1936 Berlin Olympics
With his incredible feat at the Big Ten Championships, Jesse went into the 1936 Berlin Olympics with great confidence. But the rest of the world was beginning to fall into turmoil. The Olympics were being held in the heart of Hitler's Nazi Germany, and Hitler sought to prove to the world the dominance of the Aryan race through the Olympic games. Jesse proved this belief completely wrong when he won all four events in which he was entered (the 100m dash, 200m dash, long jump, and high jump) becoming the first Track and Field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympiad.
One of the most inspirational stories of athletes transcending adversity comes from the long jump in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Due to the time period, and the fact that the games were held in Nazi Germany, Owens was highly discriminated against. But Owens managed to forge a lasting friendship with the most unlikely of people, German long-jumper Luz Long.
Owens succeeded in long jump not because his technique was good, but because he was incredibly fast. Due to this, Owens often fouled out by taking his jump too close to the pit, which could result in disqualification. After Owens fouled his first jump in the Olympics, Luz Long suggested he move his starting mark back to make sure this didn't happen. After his next two jumps, Owens came away with the gold medal, forcing Long to take silver. Instead of being bitter, Long congratulated Owens and took photos with him. Despite the unlikeliness, a life-long friendship formed, and serves as one of the greatest testaments not only of Owens' 1936 Olympics, but also of his character. |
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