My Greatest Olympic Prize By Jesse Owens

“My Greatest Olympic Prize” (by By Jesse Owens) is a true story; its an autobiographical account of Jesse Owens’ experience of true friendship at the Berlin Olympics 1936 where he won four gold medals.

Summary

During the 1936 Olympics, Jesse Owens walked away with four gold medals. However, Adolf Hitler was pretty confident that Luz Long, a German athlete, would defeat him in one of the events. Jesse Owens wanted to prove Adolf Hitler wrong and as a result was quite disturbed mentally, because of which he was not able to give his best during the long jump trials.

Surprisingly for Jesse, Luz Long walks up to him and asks him to calm down and tells him to jump from slightly behind. Jesse does well in the long jump trial and went on to win four gold medals.

More importantly he becomes good friends with Luz Long which he cherishes even more.

About the Story

Adolf Hitler was keen to show the superiority of the Aryan race at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by winning several gold medals in the events. One such athlete whom Hitler expected to win was Luz Long. On the other hand, Jesse Owens, an American Negro, was determined to prove him wrong.

When Jesse went to the board jump trials, he was surprised to see that a German athlete named Luz Long was hitting almost 26 feet at the practice leaps. He comes to know that Hitler had kept him under wraps, hoping to win the jump against him. Jesse gets angry on knowing of Hitler’s cunning plan and is more determined to win the board jump.

But an angry athlete always makes mistakes. On his first jump, Owens inadvertently leaps from several inches beyond the takeoff board. Rattled, he fouls on his second attempt, too. One more foul and he would be eliminated.

At this point, the tall German comes to Jesse and introduces himself as Luz Long. “You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed,” he says to Owens, referring to his upcoming two jumps.

For the next few moments, the African American and the German chat together. Then Long makes a suggestion. Since the qualifying distance is only 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches, why not make a mark several inches before the takeoff board and jump from there, just to play it safe?

Owens follows the advice and qualifies easily.

That night Jesse met Luz to thank him and they spoke about several things. Jesse realises that Luz does not believe in Aryan-supremacy theory and they became good friends.

The next day Luz broke his own past record, which inspires Jesse for a peak performance. In the finals, Owens sets an Olympic record and earns the second of four gold medals.

But who is the first person to congratulate Owens? None other than Luz Long, and that too in full view of Adolf Hitler.

Owens never again sees Long, who is later killed in World War II.

“You could melt down all the medals and cups I have,´ and they wouldn’t be a platting on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long,” wrote Owens later.

Meanings:

• Epitome- embodiment.
• Chiselled- perfectly shaped.
• A little hot under the collar- angry.
• Master race- a concept of Nazi ideology bin which the Aryan race was assumed superior race in racial hierarchy. Germans and North European people belonged to this class.
• Sophomore- A student in the second year of high school or college.
• Der Fuhrer- Political title given to Hitler, meaning the leader.
• 24 carat friendship- carat is a term that describes the purity of gold. 24 carat gold is pure gold without any traces of other metals. Owens felt that Luz Long’s friendship was true and pure.

Question and Answers

Question: Appropriateness of the title

Answer: Jesse Owens won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany, breaking all past records but Jesse Owens felt that the friend that he has found in Luz Long is more significant than the gold medals he won. He feels that more than the gold medals, he found a true gem in his friendship with Luz Long. Therefore, the title is apt as Jesse Owens finds a great prize in his friendship with Luz Long that burgeoned in the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin when he refers to his friendship as “My Greatest Olympic Prize”.

Question: What are the Themes of the Story

Answer:

1. True sportsmanship.
2. True Friendship.

Question: What is the Setting of the story

Answer: Summer Olympic Games of Berlin in Germany in the year 1936 where Jesse Owens wins four gold medals and set many new records.

Question: What is the Style of writing of the story

Answer: My Greatest Olympic prize is not an autobiography in the real sense of the term but has autobiographical elements, presenting the facts in a chronological way as is done in an autobiography.

More questions:

Q. Why were nationalistic feeling high during the Olympic Games?

Q. What was the theory of Aryan supremacy?

Q. “I was no exception”. Explain what Owens meant by this?

Q. How did Luz Long help Jesse Owens?

Q. Why was Owens expected to win the gold medal in the long jump hands down?

Q. How did Luz and Owens perform in the finals?

Q. What is the true spirit of the Olympic Games according to coubertin?

Q. what is referred to as 24 carat friendship in this story?

Q. What was Jesse’s greatest Olympic prize?

Q. Describe the character sketch of (a) Jesse Owens (b) Luz Long