Peter Norman

For the Swedish politician, see Peter Norman (politician).

Peter Norman

File:Peter Norman.jpg
Personal information
Full name	Peter George Norman
Born	(1942-06-15)15 June 1942 Coburg, Victoria, Australia
Died	Melbourne
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	73 kg (161 lb)
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Sprint
Club	East Melbourne Harriers
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	20.06 s (200 m, 1968)
Medal record Representing Australia Olympic Games 1968 Mexico City 200 metres Commonwealth Games 1966 Kingston 4×110 yards

Peter George Norman (15 June 1942 – 3 October 2006) was an Australian track athlete. He won the silver medal in the 200 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, with a time of 20.06 seconds which remains the Australian 200 metres record. He was a five-time Australian 200 m champion. He is also known for his support of John Carlos and Tommie Smith when they made their famous raised-fist gesture at the 1968 Olympics medal ceremony.

Early life

Norman grew up in a devout Salvation Army family living in Coburg, a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, and was educated at The Southport School. Initially an apprentice butcher, Norman later became a teacher, and worked for the Victorian Department of Sport and Recreation towards the end of his life.

Norman was conflicted with some aspects of Salvation Army beliefs including competing on the Sabbath.

Athletics career

1968 Summer Olympics

Main articles: Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres and 1968 Olympics Black Power salute

File:John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Peter Norman 1968cr.jpg

The Black Power salute by John Carlos (right) and Tommie Smith. Peter Norman (left) wears an OPHR badge in solidarity with them.

The 200 metres at the 1968 Olympics started on 15 October and finished on 16 October; Norman won his heat in a time of 20.17 seconds which was briefly an Olympic record. He won his quarter final and was second in the semi.

In the semi-finals, Peter Norman finished the race in second place at 20.06 seconds, his best performance ever. This is an Australian record that still stands today.

On the morning of 16 October, U.S. athlete Tommie Smith won the 200 metre final with a world-record time of 19.83 seconds. Norman finished second in a time of 20.06 s, and U.S. athlete John Carlos was in third place in 20.10 s. Norman's time was his all-time personal best and an Australian record that still stands.

After the race, the three athletes went to the medal podium for their medals to be presented by David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter. On the podium, during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner", Smith and Carlos famously joined in a Black Power salute.

Norman wore a badge on the podium in support of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR). After the final, Carlos and Smith had told Norman what they were planning to do during the ceremony. As Martin 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 OPHR badge being worn by Paul Hoffman, a white member of the US Rowing Team, and asked him if he could wear it. It was Norman who suggested that Smith and Carlos share the black gloves used in their salute, after Carlos left his pair in the Olympic Village. This is the reason for Smith raising his right fist, while Carlos raised his left.

Later career

Norman quit athletics after the decision not to field an Australian men's track sprinting team in the 1972 Olympics and took up Australian rules football. Norman kept running, but in 1985 contracted gangrene after tearing his Achilles tendon during a charity race, which nearly led to his leg being amputated. Depression, heavy drinking and pain killer addiction followed. Before the 1968 Olympics Norman was a trainer for West Brunswick Australian rules football club as a way of keeping fit over winter during the athletic circuit's off season. After 1968 he played 67 games for West Brunswick between 1972 and 1977 before coaching an under 19 team in 1978.

Norman during his athletics career was coached by Neville Sillitoe.

Career achievements

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
1962	Commonwealth Games	Perth, Australia	6th S/F 1 ; 12/43	220 yards	21.8(22.03)(−2.8)
1966	Commonwealth Games	Kingston, Jamaica	6th Q/F ; 29/54	100 yards	10.2(10.27)(−5.0)
			6th S/F 1 ; 10/56	220 yards	21.2(0.0)
			3rd	4×110 yards	40.0
			5th	4×440 yards	3:12.2
1968	Olympic Games	Mexico City, Mexico	2nd	200 m	20.0 (20.06)(+0.9)
1969	Pacific Conference Games	Tokyo, Japan	4th	100 m	10.8(−0.1)
			1st	200 m	21.0(−0.1)
			1st	4 × 100 m	40.8
1970	Commonwealth Games	Edinburgh, Scotland	5th	200 m	20.86(+1.7)
			DNF Heat1 ; 14th	4 × 100 m	Dropped baton

National championships

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
1965/66	Australian Championships	Perth, Western Australia	1st	200 m	20.9 (−1.2)
1966/67	Australian Championships	Adelaide, South Australia	1st	200 m	21.3
1967/68	Australian Championships	Sydney, New South Wales	1st	200 m	20.5 (0.0)
1968/69	Australian Championships	Melbourne, Victoria	2nd	100 m	10.6 (−0.5)
			1st	200 m	21.3 (−3.1)
1969/70	Australian Championships	Adelaide, South Australia	1st	200 m	21.0 (−2.1)
1971/72	Australian Championships	Perth, Western Australia	3rd	200 m	21.6

Death

Norman died of a heart attack on 3 October 2006 in Melbourne at the age of 64. US Track and Field Federation proclaimed 9 October 2006, the date of his funeral, as Peter Norman Day. Thirty-eight years after the three made history, both Smith and Carlos gave eulogies and were pallbearers at Norman's funeral. At the time of his death, Norman was survived by his second wife, Jan, and their daughters, Belinda and Emma, his first wife, Ruth, and children, Gary, Sandra and Janita, and four grandchildren.

