Jesse Owens, American Olympian
Owens at the start of the 200m dash in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The image is a film still from the Leni Riefenstahl film, "Olympia 1936". James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 - March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and as part of the 4x100 meter relay team. After the Olympics he take some commercial offers, but US athletic officials then withdrew his amateur status, ending his career immediately and the commercial offers all but tried to make a living as a sports promoter, essentially an entertainer. He also challenged and defeated racehorses. He ran a dry cleaning business and worked as a gas station attendant to earn a living. He eventually filed for bankruptcy. In 1966, he was successfully prosecuted for tax evasion. The government appointed him a US goodwill ambassador. After he retired, he owned racehorses. Owens, a pack-a-day cigarette smoker for 35 years, had been hospitalized with an extremely aggressive and drug-resistant type of lung cancer on and off beginning in December 1979. He died on March 31, 1980, with his wife and other family members at his bedside.
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Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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