Wayne Curtis Collett (October 20, 1949 – March 17, 2010) was an African-American Olympic sprinter. Collett won a silver medal in the 400 m at the 1972 Summer Olympics. During the medal ceremony Collett and winner Vincent Matthews talked to each other, shuffled their feet, stroked their chins and fidgeted while the US national anthem played, leading many to believe it was a Black Power protest like the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute by Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
The Associated Press noted that the casual behavior of Matthews and Collett during the playing of the anthem was interpreted as "disrespectful", and described the conduct as follows:
Collett, bare-footed, leaped from the No. 2 tier to the No. 1 stand beside his teammate. They stood sideways to the flag, twirling their medals, with Matthews stroking his chin. Their shoulders slumped, neither stood erect nor looked at the flag. ... As whistles and catcalls continued, Collett raised a clenched fist to the crowd before entering the portal of the dressing room.
In an interview after the medal ceremony with the American Broadcasting Company, Collett said the national anthem meant nothing to him. He explained that he had felt unable to honor the anthem, because of the struggle faced by African Americans at the time: "I couldn't stand there and sing the words because I don't believe they're true. I wish they were. I believe we have the potential to have a beautiful country, but I don't think we do." The pair were banned from future Olympic competition by the IOC; since John Smith had pulled a hamstring 80 meters into the final while leading and had been ruled unfit to run, the USA were unable to field a team in the 4 × 400 m relay and were forced to scratch from the event.While still on the rise as an athlete, Collett was pictured on the March 1970 cover of Track and Field News as a hurdler. On the March 1973 cover, he and Mathews are pictured from the award stand promoting an article "All Gold Does Not Glitter."Collett graduated from UCLA in 1971, where he later earned M.B.A. and J.D. degrees. He practiced law and worked in real estate and mortgage finance. In 1992 he was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. He died of cancer at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles on March 17, 2010, aged 60.
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Some of their strengths
Wayne Collett has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Imaginative, Energetic, Intelligent, Kind, Honest, Artistic, and Selfless.
Intelligent and Inquisitive
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Wayne Collett is someone who is an intelligent, inquisitive, and imaginative person, who is practical, considerate, kind, and diplomatic in dealings with others. A person who is known for being diligent and strong.
Soulful and Intuitive
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Wayne Collett well know them as someone who can be graceful, romantic, and reserved, like gentle rain.
Active and Ambitious
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Wayne Collett as someone who is active, ambitious, bold, and courageous.
A person who is driven and organized, is wise with money, who knows how to tell a good story, likes physical activity, and who loves learning.
Social and Intuitive
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Wayne Collett is someone who values forming deep friendships and relationships, and who has strong intuition and reasoning skills .
They are also someone who is balanced, stable, and energetic, who likes the idea of home and family, and who is very comfortable being the person in charge.
Justice-seeking and Peaceful
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Wayne Collett tends to be someone who loves peace and is ready to go to any costs to achieve it. Who has a taste for the good things in life, tends to be a good organizer, has a thirst for knowledge, and who tends to have the respect of friends and acquaintances.
Some of Wayne Collett's challenges
While Wayne Collett has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Wayne Collett can be Stubborn, Hesitant, Narcissistic, Idle, Impulsive, Aggressive, and Unemotional.
Hesitant and Narcissistic
One of Wayne Collett's key challenges is that they are someone who can be hesitant and narcissistic.
Wayne Collett must also exercise caution as they can be excessive and unrealistic.
Impulsive and Aggressive
Wayne Collett is someone who can be impulsive, aggressive, and confrontational, can have difficulty listening to others, be moody and high strung, have conflict with authority figures, be too judgmental of others, and who can be overindulgent and extravagant.
Pleasure-seeking and Indecisive
Finally, Wayne Collett also can put others first too much, and hem-and-haw too much when making a decision.
