By Chris Cullen
In the grand time capsule of history, only a short time ago, a young man triumphed over struggled obstacles by working hard, never giving up, and by believing in himself. His circumstances were never perfect. Despite this, Jesse Owens held himself accountable and made the most of life’s opportunities. Owens would one day become one of the greatest athletes the world has ever known.
Born in Alabama, at a young age, Owens’ family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Despite poverty, malnourishment, enduring the Great Depression and chronic bronchitis, Owens worked as a youth to help the family afford necessities.
As a young man, Owens attended East Tech High School in Cleveland. Later, he would attend Ohio State University. During his time at Ohio State, he competed in over 40 events, winning every event. Owens would soon earn world-wide recognition as the world’s best athletes were brought together for the Olympics.
The 1936 Olympic Games were held in Germany. As popularly recalled, the world was soon to be at war and Owens found himself competing in Nazi Germany. Owens went on to win four gold medals. Among Owens’ many achievements, story of triumph, perseverance his greatest achievement was his marriage of 48 years and the fact that he never accepted anything less than his own best efforts.
Despite hardship from birth including illness, impoverishment and enduring racial tension, Owens would not be denied. He understood that everything he needed to succeed was within himself. Owens was not one to back down from a challenge,and was always running towards his goal.
