One of the titles that… goes with Jesse Owens is “the man who defeated Hitler”. The Olympian is a symbol of the Olympic movement, but smoking killed him, because, like today, in 1980, he died at the age of 66 from an aggressive form of cancer.

OUR Jesse Owens is considered one of the most famous athletes in the field of classical sports, and not only. With four gold medals, which he won at the Berlin Olympics, he put an end to the efforts of Adolf Hitler, who intended through the 1936 competition to draw attention to the Aryan race. In fact, the Fuhrer was not present at the award ceremony.

One of the most famous athletes in the world was not named Jesse. When his family moved from America’s rural south to the industrial north, little James Cleveland told his teacher that his name was “JC” with his initials, but the teacher understood Jesse. Of course, after that, for most sports fans, Jesse will turn into Jesse.

At school, he stood out for his athletic performance in running. He himself trained endlessly because to help his poor family financially, he worked as a delivery boy at a grocery store. School coach Charles Riley allowed him to train before classes, and later Owens, as an Olympian, spoke about Riley’s contribution to his sports career. At this time, Minnie Ruth Salomon will also enter his life. He is 15, she is 13. The love was mutual, later they will create a family.

At the university, Jesse began to break one record after another. On May 25, 1935, in college athletics, he broke three world records and repeated another. The world record he set for length was broken in 1960 by Ralph Boston. However, his good performances were not enough for him to be treated equally with other athletes. On missions, he had to order food to his room, otherwise he could only eat in black restaurants.

Jesse was selected for the US Olympic team, and despite initial considerations that black athletes should not travel to Germany to avoid racism, it was decided that they would compete. There, Hitler intended to use the Games to advance his Nazi narrative. From 1933, he ordered sports organizations to adopt a “Aryans only” policy. There were many reactions, but the event opened its “gates” on August 1, 1936 with the participation of 18 African American athletes. Jesse Owens, 22, became the first American track and field athlete to win four Olympic gold medals in the same event.

Jesse Owens and Adolf Hitler are surrounded by many … myths and legends about whether they spoke, whether the Fuhrer greeted him, sent him congratulations … The German, according to reports of that time, left the stadium before the awards. However, the Olympic champion in his statements said that he was insulted by US President Franklin Roosevelt. “He didn’t even send me telegrams,” he said characteristically. African-American athletes were invited to the event at the White House. Only white athletes went to him. The achievements of black athletes were, in fact, recognized in 2016 when Barack Obama held an event in their honor.

The post-Olympic life of the “golden” Olympian did not go smoothly. He worked as a gas station clerk, playground janitor, etc. while he was banned from competing. Since 1965, he began working as an athletics coach, and in 1966 he was prosecuted for tax evasion. In 1980, he unsuccessfully tried to persuade Jim Carter to boycott the Moscow Games.

Jesse Owens has been a heavy smoker since the age of 32. He passed away at the age of 66. He was buried in a cemetery in Chicago and Jimmy Carter said that “no athlete better symbolizes the human struggle against tyranny, poverty and racial bigotry.”

Sources: Olympias, Britannica.