Tommie Smith

Tommie Smith

John Carlos and Tommie Smith (center) at the 200 m award ceremony of the 1968 Olympics, wearing black gloves, black socks and no shoes
Personal information
Born	(1944-06-06) June 6, 1944 (age 72) Clarksville, Texas, United States
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Sport
Sport	Sprint running
Club	Santa Clara Valley Youth Village
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 y – 9.3 (1967) 100 – 10.1 (1966) 200 – 19.83 (1968) 220y – 19.5s (1966) 400 – 44.5 (1967)
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1968 Mexico City 200 m Universiade 1967 Tokyo 200 m 1967 Tokyo 100 m

Tommie C. Smith (born June 6, 1944) is an American former track & field athlete and wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold medal in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20-second barrier was broken legally. His Black Power salute with John Carlos atop the medal podium to protest the harsh and sometimes deadly discriminatory against African-Americans because of their skin color in the United States caused controversy as it was seen as politicizing the Olympic Games. It remains a symbolic moment in the history of the African-American Civil Rights Movement.

Tommie Smith was born on June 6, 1944 in Clarksville, Texas, the seventh of 12 children born to Richard and Dora Smith. He suffered from pneumonia as a child, but still grew to be an athletic youth. While attending Lemoore High School in Lemoore, California, Smith showed great potential, setting most of the school's track records, many of which remain. He won the 440-yard dash in the 1963 CIF California State Meet. He was voted Lemoore's "Most Valuable Athlete" in basketball, football, and track and field, and was also voted vice president of his senior class. His achievements earned him a scholarship to San Jose State University.

On May 7, 1966 while he was at San Jose State, Smith set a world best of 19.5 seconds in the 200 m straight, which he ran on a cinder track. That record for 200 m was finally beaten by Tyson Gay on May 16, 2010, just over 44 years later, though Smith still holds the record for the slightly longer 220-yard event. Since the IAAF has abandoned ratifying records for the event, Smith will retain the official record for the straightaway 200 m/220 yards in perpetuity.