My Greatest Olympic Prize

 

My Greatest Olympic Prize

                                               Jesse Owens

Introducing the Author

          James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens (1913-1980), an American track and field athlete, is an icon in the world of sports. In 1936, Owens arrived in Berlin to compete for the United States in the Summer Olympics. Adolf Hitler was using the games to show the world a resurgent Nazi Germany. He and other government officials had high hopes that German athletes would dominate the games with victories (the German athletes achieved a “to of the table” medal haul). Meanwhile, Nazi propaganda promoted concepts of “Aryan racial superiority”, and depicted ethnic Africans as inferior.

            Owens’ surprised many by winning four gold medals: On August 3, 1936, he won the 100 meter sprint, defeating Ralph Metcalfe; On August 4, the long jump (later crediting friendly and helpful advice from Luz Long, the German competitor he ultimately defeated),  on August 5, the 200 meter sprint; and after he was added to the 4 x 100 meter relay team, following a request by the Germans to replace a Jewish-American sprinter, he won his fourth on August 9, a performance not equalled until Carl Lewis won gold medals in the same events at the 1984 Summer Olympics. These four gold medals made Jesse Owens globally famous. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower honoured Owens by naming him ‘an Ambassador of sports’.

About the Topic

            In this essay, Jesse Owens gives vent to his experiences of 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin. Nationalistic feelings were running high in Germany. However, Owens was not worried at all. He was endowed with an unflinching faith in his abilities. Owens set a world record in the long jump defeating the famous German Athlete Luz Long. This essay also deals with Owens’ lasting friendship with him and the spirit of Olympic Games.