About the Story My Greatest Olympic Prize
Jesse Owens is an American athlete who won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games that were held in Berlin, Germany. His achievement has made him the best-remembered athlete in Olympic history. He specialized in the sprints and in the long jump. Adolf Hitler thought this is an opportunity for him to show that his Aryan race was the most superior.
Jesse had begun his training for these games six years before they took place. Adolf thus had insisted that since his athletes were members of a 'master race'. This spread a nationalistic feeling among all the participants. As Jesse went onto the field, he saw a tall German practising for the same 2-range long jump category. He was surprised to see this athlete. Hitler had strategically kept this German player hidden till the day of the trials. On seeing this German athlete, Jesse Owens got very nervous. He knew that it was Hitler's tactic to undermine other players, but this had put a lot of pressure on Owens. The Germany play easily qualified for the finals right in his first attempt. He was none other than Luz Long . Owens' mind was preoccupied with all sorts of thoughts about this German athlete. Thinking of all this when Jesse entered the field, his focus had changed. His focus was more on defeating the German athlete, going against Hitler's racial superiority, and bringing down the nationalistic feelings. He was angry and didnot have his complete concentration on his game. This anger became a big mistake because he fouled in the trials by jumping ahead from the take-off point. He would have not been able to even qualify for the main games. Jesse was completely disappointed with himself and he kicked the dirt a few yards away from the pit. Luz Long sensed that Jesse was making a mistake. He walked up to Jesse and shook his hand. Luz understood what had been troubling Jesse and suggested that he make a start- off line a little before the take-off point. This advice made a lot of sense and helped Jesse in his game.
In the third attempt, after following Luz's advice, Jesse qualified for the trials. He walked down to Luz's room to thank him, for now, he could participate in the finals. Both of them spent time laughing and talking to each other. A beautiful bond had been formed between the two. They were competitors the next day. Both would play the game and give their best performance. The valued the importance and the spirit of the sport. They shared the true spirit of sportsmanship with each other. Luz Long broke his past record the next day. He compelled Jesse to give his best and he won. He set the Olympic record of 26 feet 5 5/16 inches. Immediately, he saw Long by his side to congratulate him. Both shook hands and Jesse knew that it was not a fake smile that Luz passed at him. Long was genuinely happy for him even though Hitler looked at the two of them angrily. Jesse says that he didnot just win the game but he also earned a friend for life. This friendship was more worthy to him than the Olympic record he had created that day. Jesse learned the essence of true sportsmanship spirit and lifelong friendship. Competitions are not just about winning but about participating with a positive spirit.