Character Sketch of Jesse Owens in My Greatest Olympic Prize
Introduction
Jesse Owens was a great short-distance runner and an Olympic Champion. He was an African-American athlete. He participated in the 1936 Olympic Games and won four gold medals in the hundred and two hundred metre races, the broad jump, and the four hundred metre relay. Though he was a world-renowned athlete, he was very humble and down to earth.
His Practising Hard to Win the Medal
Jesse Owens seemed to be firmly determined to participate and win the medal in the 1936 Olympic Games. Though he knew that Adolf Hitler believed in Aryan Superiority theory and thought that his German athletes belonged to a master’s race and they would perform better than other participants in the 1936 Olympic Games, he (Jesse) wanted to break Hitler’s theory. So, he trained, sweated, and disciplined himself for six years with the games in mind. He had already made a world record in the long jump just in the last year, so he expected to win the medal easily this time.
His Making Fouls Due to Anger and Hatred
In the beginning, Jesse seemed to be a very calm and relaxed athlete. He was not least worried about the Olympic Games as he firmly believed in his ability to take home one or two gold medals, but he was soon overcome by feelings of hatred and anger when he saw Luz Long, a tall German athlete. The thought of Luz Long’s win adding support to the Nazi’s Aryan Superiority theory disturbed him to such an extent that he fouled twice.
His Feeling Friendly with Luz Long and Following his advice
Jesse met with Luz Long, a German athlete who had no belief in Hitler’s theory of Aryan Superiority. He was highly influenced by the liberal and kind attitude of Luz Long. He followed Luz Long’s advice of drawing a line a few inches in the back of the board and succeeded in qualifying for the final. Owens judged Luz Long not on the basis of his German origin but on his supportive nature. Luz’s advice released Owens of all the tension.
His Feeling Highly Obliged to Luz
Jesse Owens was so grateful to Luz that on the night of qualifying for the finals, he went to Long’s room to thank him. Jesse was very well aware of the fact that if Luz had not been there, he would probably not have been involved in the games the other day because all this was the result of his advice.
His Being Honest in Accepting His Mistake
Jesse was an honest man to the core of his heart. He soon accepted the reason for committing the mistakes. He also realized that a great sportsman can also fail if he is psychologically anxious about something. He came to know that psychological stability is the most significant thing if one wants to make great achievements in the world. Jesse also accepted how one needs to acknowledge the contribution of others.
His Being A Warm-Hearted and Emotional Man
We come to know after reading the story that Jesse was a warm-hearted and emotional man who soon developed a friendship with Luz on seeing his sympathetic and liberal attitude. He found a true gem in his friendship with Luz who, as Jesse Owens says, was the epitome of a sportsperson—as he did not merely participate in sports to win games, but also participated with the aim with which Pierre de Coubertin the founder of Olympic Games, initiated the Olympic Games where participation in a game is more important than winning.
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