 1967, he set the World Record in the 400m with a time of 44.5. He also broke 6 American Record in events such the 220 yard straight, 200m straight, 200m, and the 400m.
On May 7th, 1966 he set the World Record in the 200m straight with a time of 19.5 seconds, a record that stood for 40 years until Tyson Gay in 2010. He still holds the record for the slightly longer 220-yard distance. Since the IAAF no longer accepts World Records in some events, Smith still technically retains the official record for the straightaway 200m and 220 yards.
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