Jesse Owens in 1935: Why was his performance dubbed as the ‘greatest 45 minutes ever in sports’?
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Jesse Owens
Legendary American athlete Jesse Owens set five world records and equalled a sixth in three-quarters of an hour. Yes, not 5 days or 45 hours but 45 minutes. This jaw-dropping performance came almost nine decades back in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on May 25, 1935, at the Big Ten Championships (a leading annual USA intercollegiate athletics meet) stand alone in all sports.
This unbelievable feat was later termed as the ‘greatest 45 minutes ever in sports’. However, things weren’t always like this as he was injured ahead of the tournament after falling down the stairs of his dormitory at Ohio State University. However, nothing could stop Owens from registering this milestone, not even a badly bruised lower back.
‘Greatest 45 minutes in sports history’
Talking about the details of Owens’ miraculous outing, he equalled the world record for the 100-yard dash (9.4 seconds). The Alabama native further went on to set world records in the long jump (26 ft 8 1⁄4 in or 8.13 m, a world record that would last 25 years); 220-yard (201.2 m) sprint (20.3 seconds); and 220-yard (201.2m) low hurdles (22.6 seconds, becoming the first to break 23 seconds).
Later, Richard C. Crepeau, professor of sports history at the University of Central Florida, chose these wins on one day as the most impressive athletic achievement since 1850. This incident took place back in 2005.
The mighty American didn’t stop here and further grew leaps and bounds in his career. The American athlete successfully emulated yet another heroic show at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he won gold medals in the long jump, the 100- and 200-metre dashes, and the 4 x 100-metre relay. He was the first American track and field athlete to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games.
Also Read | Jesse Owens vs Usain Bolt: Who would win in a head to head race?
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Sachin Arora
(2527 Articles Published)