Whats in a clenched fist?
In the UK, it is nowadays mainly associated with Tim Henman, whose mock-heroic pumping has become as much a part of Wimbledon as strawberries and cream. Paul Gascoigne, too, was partial to it during his footballing days. But while sport is the home of the clenched-fist salute, its most famous appearance came courtesy of the black American sprinters Tommy Smith and John Carlos on the victory podium at the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968 and it seems somewhat bathetic that this symbol of unity and revolutionary fervour should have become the preferred way of celebrating a successful backhand volley. Whether it is a suitable way to celebrate winning the Palme D’Or at Cannes may also be a moot point. But at least Ken Loach, who made the salute at the weekend when he collected his prize from a bemused-looking Emmanuelle Béart, understands its symbolism and was using it to underscore the message of his anti-colonialist film, The Wind that Shakes the Barley. “Maybe if you tell the truth
