Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens, an amazing track star. (http://www.jesseowens.com/biography/)

My hero is an amazing athlete who excelled in a time of prejudice and hate. He is my hero because he kept on struggling against racial discrimination. Although I don't face racial prejudice, there are many challenges I do face. Jesse Owens has taught me to keep on fighting for a goal.

Jesse Owens' original name was James Cleveland Owens (nicknamed J.C. Owens). He was born on September 12, 1913, in Oakville, Alabama. When J.C. was 9, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. When his new teacher asked J.C.'s name, the teacher thought it was 'Jesse' instead of 'J.C.' From then on, he was known as Jesse.

Jesse Owens lunges forward in the 200-meter dash

Jesse's family was very poor, so Jesse would run small jobs and errands in his free time. At this point, he found running enjoyable. One day, in his gym class, the gym teacher timed the class in the 60 yard dash. The teacher, Coach Riley, saw Jesse's amazing run, he quickly asked Jesse to join the track team. Soon, Coach Riley was training Jesse every morning.

In Jesse's high school, he tied the 9.4 second world record for the hundred-meter dash. He tied it again, later on in a track meet. Jesse soon enrolled at Ohio State University, though many colleges and universities wanted to recruit him. In 1933, Jesse faced a lot of racial discrimination. He and his fellow African-American athletes had to eat and stay in black-only restaurants and hotels.

In the Big Ten meet on May 25, 1935, Jesse set three world records and tied another one. He once again set the 9.4 100-meter dash, broke the old 26', 2 1/2" record at 26', 8 ¼" in the long jump. Jesse also set the 220-yard dash at 20.3 seconds, beating the old 20.6 second record. His last record break was the 220-yard low hurdles, at 22.6 seconds.

Jesse the entered the 1936 Olympics, the 'Hitler Olympics,' in Nazi Germany. He won four gold medals, a spectacular break that showed that the German "Aryan" people were not indeed always superior.

Jesse Owens died in March 31, 1980, due to lung cancer and its complications. But he lives on as a hero in my eyes, and in the eyes of thousands of others. Jesse Owens is a true hero, shining in the harshest times.