The "A White Man And A Black Man Becoming Best Friends On The Athletic Field" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Thinking back over the hundreds of stories I have written in the past and the many stories I have read in return from other authors of blog stories.  Over the years I have found a few stories that I have enjoyed and have made notes on a few.  Today my story will be a version of one that I read two years ago and features one of the United States all-time best athletes, Jesse Owens.  Perhaps you have heard of him?  Well, the story dates back to 1936 and the Berlin Olympics.  Jesse won four gold medals that year, but it was more than his athletic achievements that were the background for my story.  Seems that Hitler was stressing the Aryan race superiority, but then we Americans arrived at the Olympics and changed all that.  Tough for him to declare superiority when we Americans took charge and won the majority of the events.  And, a black man from the United States, was our Hero!  But, there was one incident in the Olympics that will never be forgotten, at least to Jesse Owens.  It happened while Jesse was participating in the broad jump.  For some reason Jesse was having trouble with his performance.  He had already fouled twice and there was a chance that he would be eliminated from the event.  But, there was a young white German broad jumper, Lutz Long, who was watching Jesse during his qualifying jumps who saved the day.  He went over to Jesse and remeasured his steps he had made in his previously unsuccessful jump.  He grabbed Jesse's sweatshirt and laid it next to the takeoff board to show Jesse were he should take off.  Thanks to his suggestion, Jesse was able to produce a leap which qualified him for the finals.  Lutz jumped  25 ft., 9 27/32 inches for a new Olympic record shortly thereafter.  But, Jesse followed with a jump of 26 ft., 5 5/16 inches to win the event and the gold.  Jesse was so touched that Lutz helped him win, and the two became best friends.   Needless to say, it probably didn't go over very well with Hitler.  After the Olympics ended, Jesse and Lutz became great friends and corresponded regularly.  

Lutz Long and Jesse Owens

But during WWII, sometime during the invasion of Poland, the last living traces of Lutz Long were obliterated in the Holocaust.  The story of Lutz and Owens, becoming best friends, has been many times in the past, but is one that will never grow old.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.