Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Tommie Smith, known for his iconic 1968 Olympic protest, first made history on 7 May 1966 at San Jose State by becoming the first man to break 20 seconds in both the 200m and 220 yards on a straight track. Timekeepers recorded his performance at 19.5 seconds for both 200 metres and 220 yards, surpassing the previous world record of 20.0 seconds held since 1956.
The race took place under near-perfect conditions with a following wind of 1.84 metres per second. Smith finished about half a second ahead of runner-up Wayne Herman during his third race of the day. Multiple timekeepers registered 19.4, 19.5, and 19.6 seconds for 200m, with the official time set at 19.5 seconds according to the rules.
Track and Field News called this "the greatest performance in the history of track and field," surpassing other notable records in shot put and the 10,000m. Smith, then a 22-year-old sociology student and former sharecropper from East Texas, was renowned for his smooth sprinting style described as "like pouring oil onto glass."
This groundbreaking straight-track record preceded Smith's 19.8-second 200m world record on a curved track at the 1968 Olympic final.