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MY GREATEST OLYMPIC PRIZE - Coggle Diagram
MY GREATEST OLYMPIC PRIZE
FEELINGS AND SETTING
Summer of 1936.
Olympic Games being held in Berlin.
Hitler childishly insisted that his performers were members of a 'master race', nationalistic feelings were at an all time high.
Jesse trained, sweated and disciplined himself for 6 years keeping the games in mind.
When he was a sophomore at Ohio state university. he set the world record in running broad jump at 26 feet 8 1/4 inches.
he saw a tall boy hit the pit at almost 26 feet on practice leaps - Luz Long.
If he won, it would add support to the Nazi's
Aryan-superiority theory
ANGRY ATHLETE AND MEETING LUZ LONG
On the first of his qualifying jumps, he leaped several inches beyond the take-off board for a
foul
.
On the second jump, he fouled even worse.
Felt a hand on his shoulder. Turned to look into the friendly blue eyes of the tall German broad jumper.
Spoke English well with a German twist to it.
He was schooled in the
Nazi youth movement
, but he didnt believe in Aryan-supremacy more than Jesse. They laughed over the fact he certainly looked the part though.
An inch taller than Jesse, lean, muscular frame, clear blue eyes, blond hair and a strikingly handsome, chiseled face.
"Why don't you draw a line a few inches in back of the take-off board and aim at making your take off from there? You'll sure not to foul and and certainly ought to jump far enough to qualify"
He confidently drew a line a full foot in back of the board and proceeded to jump from there. He qualified with almost a foot to spare.
He was a little hot under the collar about Hitler's ways. He was determined to show De Fuhrer and his master race who was superior and who wasn't.
AFTER QUALIFYING
That night he walked to Luz's room in the Olympic village to thank him.
They talked for over 2 hours about
track and field, themselves, world situation, dozen other things.
They both knew that a real friendship had been formed.
Luz broke his own past record and in doing so, pushed Jesse to his peak performance.
Jesse's final jump set the Olympic record at 26 feet 5-5/16 inches. (Luz was at his side congratulating him.)
Hitler glared from the stands not a hundred yards away.
FRIENDSHIP FORMED
"You can melt down all the gold medals and cups I have, and they couldn't be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment".
He realized that Luz was the epitome of what
Pierre de Coubertine, founder of the Modern Olympic Games
must have had in mind when he said " the most important thing in the Olympic games is not winning but taking part. the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well."