Jesse Owens’ Olympic medal up for auction
Jesse Owens AP FILE PHOTO
LAGUNA NIGEL, California — One of the four Olympic gold medals won by track and field star Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Games is for sale in an online auction that runs from through Dec. 7
The medal recalls both the Nazi propaganda myths that Owens busted with his world record-setting 100-yard dash, and the American segregation that he came home to when he returned to the U.S. after the Games.
SCP Auctions partner Dan Imler says that “almost singlehandedly, Owens obliterated Hitler’s plans.”
Owens won gold in the 100- and 200-meters, the 400 relay and the long jump.
His daughter — Marlene Owens Rankin — says that when he returned from the Berlin Games, he struggled to provide for his family with limited job options due to segregation.
The medal comes from the estate of Robinson’s widow.
