Jesse Owens American Hero

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Track Hero, War Hero, American Hero. In the 1936 Berlin Olympics a young, black athlete by the name of Jesse Owens would win 4 gold medals and prove the Nazi’s idea of Aryans supremacy incorrect. Jesse Owens was born on September 12th, 1913, the youngest of 10 children. On the first day of school during role call his teacher heard him say “Jesse” instead of “J.C.” because of his strong southern accent and the name “Jesse” would stick forever.. He was born in a time where colored people were segregated in the south. As a boy he needed to work plenty of jobs to keep his family and himself clean and with food on the table. He delivered groceries, loaded freight cars and worked in a shoe repair shop. It was at this time he knew what he wanted to do in his life, he wanted to run. He started to do track and field during junior high and would later meet the love of his life in the same school. Jesse Owens then after went to college at the Ohio State University, where he earned the nickname “The Buckeye Bullet”. His incredible career in college would give the world a preview of what would come out of the Berlin Olympics. At the time Hitler and Nazi Germany were spreading out a myth of Aryan supremacy. Hitler …show more content…

He was hurt throughout most of the Olympics, but after convincing his coach to let him play he changed the world forever. In just 45 minutes Jesse would set 3 world records and win 4 gold medals,100 meter dash in 10.3 seconds (tying the world record), long jump with a jump of 26' 5 1/4" (Olympic record), 200 meter dash in 20.7 seconds (Olympic record), and 400 meter relay in 39.8 seconds (Olympic and world record). this impressed everyone in the stands including the big boss Hitler himself. The first time anyone had ever won 4 gold medals in one Olympiad, what was so impressed was that the first man to ever do it was a young black man from southern

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