"My Greatest Olympic Prize" by Jesse Owens.
The core message of Jesse Owens's essay, "My Greatest Olympic Prize," is that human connection and genuine sportsmanship are more valuable than athletic achievement or political ideology. It is an autobiographical account focusing specifically on the long jump event at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Details of the Long Jump Trials The event took place on August 4, 1936, just one day after Owens won his first gold medal in the 100-meter dash. The Qualifying Hurdle: To advance to the long jump final, competitors were required to jump a minimum distance of 7.15 meters (about 23 feet, 5 inches) within three attempts. Owens was the world record holder, having jumped an astonishing 8.13\text{ m} (26 feet, 8 inches) the previous year, so qualification was normally a formality. The First Foul: Owens, distracted by the tense, politically charged atmosphere and perhaps still fatigued from his previous event, had a chaotic start. In his essay, he explains that he was "angry...