Background
Thirty-six years after this photograph was taken at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, the two athletes with fists raised would travel from the United States to Australia to act as pallbearers at the funeral of the generally overlooked third man caught on camera. American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos had respectively won the gold and bronze medals in the 200 meters. With heads bowed and black gloved hands thrust aloft in silent protest at racial discrimination in the US, each wore the badge of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. So too did silver medalist Peter Norman. While all three found themselves much criticised at the time of the protest, Smith and Carlos would in time come to be honoured in their home country. Not so Norman, who returning to Australia was ostracised by Olympic authorities that refused to select him for the 1972 Games in Munich, despite his having run the qualifying time on thirteen occasions and being ranked fifth in the world. In a pointed and spiteful gesture Norman was the only living Australian Olympic medalist not to be invited to run a lap of honour when the Games were held in Sydney in 2000. He was however invited to the American team's Olympic village accommodation where Michael Johnston, the winner of the 200 meters at the 2000 Sydney Olympics told him simply 'you are my hero'. Six years later Smith and Carlos travelled to Norman's funeral in Melbourne to pay their respects to a man who had dared to show them quiet solidarity in the Olympic stadium in Mexico City four decades previously. Norman's story was finally told in the 2008 documentary 'Salute', directed by his nephew Matt.
Thirty-six years after this photograph was taken at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, the two athletes with fists raised would travel from the United States to Australia to act as pallbearers at the funeral of the generally overlooked third man caught on camera. American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos had respectively won the gold and bronze medals in the 200 meters. With heads bowed and black gloved hands thrust aloft in silent protest at racial discrimination in the US, each wore the badge of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. So too did silver medalist Peter Norman. While all three found themselves much criticised at the time of the protest, Smith and Carlos would in time come to be honoured in their home country. Not so Norman, who returning to Australia was ostracised by Olympic authorities that refused to select him for the 1972 Games in Munich, despite his having run the qualifying time on thirteen occasions and being ranked fifth in the world. In a pointed and spiteful gesture Norman was the only living Australian Olympic medalist not to be invited to run a lap of honour when the Games were held in Sydney in 2000. He was however invited to the American team's Olympic village accommodation where Michael Johnston, the winner of the 200 meters at the 2000 Sydney Olympics told him simply 'you are my hero'. Six years later Smith and Carlos travelled to Norman's funeral in Melbourne to pay their respects to a man who had dared to show them quiet solidarity in the Olympic stadium in Mexico City four decades previously. Norman's story was finally told in the 2008 documentary 'Salute', directed by his nephew Matt.
Olympics Photo Quiz 4
Which American black athlete won gold medals in the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4 x 100m relay at the 1936 Berlin Olympics to the discomfort of the racist Nazi organisers of those Games?
The Answer will be published along with the next Highly Questionable quiz and associated blog post.
Olympics Photo Quiz 3 Answer
Panamanian athlete Irving Saladino is the current Olympic long jump champion having triumphed in the event at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
The author of the Highly Questionable? quiz and trivia blog, Harry Reid, is a freelance question setter, writer and blogger. He can be contacted at harryreid@btinternet.com. Although
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