Jesse Owens was a record-setting track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.
His passion for running began in his youth, and he attributed his success to his junior high school track coach, Charles Riley.
Jesse first gained national attention when he was a student at East Technical High School in Cleveland.
His performance at the 1936 Olympic Games was remarkable; he won gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump, setting three world records in the process.
Jesse’s victories were a powerful rebuke to Adolf Hitler’s theories of Aryan supremacy, as an African-American athlete, he demonstrated the capabilities of black athletes on a global stage.
Additionally, he symbolized what was possible, broke down barriers and contributed to civil rights issues and the right for equality throughout the world.
Siblings
Jesse is the youngest of ten children, three girls and seven boys, to Henry Cleveland Owens and Mary Emma Fitzgerald in Oakville, Alabama.
His siblings were Josephine Owens, Lillie Mae Owens, Prentiss Fred D Owens, Johnson Quincy V Owens, Ernest Sylvester Michael Owens, Luverne Owens, James Cleveland Jesse Owens and Pearline Owens.
The family later moved to Cleveland, Ohio, for better opportunities as part of the Great Migration.
Career
Jesse was a world-record setting track and field athlete who rose to fame during the 1930s.
He moved to Cleveland, Ohio, with his family at the age of nine.
Jesse’s athletic talent was first recognized at Fairmount Junior High School by his track coach, Charles Riley.
His high school career was marked by numerous records, including equaling the world record in the 100-yard dash and setting a new world record in the 220-yard dash.
Jesse’s greatest achievements came at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, where he won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay.
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His victories were a powerful rebuke to Adolf Hitler’s theories of Aryan supremacy, as an African-American athlete, Jesse demonstrated the capabilities of black athletes on a global stage.
Jesse’s achievements went beyond athletic accomplishments, world records, or Olympic gold medals; he symbolized what was possible, broke down barriers, and contributed to civil rights issues and the right for equality throughout the world.
Awards and accolades
Jesse’s career was marked by numerous awards and accolades.
In 1935, he set four world records in track and field events, including the 100-yard dash, 220-yard dash, broad jump, and 220-yard hurdles.
In the same year, Jesse also set new world records in the 200-meter dash and 200-meter low hurdles.
At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, he won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4x100m relay, setting three world records in the process.
Jesse victories were a powerful rebuke to Adolf Hitler’s theories of Aryan supremacy, as an African-American athlete, he demonstrated the capabilities of black athletes on a global stage.
In 1936, he was named the AP Athlete of the Year and in 1950, sportswriters voted him as the world’s top track star of the century.
In 1999, Jesse was ranked the sixth greatest North American athlete of the twentieth century and the highest-ranked in his sport by ESPN.
In 2001, Ohio State University dedicated Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for track and field events, and a sculpture honoring Owens was installed at Ohio Stadium.
In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Jesse on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.
In 2009, all members of the United States Track and Field team wore badges with “JO” on them to commemorate Jesse’s victories in the same stadium 73 years before.
In 2010, Ohio Historical Society proposed Jesse as a finalist from a statewide vote for inclusion in Statuary Hall at the United States Capitol.
In 2012, 80,000 individual pixels in the audience seating area were used as a giant video screen to show footage of Jesse running around the stadium in the London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
In July 2018, Ohio Governor John Kasich dedicated the 75th state park Jesse Owens State Park.
In Cleveland, Ohio, a statue of Owens in his Ohio State track suit was installed at Fort Huntington Park, west of the old Courthouse. Phoenix, Arizona named the Jesse Owens Medical Centre and Jesse Owens Parkway in his honor.
Jesse Owens Park, in Tucson, Arizona, is a center of local youth athletics there.
For his contribution to sports in Los Angeles, Owens was honored with a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum “Court of Honor” plaque by the Coliseum commissioners.
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