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When you think of world-famous Olympic athletes, the name Peter Norman probably does not come to mind.


But that’s soon about to change.

At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Tommie Smith broke records when he won the 200-meter dash finals and gold medal in 19.83 seconds. But his Black Power salute, alongside fellow runner John Carlos atop the medal podium, caused a lot of controversy at the time. The photo capturing the salute remains a symbolic moment in cultural and political history.

What many people failed to notice, for many years, is the white man in that photo.


The man, Peter Norman, was an unknown sprinter at the time.

In the photo, Norman stands completely still, seemingly void of any and all emotion. When people did notice this man standing among Smith and Carlos, they were indifferent to his “random” or “misplaced” presence on the podium.

But Italian writer Riccardo Gazzaniga recently uncovered the stunning truth behind Peter Norman’s identity. Thanks to his brilliant article entitled “The White Man in That Photo,” Peter Norman is now being hailed as “the third hero of that night in 1968,” and his story is leaving the world completely fascinated and inspired.

With permission from Gazzaniga, LittleThings reprints Gazzaniga’s essay in full, originally published on Films For Action, below.