R: Welcome ladies and gentlemen , we are in the olympic stadium of Berlin . Today we'll see four race between the best runners of the world ! To comment races , i am with John ! How are you John ?

P: Very well , thanks Mike ! Today will be a great day ! There are many people in the stadium ! I saw Hitler five minutes ago ! But the personn who attract me is Jesse Owens !

R: Oh yes ! Jesse ! The american black runner ! You said me he was a great runner , but where came he from ?

P: Well … Jesse or James Cleveland Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama on September 12 1913 . He was the seventh eleven children of Henry and Emma Alexander Owens . He moved to Cleveland when he was nine , it was a consequence of the South's segregation ,and his parents wanted better opportunities for his children.

R: Yes , i have a story about his house moving . His new teacher nicknamed him Jesse , because James said J.C , and she thought he said Jesse . Since this day , everybody call James Cleveland : Jesse .

P: Oh i prefer James now you said that ! During his childhood his family was poor , and Jesse worked in differents jobs , during this time , he realized his passion for running . His first heroe was his father , who ran every sunday after the mass with the other farmers .

R: We know where Jesse learn to run ! Later , Owens first came to national attention when he was a student of East Technical High School in Cleveland; he equaled the world record of 9.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash and long-jumped 24 feet 9 ½ inches at the 1933 National High School Championship in Chicago !

P: Yes , but everything is not easy for him ...Owens attended the Ohio State University after employment was found for his father, ensuring the family could be supported. Affectionately known as the "Buckeye Bullet," When he traveled with the team, Owens was restricted to ordering carry-out or eating at "black-only" restaurants. Similarly, he had to stay at "blacks-only" hotels. Owens did not receive a scholarship for his efforts, so he continued to work part-time jobs to pay for school.

R: That's right , i believe he was not very bad , the last year at the big ten ! He equaled the world record for the 100-yard (91 m) sprint and set world records in the long jump (26 feet 8¼ inches , 220-yard sprint !

P: Yes , he access to the highest level now in Berlin in 1936 ! I see him on the starting line to the long jump !

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=0pIX7qo2Qhw&vq=small#t=45

R: OH MY GOD ! That's was amazing ! He break the world record !

In 1936, Owens arrived in Berlin to compete for the United States in the Summer Olympics. Adolf Hitler was using the games to show the world a resurgent Nazi Germany .

P: Unbeliveable ! Let see him in the 200 m sprint !

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=dWE-0ewnBOw&vq=small

R: What the hell ! He won again ! This man is amazing !

P: It's not finish ! He run again but this time to the 100m !

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=K1XclGwJY8s&vq=small#t=13

La on donne tout !!!

R: Well, this olympics games were very surreal ! Owens surprised many by winning four gold medals: On August 3, 1936 he won the 100m sprint, defeating Ralph Metcalfe; on August 4, the long jump ,on August 5, the 200m sprint; and, after he was added to the 4 x 100 m relay team, he won his fourth on August 9 .

P: Yes , He was the first black men to wear Adidas shoes . Adidas was the first sponsorship a male African-American athlete.

R: I have a story about Hitler and Jesse ! On the first day, Hitler shook hands only with the German victors and then left the stadium. Olympic committee officials insisted Hitler greet every medalist or none at all. Hitler opted for the latter and skipped all further medal presentations. Jesse said :

«When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad taste in criticizing the man of the hour in Germany.»

P:Owens was cheered enthusiastically by 110,000 people in Berlin's Olympic Stadium; on the street, Germans sought his autograph. Owens was allowed to travel with and stay in the same hotels as whites, while at the time blacks in many parts of the United States were denied equal rights.

R:Owens said, "Hitler didn't snub me,it was Franklin Roosvelt who snubbed me. The president didn't even send me a telegram."Jesse Owens was never invited to the White House nor bestowed honors by presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt or his successor Harry S. Truman during their terms. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower honored Owens by naming him an "Ambassador of Sports."

P: It's crazy … Later , he was Engaged by Ford Motors to serve as mediator between the black workers of the factory of Detroit and the employers, he made his return on the front of the scene in the 1950's as roving ambassador of the administration Eisenhower.

R: Yes , he participated in diverse exibitions races again horses for example , he died March 31, 1980 , he return in 1967 in the stadium of Berlin to tell his story