Jesse Owens, athlete: biography, records

Legendary American black athlete Jesse Owens is considered one of the world's most outstanding athletes. He is known for his unique records, combating racism and injustice.

Biography of the athlete

Jesse Owens was born on September 12, 1913 onsoutheastern United States, in Alabama (in the city of Oakville). He's an African American. His father, Henry Cleveland Owens, worked as a cotton picker. Jesse is the youngest child. Besides him, there were nine other children in the family (three girls and six boys).

The real name of the future champion is James ClevelandOwens, but his relatives called him JC. When the boy was seven years old, he began to help his father to collect cotton. And he did it well - on the day the younger son brought up to a hundred pounds of plants. When James turned 9 years old, the Owens family moved to North America. In 1922, they began a new life in the city of Cleveland.

In the school that James began to visit,the teacher asked the boy's name, and he said: "JC". But the teacher did not understand his southern accent and recorded "Jesse". So began the story of Jesse Owens. In school years, the boy helped his family. He arranged for any job to bring money to his relatives. The future champion was a peddler of vegetables and fruits in the supermarket, an assistant in a shoe shop, a gas station at a gas station.

Beginning of an athlete's career

Passing training in a junior high school, JesseOwens began to get involved in running. But after the lessons the boy had no time to attend training. The first mentor of the athlete was the school's physical education teacher Charles Riley. It was he who suggested Owensu to postpone training for the morning. In an incomplete school, Jesse began to take part in school running competitions. In 1928, he met his future wife, at that time he was only fifteen years old. In 1932, the athlete became a father - he had a daughter Gloria.

In 1933, Owens performed at the US Championshipamong schoolchildren on the run for 100 meters and jumps, where he won. Despite his achievements, the athlete did not receive a sports scholarship at the university. Therefore, he paid for himself at Columbus University in Ohio. For this, the young man had to work as an elevator operator, and as a peddler for office papers. Jesse Owens, whose biography shows how hard his life was, was able to find time for training even on working days.

Preparation for international competitions

In 1935, the athlete moved to California, after allthe Olympic Games-1936 was near. Jesse Owens was considered one of the main contenders for the victory in running and jumping. In California, he wanted to go through a thorough preparation for the games. But I encountered the temptations of a new life. Here he knew the world of wealth, movie stars and admirers unknown to him before.

Money and entertainment had a detrimental effect onphysical training of the athlete. Some time athlete Jesse Owens stopped winning, and the newspapers did not appear new articles on his achievements. Therefore, the repeated record holder decided to move back to Ohio and continue training there. Gradually, he regained his good physical shape and faith in the victory at the Olympics-1936.

Jesse Owens and Hitler - competitions at international games

In 1936, the Olympics in Germany (in Berlin)was to be such a proof of the superiority of the white race. Also, the German authorities wanted to convince their people of the invincible power of fascism. They sought to demonstrate the apparent racial superiority of the Aryans.

At that time, the blacks had a "special attitude". They were considered the second grade, unworthy of victory. The American athlete, despite the achievements, had to visit individual restaurants, hotels and toilets. But at the Olympics-1936, Black Jesse Owens defeated 100 meters. The record, which the athlete has established, for a long time no one could beat. According to the rules of international games, Adolf Hitler had to personally shake hands with the champion. But the Fuhrer defiantly refused to do this and withdrew from the stadium, once again expressing his superiority over the black athlete.

Also, disappointment for the German authoritiescompetitions in long jump. In the struggle for the gold medal participated German Lutz Long and American Jesse Owens. The winner was the champion and the champion. Unlike the authorities, the German athlete sincerely congratulated James and ran with him a circle of honor in the stadium.

The next day, Owens came out on a two-hundred-meterrunning for shouting fans his name. In this struggle, the American was again the first. He won the third gold medal at the 1936 Olympics. But this victory was not the last in international competitions. According to the decision of the organizers of the Olympics, two Jewish runners were expelled from the relay team. One of the vacant seats took Jesse Owens. The American set a world record in the relay 4 * 100 m and received the fourth gold medal.

After the Olympic Games in Germany, Jesse Owensbecame a people's hero. Sports newspapers and magazines wrote only about the unique feat of the athlete. It was a sensation - a black American won four gold medals in front of Hitler.

Return of the triumphant to his homeland and disappointment

After the Olympics in 1936, Jesse returned to America. It began to be called the Black Bullet. He was full of hopes for a new life: rich and stellar. The sportsman wanted fame and recognition at home. Upon the arrival of Owens, he was directly surrounded by journalists on a ferry. He was pleased to give interviews about his triumphant victories. But in the evening the champion again faced the manifestation of racism. The winner could not find a haven. In all hotels, the black was denied a night's lodging. Only one of the many hotels allowed Jesse to spend the night, but he was allowed to enter there only from the back entrance, so that the guests did not notice him.

The fourfold champion did not receive his ownpromised riches, although the newspapers were full of notes that the athlete would be paid a considerable sum. True, once he was lucky. Jesse Owens was invited to the parade on Fifth Avenue, dedicated to his victories. The athlete drove past the crowd of spectators as a national hero. Someone from the neighborhood threw him in the car a small bundle, which the champion took for a pack of cookies. A little later he noticed that 10 thousand dollars were hidden inside.

New life in the old way

Commercials with Jesse Owens were shot veryrarely. Earnings were small to survive and feed his family. So he started a small business. The athlete opened the laundry, but she did not bring the desired incomes. The next insane decision of the athlete was to participate in races against horses, dogs and kangaroos. He was not interested in what they would think about him. The black champion is accustomed to injustice and bias. He needed money, and he earned them as he could.

Glory and recognition of Jesse

Only in the 50-ies of the XX century, the AmericanThe authorities needed the image of Owens (during the Cold War). During this period, the society began to heal from racism, and the athlete was known as the first black man who broke down barriers between people with different skin color. Since 1952, the sprinter has become an honored guest and commentator at all the Olympic Games.

When the glory came to Jesse Owens, he becamepublicly condemn the US government. The sportsman sharply expressed in the media about the silly boycott of the authorities of the country over participation in the Moscow Olympics. He believed that sport should not depend on politics.

Achievements and achievements

Jesse Owens has a lot of sportsachievements. At the age of 22, in just forty-five minutes, he improved three world records. It's a run with obstacles and a run for two hundred meters, jumps in length.

His record (jump with a result of 8 m 13 cm) is notwas beaten by no one for 25 years. One of the American professors on the history of sports called the Owens' 45-minute record the greatest sporting achievement since 1850.

Film about the life of an athlete

The story of Jesse Owens is so interesting that abouthis life was filmed two films. The first documentary film was released in 2011 in the US. The 54-minute film was based on truthful information about the legendary black athlete, his triumph at the Olympics-1936. The film's director is Lawrence Grant.

In 2016, there was a film about Jesse Owens underthe name Race ("Willpower"). This is an artistic two-hour film based on real events. The film describes in detail the events of the 1930s, especially the Olympic Games in fascist Berlin in 1936. Jesse Owens was played by Stephen James. In a biographical film, as in real life, a black athlete alone proved to the Fuhrer and the whole world that the racial theories of fascism are erroneous. The director of the film is Stephen Hopkins.

Death of the famous athlete

Jesse Owens died in the spring of 1980 in Arizona. At the age of 66, he learned about his incurable disease - a malignant lung tumor.

After the career of the athlete Jesse beganto abuse cigarettes. He smoked for as long as 35 years, which led his body to cancer. The body of an athlete wrapped in an Olympic flag is buried in Chicago. After the death of Jesse Owens in his honor was named the street leading to the stadium "Olympia Stadion".