Jesse Owens and His Real Victories
When Jesse Owens shook Germany back in the 1930s he appeared to be a strong and confident man who knew what he wanted and was not prepared to let the Nazi’s influence his life. He understood what was important without necessarily dismissing the rest as irrelevant. He gained success in his sporting life and while he was bound to be delighted with his achievements, he saw other things as more important and we can all learn from this.
When Jesse Owens said “The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself–the invisible battles inside all of us–that’s where it’s at,” he was adhering to the fight that some people have from day to day just to make sense of their lives and circumstances. If Jesse Owens was so aware back then, then we should be able to see clearly how it is today.
Owens is best known for his victories at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals. The American track and field champ first drew national attention as a student at East Technical High School in Cleveland when he equaled the world record of 9.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash and long-jumped 24 feet 9-½ inches at the 1933 National High School Championship in Chicago.
Owens later attended Ohio State University, where he was affectionately known as the “Buckeye Bullet.” In 1935 and 1936 he won a record eight individual NCAA championships, four in each year. At the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan on May 25, 1935, Owens set three world records and tied a fourth.
Jesse’s German Track Shoes
Jesse Owens was wearing German track shoes when he won his gold medals in Berlin. So were all the members of the German team and most of the track and field athletes. His shoes were made by the company co-founded by Adolf Adi Dassler. Today that firm is called Adidas.
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