OLYMPICS: General: Interview with 1968 200m Olympic champion Tommie Smith

1968 Olympic champion Tommie Smith is backing USA's Noah Lyles to secure Olympic Games at Paris 2024.

Transcript

00:00Well, Noel is one of the baddest young men I've ever met in terms of competition, in

00:06terms of taking the pressure on.

00:09And I do believe that with his help, with his parents' help and his coach's help, he's

00:14going to be fine.

00:15He's very exuberant, he's very happy because he's in this position, but wouldn't anybody

00:20be happy in that position?

00:21But I think he's going to be good.

00:23I'm staying here just to see that, not coming here just to see it, but staying here until

00:29that race on Monday, I do believe, that the 100 meters will be run.

00:35Himself.

00:36Why?

00:37Because he has to overcome the stuff with a capital S that's inside of him, and it's

00:46the clarity of relaxation to do the job that his body can do if he let it do, if he let

00:53it.

00:54Etonians?

00:55Oh, gosh, yes.

00:56What do you see there?

00:57I see what the women have, I think, in the history of the Games, because there's the

01:01smaller countries also have women that we haven't heard of, but heard of in their countries,

01:05that's going to make a big contribution to the history of the Olympic Games.

01:08I wish I could give you more insight of the women, but I tell you, track and field and

01:14all the other sports, too, that women have, that is going to be conducive to the education

01:20of the Olympic Games.

01:22And I think 1968, God gave me the vision to see that.

01:27Now it's happening, so my sacrifice was not in vain.