Bravery - The gold and bronze medalists in the 200m at the 1968 Olympics were Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos, respectively. On the medal podium, during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, Smith and Carlos famously joined in a Black Power salute. What is less known is that Peter Norman, a white Australian, donned a badge on the podium in support of their cause, the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR). After the race, Carlos and Smith told Norman what they were planning to do during the ceremony. As Flanagan wrote: “They asked Norman if he believed in human rights. He said he did. They asked him if he believed in God. Norman, who came from a Salvation Army background, said he believed strongly in God. “We knew that what we were going to do was far greater than any athletic feat. He said, ‘I’ll stand with you’.” Carlos said he expected to see fear in Norman’s eyes. He didn’t. “I saw love. On the way out to the medal ceremony, Norman saw the badge being worn by Paul Hoffman, a white member of the US Rowing Team, and asked him if he could wear it. It was also Norman who suggested that Smith and Carlos share the black gloves used in their salute, after Carlos left his gloves in the Olympic Village. This is the reason for Tommie Smith raising his right fist, while John Carlos raised his left. Australia’s Olympic authorities reprimanded him and the Australian media ostracized him; Norman was also banned for two years on his return. Despite Norman running qualifying times for the 100m five times and 200m 13 times during 1971/72, the Australian Olympic track team did not send him, or any other male sprinters, to the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, the first modern Olympics since 1896 where no Australian sprinters participated. Despite all of this, Norman’s time of 20.06 seconds still stands as the Australian 200m record
diverseinsights: Time out In today’s hyper-connected, over-stimulated, time-pressed, goal-oriented, over-scheduled world, people find it increasingly difficult to shut it all out and just be. We always talk about trying to live more “in the moment,” but when it comes to actually doing so, that’s another matter. With so many distractions around us, we must actively train ourselves to focus on the things that bring true joy and meaning to life. One technique is to simply pay more attention to the world around you, and try to slow down and savor what is, rather than what was or what might be.