Peter Norman, the lesser known of the athletes in the iconic civil-rights protest images from the medal podium at the 1968 Olympics, died on Tuesday of a heart attack. He was 64.
Athletics Australia chief executive Danny Corcoran announced Norman’s death, paying tribute to the Australian sprinter.
The medal presentation for the 200m at Mexico City was significant for the black power salute by American gold and bronze medallists Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
Standing shoeless, Smith and Carlos wore a black glove on their raised, clenched fists and bowed their heads on the podium to protest racial discrimination in the United States while their national anthem was played.
Norman, the silver medalist, wore a human rights badge on his shirt during the ceremony in support of the two Americans.
”It was like a pebble into the middle of a pond, and the ripples are still travelling,” Norman said last year.
Smith, Carlos and Norman all received criticism and threats for their participation in the gesture, which was made late in 1968, after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy.
”I was happy to identify with [Smith] and the principles he believed in,” Norman was later quoted as saying.
Corcoran said Norman remained heavily involved in sports and was a fine example for young athletes.
”In 2005, he was reunited with Smith and Carlos at San José State University for the unveiling of a statue commemorating the 1968 protest. While only Smith and Carlos were recognised in bronze, as alumni of the university, Peter was, as always, happy to have played his role,” Corcoran said in a statement.
”Peter will be remembered not only for his success as an athlete and his humanitarian gesture in Mexico City, but also for his service to athletics and the community and for his warmth and friendship.”
Norman was a five-time national champion at the 200m and his Mexico time of 20,06 seconds still stands as the Australian record. – Sapa-AP