JESSE OWENS AT BERLIN

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28050, 18 August 1956, Page 7

JESSE OWENS AT BERLIN

Olympic Records Still Stand A DOLPH Hitler would probably turn in his undiscovered grave if he heard that two American negroes this month in Berlin had established a new world record for the 100 metres dash. For it was an American negro. Jesse Owens, who gave the Fuhrer his unhappiest moments at the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. Under Hitler’s disapproving gaze. Owens gave the lie to the Nazi theorv of Aryan superiority—at least as far as athletics Were concerned—by winning the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the long jump, and sharing in the United States win in the 4 x 100 metres relay. He equalled Eddie Tolan’s 1932 Olympic record of 10.3 sec for the 100 metres, and set new Olympic records in the 200 metres (20.7 sec and the broad jump (26ft 5 5/16in). A report at the time said that Owens’ efforts were warmly applauded except for some hissing from the quarters where uniformed Nazis were sitting. A Nazi newspaper, in some disparaging comment on the United States team, said: —“But for the American black-auxiliary tribes, the United States would have made a poor showing at the Games.” Records Unbroken

The “Black Panther’s” performances at Berlin established him as one of the great, if not the greatest, athletes of the century. The measure of his greatness is that none of the four records he set, or helped to set at Berlin have yet been broken—and they are only ones of the 24 men’s track and field events in which new records have not been established, either at Helsinki in 1948. or London in 1952. The new time of lO.lsec for the 100 metres set by Ira Murchison and Willie Williams at the military forces’ meeting in Berlin earlier this month means that Owens’ world record of 10.2 sec for this distance has been eclipsed, but he still sets the world mark for the long jump with a phenomenal leap of 26ft 81in in 1935.