Jesse Owens

Hello! My name is Jesse Owens. I was born on September 12th, 1913, in a small town in Alabama. My family and I moved north to Ohio when I was a boy. I was a little shy, and on my first day of school, my new teacher asked for my name. I said, 'J.C.,' but she thought I said 'Jesse.' The name stuck, and I've been Jesse ever since! What I loved most in the world was running. When I ran, I felt as fast as the wind, and it made me so happy.

In school, a kind coach named Charles Riley saw how fast I could run. He helped me practice every single day so I could get even faster. I worked very hard, and by the time I went to college at The Ohio State University, I was breaking records! In 1935, I went to a big track competition. In less than an hour, I did something amazing—I set three new world records and tied a fourth one. Everyone was so surprised! People started calling me 'The Buckeye Bullet' because I was so fast and I was from Ohio, the Buckeye State.

The very next year, in 1936, I traveled all the way to Berlin, Germany, to compete in the Olympic Games. It was a huge and important event with athletes from all over the world. I competed in track and field and had the best week of my life. I won not one, not two, but four gold medals! I won them for the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, and a team race called the 4x100 meter relay. While I was there, I also made a new friend. His name was Luz Long, and he was a German athlete competing against me in the long jump. Even though we were on different teams, he was kind and gave me helpful advice. We showed everyone that being friends is more important than just winning a game.

After the Olympics, I enjoyed sharing my story with people everywhere I went. I wanted to inspire others to follow their dreams. Many years later, in 1976, I was given a special award called the Presidential Medal of Freedom for being a great athlete and a good person. I lived to be 66 years old. Today, people remember me not just for my four gold medals, but for showing that with hard work and a kind heart, you can achieve your dreams and bring people together.