Tommie Smith

Tommie Smith , born the June 5th 1944 with Clarksville, with the Texas, is a American athlete . There remained famous to have protested with its compatriot John Carlos and the Australia N Peter Norman against discriminations whose the Blacks with the the United States of America were victims on the podium of the 200 m of the Olympic Games of summer of 1968 with Mexico City.

Biography

Formation

He studies the Sociologie with the Université of San Jose where he involves himself under the direction of Bud Winter in company of Lee Evans and John Carlos. He flies over the disciplines of the 200 and 400 meters between 1965 and 1968 thanks to his acceleration of end of the road. One measured his speed to 37 km/h 139 at the time of one 200 meters in straight line! And certain witnesses timed it in incredible times out of relays 4 X.400 meters. But the solo circuit annoyed it and it concentrated on the 200 meters.

Olympic Games of 1968

At the time of the Olympic Games with Mexico City, the program does not enable him to be aligned on the 400 meters. But the October 16th 1968 Tommie Smith is the winner of the 200 m in spite of a light wound with the supply mains contracted at the time of the semi-finals. With a stopwatch of 19" 83 it beats the world records of the 200 meters thanks to a last dazzling straight line. Moreover, it was slackened openly during the last meters of the race, raising the arms with the sky as a sign of victory, and wasting some tenths of a second consequently.

At the time of the rise on the podium, with John Carlos (the third of the race), it is in rising black socks and raises a ganté fist of black, head lowered during the American anthem. This gesture is often associated with the Black Panthers, although Tommie Smith never formed part of it. It is death threat by spectators and excluded with life from the Olympic Games. It is then 24 years old.

After 1968

After having passed its control of sociology, Tommie Smith plays during three years for the team of American football, Bengals of Cincinnati. He will be thereafter trainer of the teams of sprint of the Collège of Oberlin in the Ohio then of the Université of Santa Monica in California.

It is necessary to await 2004 so that an sports equipment bears its name, with Saint-Ouen (France).

The March 17th 2007, Courneuve gives its name to the House of the Sports inaugurated in its presence.

Prize list

Olympic medals

World records

  • 200 meters straight line: 19" 5 (1966) time also on 220 yards

  • 200 meters: 20" 0 (1966) time also on 220 yards, 19" 83 (1968)
  • 400 meters: 44" 5 (1967) and 440 yards: 44" 8 in the same race
  • 4 X 200 meters: 1 ' 22" 1 (1967)
  • 4 X.400 meters: 2 ' 59" 6 (1966)

Note: Tommie Smith is also the name of one condemned to death carried out laboriously on July 20th, 1996 by lethal injection (révoltes.org) .

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