essay 'my greatest Olympic prize' by Jesse Owens
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Introduction :
The lesson "My Greatest Olympic Prize" is the heart-touching experience of Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens. Adolf Hitler believed in Aryan Superiority theory. He thought that his German athlets belong to a master's race and they would perform better than other participants in the 1936 Olympics, Berlin. So nationalistic feelings were running high. The American Negro athlete Jesse Owens took 6 years of painful practice, purposely to break the theory of Hitler. He had already made a world record in long jump just in the last year. So he expected to win the gold medal easily this time.
Jesse' s Poor Performance:
An angry athlete will commit mistakes. Jesse Owens was no exception to this. He was hot under the collar (angry) with Hitler's childish Aryan theory. So he committed mistakes. His performance in trial was very poor. He kicked the pit in disgust. But the German Luz Long performed well. He was qualified for the final. This disturbed Jesse Owens very much.
The Help by Luz Long:
Luz Long is a tall German long jumper. Though he is trained by Hitler, he does not believe in Hitler's theory. Jesse Owens is his opponent player but he is friendly with him and even helps him to get qualified for final. He suggests to draw a line behind take off board and then to jump. He is not as emotional as Jesse.
Who won the gold medal?
Luz Long broke his past record in long jump. However it is Jesse Owens who won the gold medal by jumping 26 feet 5, 5/16 inches. Luz Long congratulated him by shaking his hand. Hitler glared at both of them.
Jesse's Greatest Olympic Prize:
Coubertin is the founder of modern Olympic games. According to him, the true spirit of Olympic is not winning but taking part. It is not winning but fighting well that matters. Luz Long did not win. But he was a good example of Olympic spirit. To Jesse Owens, the greatest Olympic prize is not the gold medal but his new and noble friendship with Luz Long.