Salvationist sprinter receives posthumous award
Salvationist sprinter receives posthumous award
2 May 2018
Australian Olympian, Salvationist Peter Norman, took a stand in support of Tommie Smith and John Carlos' civil rights protest during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Salvationist sprinter Peter Norman has been awarded a posthumous Order of Merit by the Australian Olympic Committee.
Norman, who died in 2006, won silver in the 200 metres track final at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He stood on the podium with John Carlos and Tommie Smith, who raised black-gloved fists and bowed their heads in the salute of the American black power movement during the American national anthem.
When Smith and Carlos told the 26-year-old Aussie schoolteacher and devout Christian of their plans to use the medal presentation for their protest, Norman reportedly said, “I will stand with you”.
At the AOC AGM last Saturday, president John Coates said there was no doubt the award was overdue. The Order of Merit is the AOC’s highest honour, awarded at the discretion of its president and executive to those who have provided “exceptional merit” in the sporting world, through either personal achievement or by having a broader influence.
“The respect for Peter and his actions is still enormous to this day,” Coates said.
“He believed in human rights throughout his life. We lost Peter in 2006, but we should never lose sight of his brave stand that day and further as a five-time national champion – his Australian 200 metres record set in Mexico has never been matched. His athletic achievement should never be underestimated.”
Norman’s silver medal winning time of 20.06 seconds at Mexico City remains an Australian record 50 years on.
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