Smith, Tommie

Tommie Smith, (born June 6, 1944, Clarksville, Texas, U.S.), American sprinter who held the world record for the 200-metre dash with turn (1966–71), his best time being 19.83 sec—the first time that the distance was run in less than 20 sec. He also held the record for the straightaway 200-metre dash (1965–79), his best time being 19.5 sec.

Smith competed for San Jose (California) State College. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, he won the gold medal for the 200-metre race, but he and a teammate, John Carlos, were suspended by the U.S. Olympic Committee and ordered to leave Mexico for giving a black-power salute while receiving awards (see photograph).

During Smith’s college career he set world records for the 220-yard (straightaway) dash and for the 200-metre races (with turn and straightaway) and was a member of a 4 × 200-metre relay team that set a world record (1967–70) of 1 min 22.1 sec.

After graduating, Smith played professional football with the Cincinnati Bengals for three years. He later became a track coach at Oberlin (Ohio) College, where he also taught sociology, and at Santa Monica (California) College. He was inducted into the (U.S.) National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1978. Smith’s autobiography, Silent Gesture (co-written with David Steele), was published in 2007.