Martin Jellinghaus (born 26 October 1944 in Lauf an der Pegnitz

Lauf an der Pegnitz

Lauf an der Pegnitz is a municipality near Nuremberg, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nürnberger Land, in Bavaria....

, Bayern) is a West German

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

 former athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres.

He competed for West Germany in the 1968 Summer Olympics

1968 Summer Olympics

The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...

 held in Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 in the 4 x 400 metre relay where he won the bronze medal with his team mates Helmar Müller

Helmar Müller

Helmer Müller is a West German former athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres.He competed for West Germany in the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan in the 4 x 400 metre relay where he won the bronze medal with his team mates Manfred Kinder, Gerhard Hennige and Martin Jellinghaus.He...

, Manfred Kinder

Manfred Kinder

Manfred Kinder is a West German former athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres.He was born in Königsberg....

 and Gerhard Hennige

Gerhard Hennige

Gerhard Hennige is a former German track and field athlete and Olympic medal winner, among the world's best at the 400 meter hurdles from 1966 to 1971....

. During the games, along with the Australian sprinter Peter Norman

Peter Norman

Peter George Norman was an Australian track athlete best known for winning the silver medal in the 200 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. His time of 20.06 seconds still stands as the Australian 200m record. He was a five-time Australian 200m champion...

, he wore Olympic Project for Human Rights badges to show support for the suspended American sprinters Tommie Smith

Tommie Smith

Tommie Smith is an African American former track & field athlete and wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith won the 200-meter dash finals in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20 second barrier was broken...

 and John Carlos

John Carlos

John Wesley Carlos is a Cuban American former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics and his black power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy...

, the two gold and bronze medalists in the men's 200-meter race, who took their places on the podium for the medal ceremony barefooted

1968 Summer Olympics

The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...

and wearing civil rights badges, lowering their heads and each defiantly raising a black-gloved fist as the Star Spangled Banner was played.