Biography of eberhard owens

While Jesse Owens famously won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin to shatter Adolf Hitler's notions of Aryan athletic supremacy, his journey reflected the fleeting thrills of fame and the struggles of African Americans in a still-segregated 20th century United States.

Here are five facts from the life of this groundbreaking athlete.

1.

Biography of eberhard owens

As a child, Owens nearly died from what likely was a fibrous tumor

Owens struggled with poor health as a child, regularly reeling from such illnesses as chronic bronchial congestion and pneumonia. But it was a lump on the frail 5-year-old’s chest that swelled over the course of several days that concerned his family the most.

With no money to see a doctor, Owens' mother, Emma, eventually cut the lump off herself with a kitchen knife. The golfball-sized incision spurted blood for days, but Owens survived.

2. In 1935, a rival had supplanted Owens as America's best hop