Grammy award winning artists Beyoncé and Jay-Z wore Halloween costumes to honor historic Olympians Florence “Flo Jo” Griffith-Joyner and Tommie Smith respectively. The pop singer posted photos on her Instagram account donning a one-legged, purple and blue track suit, similar to the custom-made suite Griffith-Joyner wore during one her heats in the Olympic Trials.
Flo-Jo is widely regarded as the fastest woman in the world. In 1988, Griffith-Joyner set the world record in the 100m dash with a 10.49s time and in the 200m with a 21.34s time. These records still stand until this day. Griffith-Joyner was the first American female Olympian to win four medals in a single year.
Jay-z wore a dark blue USA warm-up suit and one black glove, mirroring the same suit Smith wore during his black power salute during the 1968 Summer Olympics. After winning a gold medal in the 200m dash with a 19.83s time, he rose his fist along with bronze medalist John Carlos. The protest was to bring awareness to racial discrimination in the United States and the Apartheid in South Africa.
The image of Smith and Carlos protest has resounded through American history for decades after. The protest received jeers from spectators and International Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage forced them out of the Olympics.
