Peter Norman

freedom1

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I just read that Peter Norman still holds the Australian 200 meter record with his 20.06 from Mexico City, 1968. Does anyone here know what Norman's 2nd fastest time was, his PB in the 100 and who is 2nd on the Australian 200 all time list?

Thanx
 

jacknyc

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Dean Capobianco is 2nd all-time Australian at 200meters in 20.18.
John Dinan is 3rd at 20.19

Could not find a time for him in the 100m.

Here is more info from Australian & New Zealand Olympians: The Stories of 100 Great Champions (Graeme Atkinson) (skipping the description of the 1968 controversy):

... An asthma sufferer, Norman has almost the slowest start in athletics, but possessed one of the most paralyzing last 80 metres ever seen in 200 metres running.
He lined up for his first A grade club race in 1958. His idol, Hec Hogan, was in the field and left Norman for dead, but only four years later, the young Collingwood athlete was in his first Australian team. He then drifted along in athletics for a few years while runners such as Holdsworth, Eddy, and Lay went ahead of him.
Norman came to the fore again with a victory in the 1966 Australian national 200 metres (the first of 5 in succession) and was selected for the Mexico City Games. It was thought unlikely that he would fare well but he set a new Olympic record in his heat and qualified easily for the final.
[Description of 1968 200 race]
A bad knee resulted in only 3rd place in the national title in 1972 and although he was still inside the Olympic qualifying time, Norman was not selected for the Munich Olympics. That same year he was involved in a sensation at the Victorian state titles when he was placed second in the 100 metres although news photos showed him a half yard to the good in lane one (nearest the judges, a position in which runners are sometimes missed). Angry, Norman threw his silver medal into the lap of the chief judge. Soon after, he was suspended for two years for failing to lodge a manager's report after taking a sub-junior side to Brisbane.
Keeping fit with football, Norman made a short-lived comeback in 1976, at which time his Australian record for the 200 metre (20.5 in 1968 and 1971) still stood (?!? -what about 1968). But although he had hopes of qualifying for the Montreal Games, he soon dropped out of athletics.
 

freedom1

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Thanx for the info Jacknyc. It sounds like Norman's Mexico City time was one of the freak performances that came out of those Olympics, e.g., Bob Beamon's long jump. Norman never came anywhere close to that time before or since.

Say, it's off subject, but do you know what the white American record is for the 100 meters?
 

jacknyc

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I think the fastest 100m time by a white American is 10.13 by Kevin Little.
 

jacknyc

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I think Norman ran a 20.3x and 20.2x in the rounds before the final at Mexico City.
 

white lightning

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I've always wondered what Kevin Little could have possibly accomplished if he just focused on the 100.He was a 200/400 guy but I believe he could have run a sub 10 if he would have changed events.He was that fast and just would have had to train a little different.I don't think he would have won as much though because the was the time of C.Lewis and L.Burrell.We all know that they were getting some extra help if you know what I mean.
 

freedom1

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Yeah, I had read somewhere that Marty Krulee had run a 10.06, but it was wind aided. I also have heard about a sprinter named Mark Lutz, but haven't been able to find his PB. It figures it was Kevin Little.

Yes, I really wonder what Little's 100 time would've been had he specialized in it for a while. I also wonder about Kederis. Of course, Kederis turned out to be dirty.

I wish these guys would live in the moment a little more. The reports said Wariner eased up during his last race. I wish he would've just plowed through the tape with everything he had. Get that 43.7 into the books man! You never know what's going to happen. Macro was looking back in Mexico City when he got his 10.03. He hasn't done anything since.
 

jacknyc

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Mark Lutz ran before Automatic Timing was standard, and also before the 100m was standard.
I know he ran 9.2 100y hand-timed, and I think he beat Borzov in the 100 at a US vs. USSR meet.
 

white is right

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Little has the unofficial white best for an American. He is definately the second best all round sprinter(encompassing all the sprints) after Johnson, people really dont realize what a talent he was. He has a pb of 10.1X,20.1X and sub 45. The up and coming sprinter Xavier Carter is doing the same, but he is doing it younger and of course is black so people know about his abilities.......
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Off track a bit - it's interesting how many stories about the 'protest' in
Mexico City that state Tommie Smith and John Carlos went 1-2 in the
200, when it was Norman that broke it up and finished 2nd. Later on
Carlos claimed he gave up. Sure. Watch the video. He was running his a**
off and finished third. Simple as that.
 

white is right

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That Carlos story of letting Tommie win and easing up is bull. He hit the wall from trying to beat Smith and Norman ran a better even paced race and ate him up over the last metres...
 
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