It was 56 years ago this week (October 16, 1968) that American Tommie Smith and John Carlos finished first and third in the Olympic 200 meters in Mexico City. The silver medalist was Australian Peter Norman.
Smith’s time of 19.83 established a new World Record while Norman’s 20.06 set a new Australian Record; a record that still stands today.
Beyond those records, it was that night’s medal ceremony that is, quite likely, most remembered. Smith and Carlos stood shoeless on the podium (depicting African-American poverty) with a black-gloved fist held aloft (Black Power salute). All three individuals were actually part of a wider movement, the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), and like the two others on the podium, Norman wore an OPHR patch on his warm up in solidarity.
For a deeper dive into Norman and what became of him, check out this excellent Yahoo!Sports article from 2021 written by Jeff Eisenberg. Interesting to note that Smith and Carlos served as pall bearers at Norman’s funeral in 2006.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.