A Human Bullet: World's Most Outstanding Athlete

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 300, 15 September 1936, Page 14

A Human Bullet: World's Most Outstanding Athlete

“TT is a beautiful sight to watch Owens sprint. He runs as smoothly but more gracefully than a well-oiled machine. There is no apparent effort, so' well coordinated is his action.”

That is one pen picture of Jesse Owens, the 22-year-old American negro who flashed spectacularly to the front in the final of the Olympic 100 metres at Berlin, and then further astonished .the world by winning the 200 metres and the broad jump. To-day this amazing athlete bolds not only three Olympic titles, but also the world’s record for the 200 yards low hurdles. Here is another, taken from a report of the last American athletic championships: “Owens was hot to-day, hot in everything he tried Before the final of the national 100 metres, he took one leap in the broad jump for 26ft. lin.; and then after winning the sprint final, he returned to jump 26ft. 2in., equalling the championshin mark set by Eulacc Peacock in 1935.”

Owens first became world’s news by breaking tfircc world’s records and equalling a fourth at the Western Conference track and field championships in America last year. Briefly, what. Owens did within a fortnight was this: Twice equalled Frank Wykoff’s world record of 9.4 sec. in the 100 yards dash; shattered all listed, standards for the 220 yards with a 20.3 see. mark; twice bettered the world's record of 23sec. for the 220 yard I >_w hurdles, once with 22.95ec. and again in 22.65ec.; and leaped further than any other human being with a broad jump of 26ft. 8} in.

Thp.se performances were virtually repeated at a big meeting at Colombus,

Ohio, in May of this year. Owens was timed to run the 220 yards in 20.1 sec, a new American record. After that he won the broad jump with 25ft. Tin.; and also carried off the 100 yards sprint and the 220 yards low hurdles with ease. In the American amateur athletic championships this year, just prior to the Olympic Games, Owens achieved his first American sprint title with a smashing two-yard triumph over Ralph Metcalfe; and went on to equal another championship record with his broad jump of 26ft 2in. This was the only double of the meeting. That, coupled with his Olympic wins, hears out the contention that Jesse Owens is the most astounding athlete the world has ever seen. The only possible parallel is the never-tiring Paavo Nurmi, prince of long-distanee runners, who, at one time also made a habit of breaking world’s records.

From his earliest competitive days, Owens has possessed a wealth of natural ability. It is said that as a junior high school student, he could jump more than 23ft. ami sprint 100 yards in lOsee. dead.

A theory has been advanced that through some physical characteristic of the race involving the bone and muscle construction of the foot and leg the negro is ideally adapted to the sprints and jumping events.

Miss Ragnhild Hveger, the 15-year-old Danish girl swimmer, recently set up a new world’s record for the 800 metres crawl nt Copenhagen, with llmin. 11 7-10 see. This beat by 22 3-10 sec. the figures, established by Mrs. Wingard, better known as Mass Leonore Knight, the American Olympic swimmer.