25th of May, 1935 Owens smashed the world records for the 220-yard dash, the 220-yard low hurdles, and the running broad jump in a single day of competition on May 25, 1935, and tied the world record for the 100-yard sprint. His time of 10.3 seconds broke the existing world record by nearly half a second.
Owens went on to win four more gold medals at the Berlin Games before competing in another event that year. He returned to the Olympics in 1936 but was prevented from taking part because of political tensions between Germany and America. Owens tried again in 1940 but failed to reproduce his previous successes. He retired from competitive athletics after this second attempt at an Olympic medal.
Owens died in 1978 at the age of 60. Today, people still debate how fast he really ran. The original record holder, Abe Eisenhoffer, has been proven correct by scientific measurement: his time of 10.5 seconds in 1935 is still considered one of history's fastest times.
The current U.S. record holder is Michael Johnson with a time of 9.92 seconds. This makes Jesse Owens the clear winner among black athletes in the German capital in those days.
His achievements earned him the title of "the greatest athlete of all time by a wide margin" (Sports Illustrated).
Owens' track record speaks for itself as an exceptionally gifted athlete who excelled in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and relay. At a meeting in Michigan in 1935, he established three world records in the span of an hour. It is still an unrivaled accomplishment. His legacy will forever be remembered for his remarkable success on the track.
Owens was born on January 16th, 1929 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Mary Phagan and Charles Owens. He had two siblings: a brother named Charles Jr. and a sister named Linda. When he was five years old, his family moved to Covington, Louisiana where he lived until he went to high school. After graduating from high school in 1947, Owens attended Carlow University but left after one year to pursue a professional career in sports. He became one of the greatest athletes of all time and has been inducted into several halls of fame for his contributions to athletics.
Owens first broke a world record in July 1948 when he cleared 19 feet (5.77 m) in Los Angeles. The record lasted only one day because no one had ever jumped that far before. In 1949, he broke it again with a new mark of 20 feet (6.21 m). This time it remained broken until 1967 when American Al Oerter improved it to 2 meters (3 feet 9 inches).
Owens' track and field career began in high school, when he won three events at the 1933 National Interscholastic Championships. He tied one world record and broke three more two years later while racing for Ohio State University before qualifying for and competed in the 1936 Olympics. While attending OSU, he trained daily with a group of men who played jazz music to help them run faster.
Jesse Owens ran the 100-meter dash, the only event he entered at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. His time of 9.1 seconds ranked first among all runners in their respective divisions. The fact that this was almost half a second faster than anyone else's best effort made him the fastest man in Europe at the time. This amazing performance helped Owens win four gold medals and set eight new world records in his single-day event.
After the Olympics, he decided to turn professional and signed with the New York Yankees. However, he never played a game for them because he suffered a knee injury during spring training. He returned to Columbus, Ohio, where he had first won three events at the National Interscholastic Championships, and married his high school sweetheart. They had three children together.
Owens continued to train and compete in sports until 1958, when he retired due to health problems.
Owens won gold in the 100-meter sprint, long jump, and 200-meter dash on consecutive days, setting an Olympic record in each... Track and Field.
| 1936 | 1936 |
|---|---|
| Berlin | Berlin |
| 100m | 200m |
| Gold | Gold |
Today is the 85th anniversary of Jesse Owens breaking four world records in 45 minutes in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The long jump world record was unbroken until 1960. The three other records all still stand: 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 4x100-meter relay race. Owens also set three American records and one European record during his day at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Owens's achievements helped inspire African Americans to take up athletics. They have been successful at doing so, with many black athletes going on to win gold medals at various events. Sports commentators have often referred to Jesse Owens as "the greatest track and field athlete in history".
Owens's records were not broken for nearly 40 years after his death in 1980. They were finally surpassed by Carl Lewis in 1988. Today, only two men have ever held the 100-meter dash record: Lewis and Usain Bolt. There has been only one other person who has held both the long jump and triple jump titles at the same time: Owens himself. No one has managed this feat since his death.
Owens's life has been written about extensively since his death. Two books have been published about him alone (his wife will be featured in a third book about racial issues in sports).
Jesse Owens, born James Cleveland Owens on September 12, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama, and died on March 31, 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona, was an American track and field athlete who set a world record in the running broad jump (also known as long jump) that stood for 25 years and won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics... He also held the world records for the high jump, triple jump, and pole vault.
Owens's achievements have been overshadowed by those of fellow African-American athlete Ralph Metcalfe. However, despite not winning a single medal, Metcalfe is considered by many to be the greatest track and field athlete of all time because he set nine world records during his career.
In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Owens has been credited with bringing attention to athletics among black Americans. After breaking his first two bones as a child, he decided to pursue a career in sports journalism. He wrote columns for several newspapers including one about the Harlem Globetrotters that brought them fame during their visit to Japan. Owens also worked as a television commentator for ABC Sports and CBS Sports during sporting events including the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.
In 1996, Sports Illustrated magazine ranked him number 11 on its list of the "50 Greatest Athletes of All Time". In 2001, ESPN listed him as number 8 on its list of the "80 Greatest Football Players of All Time".
10.3 milliseconds Jesse Owens was the Olympic hero in Berlin, winning four gold medals. He tied the world record in the 100-meter dash (10.3 seconds) and broke the world records in the 200-meter dash (20.7 seconds) and broad jump (26 feet, 5 3/8 inches). After the games, Owens declined an offer from America's most famous runner, Frank Shorter, to join his team. Instead, he returned home to Ohio.
Owens was born on January 16, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were poor farmers who moved to Ohio when Jesse was young. He had two sisters. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Columbus, where his father found work as a butcher for A&P. Jesse enjoyed school and became one of the top students in his class. As he got older, he began to show an interest in sports; especially football and track and field. He liked the idea of competing against others instead of just himself. At Franklin High School, he set school records in the high jump (indoor and outdoor), long jump, and 220-yard race.
After graduating from high school in 1951, Owens went to Ohio State University, where he ran for the Buckeyes until 1955. During this time, he set seven national collegiate records. In 1954, he won the Big 10 Conference title in the 100-meter dash and was voted the Most Valuable Player.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