2012 Parliamentary apology debate

The apology

In August 2012, the Australian Parliament debated a motion to provide a posthumous apology to Norman. On 11 October 2012 the Australian Parliament passed the wording of an official apology that read:

15 PETER NORMAN

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the motion of Dr Leigh— That this House:

(1) recognises the extraordinary athletic achievements of the late Peter Norman, who won the silver

medal in the 200 metres sprint running event at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, in a time of 20.06

seconds, which still stands as the Australian record;

(2) acknowledges the bravery of Peter Norman in donning an Olympic Project for Human Rights

badge on the podium, in solidarity with African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John

Carlos, who gave the ‘black power’ salute;

(3) apologises to Peter Norman for the wrong done by Australia in failing to send him to the 1972

Munich Olympics, despite repeatedly qualifying; and

(4) belatedly recognises the powerful role that Peter Norman played in furthering racial equality—

Debate resumed by Dr Leigh who moved, by leave, as an amendment—Omit paragraph (3), substitute:

(3) apologises to Peter Norman for the treatment he received upon his return to Australia, and the

failure to fully recognise his inspirational role before his untimely death in 2006; and

Debate continued.

Question—That the amendment be agreed to—put and passed.

Question—That the motion, as amended, be agreed to—put and passed.
-- Parliament of Australia

In a 2012 interview, Carlos said:

There's no-one in the nation of Australia that should be honoured, recognised, appreciated more than Peter Norman for his humanitarian concerns, his character, his strength and his willingness to be a sacrificial lamb for justice.

Apology claims disputed

The Australian Olympic Committee has disputed the claims made in the Australian Parliament apology about Norman paying a price in supporting Carlos and Smith. The AOC made the following comments:

• Norman was not punished by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC). He was cautioned by Chef de Mission Judy Patching the evening of the medal ceremony and then given as many tickets as he wanted to go and watch a hockey match.
• Norman was not selected 1972 Munich Olympics as he did not meet the selection standard which entailed an athlete equaling or better the Olympic qualifying standard (20.9) and performing creditably at the Australian Athletics Championships. Norman ran several qualifying qualifying times from 1969-1971 but he finished third in the 1972 Australian Athletics Championships behind Greg Lewis and Gary Eddy in a time of 21.6. At the time Norman, commented: "All I had to do was to win, even in a slow time, and I think I would have been off to Munich". Norman did not tell the selectors he was carrying a knee injury. Australasian Amateur Athletics' magazine stated "The dilemma for selectors here was how could they select Norman and not Lewis. Pity that Peter did not win because that would have been the only requirement for a Munich ticket".
• In the lead up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the AOC stated "Norman was involved in numerous Olympic events in his home city of Melbourne. He announced several teams for the AOC in Melbourne and was on the stage in his Mexico 1968 blazer congratulating athletes. He was very much acknowledged as an Olympian and the AOC valued his contribution."Due to cost considerations, the AOC did not have the resources to bring all Australian Olympians to Sydney and Norman was offered the same chance to buy tickets as other Australian Olympians. The AOC did not believe that Norman was owed an apology.

It has been stated that United States authorities invited him to participate in the 2000 Sydney Olympics after they found out he was not attending. On 17 October 2003, San Jose State University unveiled a statue commemorating the 1968 Olympic protest; Norman was not included as part of the statue itself – his empty podium spot intended for others viewing the statue to "take a stand" – but was invited to deliver a speech at the ceremony.

Legacy

Three Proud People mural in Newtown.

Norman's nephew Matt Norman directed and produced the cinema-released documentary Salute (2008) about the three runners through Paramount Pictures and Transmission Films. Paul Byrnes in his Sydney Morning Herald review of Salute says that the film makes it clear why Norman stood with the other two athletes. Byrnes writes, "He was a devout Christian, raised in the Salvation Army [and] believed passionately in equality for all, regardless of colour, creed or religion—the Olympic code".

An airbrush mural of the trio on podium was painted in 2000 in the inner-city suburb of Newtown in Sydney. Silvio Offria, who allowed an artist known only as "Donald" to paint the mural on his house in Leamington Lane, said Norman came to see the mural, "He came and had his photo taken, he was very happy." The monochrome tribute, captioned "THREE PROUD PEOPLE MEXICO 68," was under threat of demolition in 2010 to make way for a rail tunnel but is now listed as an item of heritage significance.

Recognition

• 1999 – Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee
• 2000 – Australian Sports Medal
• 2010 – Athletics Australia Hall of Fame inductee

References

Annotations

Footnotes

References

• - Total pages: 320
• - Total pages: 64

External links

• 1968 Olympic 200 Meters on YouTube
• Peter Norman – Athletics Australia Hall of Fame
• – Peter Norman – Sport Australia Hall of Fame
• Peter Norman at the Internet Movie Database