Historic discovery of Jesse Owens records
by Philip Barker
The original sheets used by judges to record the 1936 Olympic long jump competition won by Jesse Owens have been re-discovered after almost 90 years.
The original handwritten sheets were filled in and signed by competition officials in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, and had been kept amongst the papers retained by what was then known as the International Amateur Athletic Association (IAAF).
They were uncovered by Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) Archive and Museum Manager Pierre-Jean Vazel. The documents have now been included in the museum’s Olympic archive.
“These three truly historic pieces of faded green paper, transport us directly to the edge of the sandpit,” said MOWA Heritage Director Chris Turner,
“These documents also reveal insights into past competition formats, such as the three rounds of three jumps held across an entire day.”
Owens only came through qualification with his last leap, but in the final he led from the first round and completed his series with an Olympic record 8.06 metres.
The silver medal was won by Germany’s Luz Long who publicly congratulated Owens on his success. A famous photograph of the pair smiling side by side was published in German books on the Games.
In addition to our website, you can also find information on Olympic history, personalities and stories on our social media platforms facebook, twitter and instagram @ISOHOlympic and Via Linked at LinkedIn: isoh.org/linkedin
There are no comments published yet.