The History and Life of Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens was the best track athlete at the 1936 Olympics due to his four gold medals in the 400 meter relay , the 100 meter dash , the 200 meter dash and the running board jump or the long jump. Now not only did he run but he showed that he was also versitlie and could jump. He also won a gold by the help of three others to win the 400 meter relays. Now a short summary of his life will be discussed. One of the greatest track-and-field athletes of all time. He was born James Cleveland Owens in Danville, Alabama, and educated at Ohio State University. However he competed in interscholastic track meets while attending high school, excelling in the running broad jump, the 100-yd dash, and the 220-yd dash. As a member of the Ohio State University track squad in 1935, he established a world record of 26 ft 83 in. For the running broad jump; the next year he set a new world record of 10.2 sec for the 100-m dash. A member of the U. S. track team in the 1936 Olympic Games , in Berlin , Owens won four gold medals. He won the 100-m dash in 10.3 sec , equaling the Olympic record; set a new Olympic and world record of 20.7 sec in the 200-m dash ; and won the running broad jump with a leap of 26 ft 5I in. , setting a new Olympic record. He was also a member of the U.S. 400-m relay team that year , which set a new Olympic and world record of 39.8 sec. Despite Owens's outstanding athletic performance , German leader Adolf Hitler refused to acknowledge his Olympic victories because Owens 2 was black. Owens went on to play an active role in youth athletic programs and later established his own public relations firm. Jesse proved you could make it if you only put forth some effort. Jesse became a lifetime role model just from one summer olympic games. Owens just demonstrated what every young black kid in America wanted to become when the arose to his type of greatness. Jesses' to becoming the best at this olympic games was a pretty tough road. He was pushed back because of the