Smith, Tommie (1944– )

US athlete. Smith won the 200-metre gold medal in a world-record time at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, but is remembered for his actions after the victory. After accepting his medal, he, and John Carlos (the bronze-medal winner and fellow black American), raised a black-gloved fist as the US national anthem was played. The pair were immediately expelled from the Games and sent home. Their non-violent protest on the rostrum in Mexico city attracted attention to the fight for civil rights in the USA. Not only did they make the black power salute, but they were also barefoot and wore black scarves – symbols of poverty and lynchings.

Their protest had not been worked out in advance, however the philosophy behind it had. Smith and Carlos, like many US athletes, were members of a group called the Olympic Project for Human Rights. Back in the USA they received a cool reception and had difficulty settling into a ‘normal’ life. Eventually in 1972, Smith gained a position as track coach at Oberlin College, Ohio, and later moved on to coach at Santa Monica College, California.