The Story Behind The Missing Man

On the campus of San Jose State University in California stands a monument recreating one of Olympic history’s most unforgettable moments. It depicts Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two alumni of the university, giving their Black Power salute after the 200 metres final at the Mexico City games in 1968, in which Smith had won gold and Carlos bronze.

But the place on the rostrum for the silver medalist is empty.

Many people assume is is becasue the 3rd athlete, the Silver medallist and a white man, was unimportant.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos forfeited their athletics career as a result of their protest but eventually, with time, Smith and Carlos became the legendary figures they deserved to be, even attending the White House with the American Olympic team after the Rio Games two years ago at the invitation of then-president Barack Obama.

The Silver medallist was and remains the fastest Australian 200 metre runner in history.

To fully comprehend the magnitude of Peter Norman’s actions you would need to step back in time and consider the scene in Australia. All Indigenous peoples in Australia could vote for the first time in 1965; There was a referendum that all Indigenous peoples to be counted in the Census for the first time in 1967; and the forced removal of children was a policy still taking place.

Australia was not a crucible of tolerance. Norman, a teacher and guided by his Salvation Army faith took part in the Black Power salute because of this opposition to racism and the White Australia Policy.

In the US, where the black power movement was strong and widespread, Smith and Carlos almost certainly knew that to a certain percentage of the American population, they would become heroes, even though martyred. In comparison, Norman came back to horrendous criticism by the press.

The International and Australian Olympic Committees were also interested in retribution. Even as late as the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Norman was not welcomed. In 1972 he was overlooked for the Munich Games even though he had on numerous occasions made the qualifying time. Norman’s name does not appear in books which talk about the 100 greatest Athletes or the 100 greatest moments in Australian sport.