A compelling phenomenon occurred in American history that amazing day in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics, when Jesse Owens won four gold medals. This achievement, along with others he achieved in his life, was highly inspirational and contributed to how quickly Jesse rose to fame. Jesse Owens was a legend, not only for his track records, but also for the times he competed in and how challenging they were. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "Jesse Owens was born September 12, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama" (Lean'tin Bracks, 2012, p.1) . Jesse's father was a sharecropper, Jesse and his six brothers and sisters helped him farm other people's land. Jesse picked cotton on a rich man's farm with his brothers and sisters in Alabama when they were young to earn some money. At the age of nine the Owen family moved to Ohio, Jesse began working in a grocery store to earn money for his family. In 1928 Jesse set numerous records, including leaping nearly twenty-three feet in the long jump. In the 1930s, Jesse joined the track team at East Technical High and began setting records. In his junior year, at the National Interscholastic Championships, Jesse set the record at 220 yards and tied the world record in the 100 yards. Cleveland was so proud of Jesse that they honored him with a citywide parade that highlighted his accomplishments. Jesse Owens decided to attend Ohio State after a fantastic high school track and field career. Jesse was not given a scholarship and would have to work multiple jobs to afford Ohio State. He worked in the library and served as a page at the Ohio Statehouse. Jesse was not a very good student, but he was the best on the Ohio State University track team and the best in the country (Raatma 14). Jesse made his first real appearance at the Big Ten meet in Michigan. This meet would prove to him and everyone else that he meant business by finishing well in all of his events, winning three and coming 2nd in the fourth. At the Big Ten Championship, he broke five world records and surprised the crowd in a sixth event, in a span of about 45 minutes. They almost didn't let him compete, due to a bad back, it took Jesse a lot of persuasion to convince the coach to let him compete because his coach was totally against it. To test what his back would feel like while running, he ran the 100 meters, in an astonishing time of 9.3 seconds. This is where people really started to notice what a top athlete he truly was. Three years before the Big Ten Championship, his future wife, Ruth Solomon, gave birth to their daughter. Ruth's parents wouldn't let Jesse see her. Jesse still felt the need to send money to help Ruth pay for her daughter's needs. He married Ruth Solomon in Cleveland in 1935. He was then suspended from the Ohio State track team the following year, for poor grades. She had to work very hard to raise her grade point average, and she did so just in time for the spring track and field season. He was able to participate in the 1936 Olympic trials for the Summer Olympic Games. He performed very well in running events and ended up on the American team as the overall leader. Jesse's college athletics career was his introduction to the world and a sign of how great an Olympian he would become. The Olympic Games took place in Berlin in 1936, Jesse was 22 years old. As the opening ceremony began, you could hear and feel the enthusiasm of the crowd. Adolf Hitler was there forsalute the Nazi flag along with thousands of others, showing their patriotism. Hitler claimed that the Aryan race would dominate, but Jesse made sure to prove that this was not true and that Hitler's "perfect race" was not so perfect after all. Jesse would not have been able to go to these games if the United States Olympic Committee had decided to boycott these games. They decided not to boycott, fearing it might show support for the Nazi Party's beliefs and policies. It was reported that some Jewish athletes were not treated fairly. The non-boycott group won. This meant that one team would go to the Olympic Games. This is the Olympic Games, Jesse Owens showed his edge in track and field. Jesse stood 5'10" tall and weighed 165 pounds. He won his first medal in the 100 yards with a remarkable time of 10.3. During the Olympics, many gold medal winners were invited by Hitler into his personal leader's box, to watch the Olympic events with Hitler. Hitler never invited Jesse Owens into his personal box to receive any of the medals he won. Hitler never invited any blacks into his box. Many Germans liked Jesse, but Hitler didn't to capture the long jump with a distance of 26 feet 5 inches, which was the world record. During this event an accident occurred that almost got Jesse disqualified. During his test jump, the judges counted it as his first jump and not as a test jump. On his next jump, he jumped over the line, causing a foul on his part. On Jesse's last jump, he made his record-breaking jump, breaking his most great competitor, Luz Long of Germany. When Jesse accepted the long jump medal, Luz Long raised Jesse's hand in front of the crowd, the crowd started chanting Jesse's name. When Jesse and Luz received their medals, they walked together, right next to Hitler who was watching from his leader's box. Jesse Owens said: "It took a lot of courage to befriend me in the face of Hitler. "You can melt all the medals and cups I have and they won't complete the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long in that moment." “Hitler must have gone crazy seeing us embrace” (Laucella 34). After this event, Jesse went on to shatter another of his records of 20.7 in his 200 meters. “For his third gold medal, Jesse defeated his teammate Mack Robinson, the older brother of the famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson". Jesse returned home as a celebrity and took part in many different celebratory events, such as car parades and banquets. Long and Owens became close friends for a long time after the Olympics. Jesse's relationship with Long showed true sportsmanship. Jesse's experience at the Olympics not only showcased his athletic abilities, but also demonstrated that there was no place for. racism at the Olympics, and there was no dominant race, even though Hitler believed there was. Jesse's life was very exciting after the Olympics. He did advertising for some companies and worked for associations. The jobs Jesse took after the Olympics earned him large sums of money. He spoke at banquets, worked for sponsorships and advertising. Jesse has also held many jobs, he has been a consultant for several companies, even the United States Olympic Committee. He traveled with basketball and baseball teams and also held running exhibitions. The job he loved most was when he was a playground manager in Cleveland and worked with disadvantaged children for the Chicago Boys' Club. Ultimately he couldn't bear to be separated from his family that he missed so much, so he decided to open a=515349.