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At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, 36 athletics events were contested, 24 for men and 12 for women. There were a total number of 1031 participating athletes from 93 countries. [1] [2] These games were notable for a number of Olympic firsts and numerous world records. These included:
The record lasted until 1973 when it was finally broken by Marcello Fiasconaro. Men's 400 meter hurdles record that was set by Geoff Vanderstock United States at the high altitude United States Olympic Trials that year, was improved upon at the Olympics by David Hemery United Kingdom and lasted four years.
The longest standing modern Olympic athletics record is Bob Beamon's achievement in the men's long jump at the 1968 Summer Olympics. [6] The jump, at 8.90 m (29 ft 2 in), also broke the existing world record by 55 cm (22 in), and stood as the world record for 23 years until Beamon's compatriot, Mike Powell , jumped farther in the 1991 World ...
It stood as the world record for 23 years, until broken by American Mike Powell in 1991; yet it has stood as the current Olympic record for 57 years. Jim Hines , Tommie Smith and Lee Evans also set long-standing world records in the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m, respectively.
The men's 200 metres event at the 1968 Summer Olympics was held in Mexico City, Mexico. The final was won by 0.23 seconds by Tommie Smith in a time of 19.83, a new world record. However, the race is perhaps best known for what happened during the medal ceremony – the Black Power salute of Smith and bronze medallist John Carlos .
Games Gold Silver Bronze 100 metres details: Jim Hines United States 9.95 WR: Lennox Miller Jamaica 10.04 Charles Greene United States 10.07 200 metres details: Tommie Smith United States
The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at three since the 1930 Olympic Congress. Bob Beamon won by 71 cm in a new world record of 8.90 m (29 ft 2 + 3 ⁄ 8 in); a record which stood for nearly 23 years until it was finally broken in 1991, when Mike Powell jumped 8.95 m (29 ft 4 + 3 ⁄ 8 in) at the World Championships in Tokyo. [2]
Ron Whitney set a new Olympic record of 49.0 seconds in the third quarterfinal. Three men (Gerhard Hennige, John Sherwood, and Geoff Vanderstock matched that time in the final, but they were all nearly a full second behind the winner: Dave Hemery, who shattered the world record with a 48.1 seconds performance.