Jesse Owens

Jesse Cleveland Owens, an American track and field athlete, won four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Just 1 year earlier, while representing Ohio State, Owens astounded the sports world by setting or tying four world records in less than an hour at a Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a feat never again equaled in sports history. Born in Alabama as one of ten siblings and the grandson of a slave, Owens achieved major athletic success in high school and college, after which he attended the 1936 Olympic games. While qualifying for the long jump, Jesse fouled twice. His German opponent, Carl Lutz voluntarily shared a technique that eventually helped Owens medal in the long jump and defeat Lutz. Despite the prevailing Nazi "black American vs. white German" hype, Lutz was the first to congratulate Owens on his victory. Upon further conversation, Lutz and Jesse discovered they were both Christians and loved the same God, creating an unbreakable friendship. Tragically, Lutz later die in a WW II concentration camp in Sicily. In a testament to their enduring friendship, Jesse financed Carl Lutz's son's education in America. In life, both Jesse and Carl found their roles to play in the Christian story.