Smith Disputes Carlos Version Of '68 Race In New Book

[kuha]

In terms of these sprint times, I'd suggest that for everything the flatlander 5 and 10 k guys lost, the 200 guys gained. At that altitude, on that track, it would have been rather hard NOT to PR, I suspect...

[paulthefan]

GH is almost certainly correct that Carlos would have won silver if he'd stayed focused after Smith caught him - the video shows him constantly looking to his left as though he was worried about Bambuck or Fray,
when he should have been looking straight ahead - he's overstriding from 40 to 50m from home and has clearly lost form. .

The notion that a fellow falling apart is looking around because he wants only to run as fast as he has to for a silver is flawed.. rather the fellow is looking around desperately because he feels the wheels coming off the axle and he is in a panic over it... he finishes 3rd whether he looks forward or sideways.

The comment from 1 e-mailer that Norman had left his race in the early rounds is nonsense. Norman, whose heat time was 20.23 (not 20.17) had a pre-Mexico pb of 20.5. At altitude he'd run 20.3 a week before the 1st round of the 200. The altitude and good quality synthetic surface was probably 3 to 4/10ths advantage, so his 3 rounds of 20.23-20.44-20.22 while he was at the peak of his career were not too wearing - as his 20.06 showed. Norman never ran faster than 10.3 for 100 metres, so was always going to be trailing Carlos at 100, and catching him over the last 50. Carlos's problem was that he wasn't bright enough to know that. If he had been smart he might have had a quick glance to his right where Norman was fast approaching.

Carlos was plenty bright enough, panic strikes when the legs give up the ghost.... as for Norman, by your calculation he goes into his round one with a PR of 20.5 and runs a 20.23A which we can altitude correct to say a 20.5 or 20.6... so he runs at most 1/10 under his PR in the initial round of the Olympics and you say he did not overdue it... how often would you say running 1/10 from your PR in the first of a 4 round event is not too much too soon.... Look at the video and see that he runs 4m ahead of the second place fellow, it is obvious... that is a terrible waste of energy and nerves.. it likely cost him a 1/10 in the final...

Carlos made the same mistake in the semi and if anything cost him the silver medal it was runnign the semi as hard as he did... certainly NOT looking around as his legs went to rubber in the final.. the hay was in the barn at that point.

Had Tommie only done what was necessary in the semi I think 19.6 was in the cards.

[Bruce Kritzler]

No 19.6 for Smith on that day. He had strained his hamstring in the semi's, and there was much doubt if he would be able to finish.

[dukehjsteve]

Carlos sure is chattin some bull there. Why does the clock stop at 19.78? Was there a built-in delay on the clock or something?

yes.

Back in those early years full e timing, there was indeed a .05 delay built in. It was retroactively eliminated several years later.

[rhymans]

To quote Shakespeare (Henry V - speech before the battle of Agincourt) "Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot/But he'll remember with advantages/What feats he did that day" - that's what has appeared to happen to Mr Carlos. In '67-68 the score was Smith 7 and Carlos 1. The Carlos win was in the OT where he beat Smith by 0.26 - he would have won anyway that day, but Smith was hindered by a good fifth of a second by the unaccustomed lane 1 draw (on a tight 6 lane track). GH is almost certainly correct that Carlos would have won silver if he'd stayed focused after Smith caught him - the video shows him constantly looking to his left as though he was worried about Bambuck or Fray, when he should have been looking straight ahead - he's overstriding from 40 to 50m from home and has clearly lost form. The comment from 1 e-mailer that Norman had left his race in the early rounds is nonsense. Norman, whose heat time was 20.23 (not 20.17) had a pre-Mexico pb of 20.5. At altitude he'd run 20.3 a week before the 1st round of the 200. The altitude and good quality synthetic surface was probably 3 to 4/10ths advantage, so his 3 rounds of 20.23-20.44-20.22 while he was at the peak of his career were not too wearing - as his 20.06 showed. Norman never ran faster than 10.3 for 100 metres, so was always going to be trailing Carlos at 100, and catching him over the last 50. Carlos's problem was that he wasn't bright enough to know that. If he had been smart he might have had a quick glance to his right where Norman was fast approaching.

