An injured Lennox Miller anchors Kingston College to victory in the sprint relay at the 1964 Penn Relays. - File

THE 1968 and 1972 Olympics, in Mexico City and Munich respectively, rank alongside the 1936 Games in Berlin as the most controversial in the history of these championships.

Jamaican athletes were not very successful at either, but the drama that played out reflected a fast changing world.

Star sprinter

Sprinter Lennox Miller won the country's two medals at those Games. In 1968, Miller was Jamaica's best chance of winning a gold medal since George Rhoden's triumph in the 400 metres in Helsinki 16 years earlier.

The former Kingston College student finished second to Jim Hines of the United States, but got to see firsthand one of the most stirring incidents in Olympic history.

American sprinters Tommy Smith and John Carlos, who placed first and second, respectively, in the 200 metres, gave clenched fist salutes to the Civil Rights movement that was gathering steam in their country, shortly after being presented with their medals.

The gesture was denounced by the International Olympic Committee, which banned both athletes from participating in future Games.

MURDERS

Four years later, Miller was again Jamaica's star athlete. He finished third in his pet event to Russian Valeri Borzov, while the 4x100 metres relay team of Michael Fray, Donald Quarrie, Miller and Horace Levy failed to qualify for the final.

Although American swimmer Mark Spitz won a record seven gold medals, the Munich Games was overshadowed by the murders of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists.

Lennox Miller, whose daughter, Inger ,was a member of the winning United States' 4x100 relay team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, died in November 2004 from cancer.