Jesse Owens

See also: Owens

James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens (September 12th 1913 - March 31st 1980) was a Athlète Afro-américain celebrates for its participation in the Olympic Games of summer of 1936 with Berlin where it gained four gold medals and was acclaimed.

It was born with Oakville (Alabama) with the the United States and passed its childhood to Cleveland in Ohio. It was called Jesse by a professor who did not include/understand his accent when it pronounced his name J.C. .

In the 45 minutes space the May 25th 1935 with the meetings of Big Ten to Anarchist Arbor (Michigan), it establishes the record of the Long jump, in race of 220 Yard S, in race of hedges 220 yards and equalized the record 100 yards.

Olympic Games of 1936

It gained four gold medals with the Olympic Games of summer of 1936; the August 3rd 1936 with the 100 meters, the August 4th with the Long jump, the August 5th with the 200 meters, and after being included in the team of the relay 4 X 100 meters, the August 9th it gained its fourth gold medal. Its performance was equalized with the Olympic Games of summer of 1984 by Carl Lewis which gained four gold medals for the same tests.

The historical consensus affirms that Adolf Hitler would have refused to congratulate it. But, other sources claim that in its autobiography The Jesse Owens Story , 1970, Owens describes how Hitler would have risen and would have greeted it:

After having become the chancellor, it emerges while greeting me with the hand, I greeted it in return. I think that authors showed a bad taste by criticizing the strong man of the moment in Germany.

In what will become a gesture of extreme irony, the US president of then, Franklin D. Roosevelt, occupied in an election and concerned of the reaction of the States of the south, refused to have a discussion with Jesse Owens with the White House.

The remainder of its career

After the plays, it had despite everything the difficulties to live, by promoting the sport. It could leave advance to the local runners and gain them nevertheless. It gained races vis-a-vis racehorses, but revealed later that it could gain thanks to the fear of the horse by hearing the noise of the starting gun.

Its work of promotion transformed into a career of Public relation, in particular like Disc jockey of Jazz to Chicago.

It was decorated by the presidential medal with freedom with the United States in 1976 by Gerald Ford and the Gold medal with the Congress by George H.W. Bush on a purely posthumous basis the March 28th 1990. In 1984, a street of Berlin was baptized in its honor. All its life it allotted its career to the encouragements of Charles Riley, his trainer of the college, which located it and launched it in the national team. (See Harrison Dillard, an athlete of Cleveland inspired by Owens.)

Owens died of a Cancer of the Poumon at the 66 years age to Tucson in Arizona. It rests with the cemetery of Oak Woods, with Chicago in Illinois.

External bonds

  1. Official site devoted to Jesse Owens

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