[SQUACKEE]

I ran in the Hartford half marathon in 1995. In my age group was Bill Rodgers. He beat me by 5 mins. It has just occured to me that i did indeed let him win for obvious reasons. :roll:

[dakota]

Carlos' explanation is absolutely bonkers. How would throwing the race alter the podium finish? If he repeats this nonsense again the IOC should call his bluff and investigate his ridiculous claim for bringing the sport into disrepute. Race fixing is usually the preserve of gambling syndicates after all, and besides, deliberately losing would cut against the ethos of the sport. One would hope he was just yanking people's chain with the typical ego of a sprinter, because otherwise his story is so full of holes it practically implies brain damage. And it's pretty cheap using a legendary civil rights demonstration to cover his limitations as an athlete, even if he was responsible for staging it. That's gotta be the worst excuse for losing I ever heard. If his point was that the result of the race is inconsequential to him next to the opportunity the Olympics afforded him to impart his message globally, well then that's cool, but by god should he have found a better way to say so gracefully.

[gh]

Carlos sure is chattin some bull there. Why does the clock stop at 19.78? Was there a built-in delay on the clock or something?

yes.

[trackworld]

Them Tommie-Jets are dangerous! The way he pulls away from the field in the Semi & Final is just pure speed. I love to watch anyone pour on the speed and watching those races again after not seeing for a while just brings home how fast he was. Kinda reminds me of Hayes' 64 anchor

[trackworld]

Carlos sure is chattin some bull there. Why does the clock stop at 19.78? Was there a built-in delay on the clock or something?

[SQUACKEE]

Smith BLOWS by Carlos....watch it for yourselves..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--lzACn0aZ8

Yes he does and then he starts pressing, not relaxed and starts kinda leaning way too soon. Doesnt look like a guy shutting it down. Carlos is full of silly putty. How the putty got there i dont know, but its there. The term is revisionist i believe. He's not the first to suffer this affliction.

If he's telling the truth just think how unfair that is to his wife/girlfriend, highschool coach, family, friends and coaches .He let someone else win. All those people who love him and wanted him to win so badly.

He didnt give his best. He cheated everyone of this priceless once in a lifetime olympic performance.

Very sad if true for all everyone involved. Puts a tainted victory for the great Tommy Smith. Its pathetic John. How dare you. Makes me sick.

[paulthefan]

yes and then Norman blows by Carlos....

watch the heats and you wonder what Norman was thinking to drop a 20.17 is initial heat... big mistake... same goes for Carlos...

[Jacksf]

Smith BLOWS by Carlos....watch it for yourselves..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--lzACn0aZ8

[dukehjsteve]

I will say it plainly, even if it gets deleted:

Carlos is full of shit.

[paulthefan]

unfortunately for Carlos there is a pesky little bit of footage out there that shows the whole race.

My own opinion is that Carlos and Norman spent way too much in the rounds. Tommie could afford it, they could not. Had they been more judicious they would have been under 20 no problem in the final. But under no circumstances were they in the league of big daddy long legs.. He was operating at 19.6 speeds that week...

I have seen the race more than a few times and I dont see Carlos holding off Norman regardless of his intentions.. He is just plain spent, as I view it he is giving his all to get to the tape, leaning and pushing .. there is simply nothing left in the tank for the big man.

Carlos should take a different approach to the race and simply sell his Mexico city performance for what it was, one of the greatest displays of raw speed in an opening 100m of a 200m race ever seen, I time him at 10.2 on that curve and he was a big man and that was a tight curve...... it was spectacular and it showed that in Mexico he was a legitimate threat for double individual sprint medals. He deserved to be on that 4x1. If any American sprinter's medal total underrepresents his talent it is Carlos' single bronze.

Also in Carlos' favor, had he been healthy and ready in 72 he was the one American that probably had the hardware to beat Borzov. The 69/70 Carlos nips the 72 Borzov.