Luz Long: Difference between revisions
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==Quotations== |
==Quotations== |
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*"It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of [[Hitler]]... You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the twenty-four [[Carat (purity)| |
*"It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of [[Hitler]]... You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the twenty-four [[Carat (purity)|karat]] friendship that I felt for Lutz Long at that moment." —[[Jesse Owens]] on being advised and congratulated by Luz Long at the [[1936 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="espn">xx</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 00:11, 9 September 2007
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Dr. Carl Ludwig "Lu(t)z" Long (27 April 1913 in Leipzig – 13 July 1943 in San Pietro Clarenza) was a German Olympic athlete, most notable not for winning Silver at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, but for giving advice to his competitor, Jesse Owens, who went on to win the gold medal for the broad jump, now referred to as the long jump, thanks to Long's advice.[1] For his actions in the spirit of sportsmanship, Long was posthumously awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal. Following the Allied invasion of Sicily of 10 July 1943 near Catania he died in a British-controlled military hospital.
1936 Olympic Games
The German government had high hopes for their star athletes.
The 19year old, 1,84m tall blonde Long had finished third in the 1934 European Championships in Athletics with 7,25m. The long jump on August 4 was Long's first event against Owens, and Long met his expectations by setting an Olympic record during the preliminary round. In contrast, Owens fouled on his first two jumps. Knowing that he needed to clear the third jump in order to advance for the finals in the afternoon, Owens sat on the field, dejected.
According to Owens, Long went to him and told him to try and jump from a spot several inches behind the line. Since Owens routinely made distances far greater than the minimum of 7,15m required to advance, Long surmised that Owens would be able to safely advance to the next round without risking another foul while trying to push for a greater distance.
While Owens's account is disputed, what is known is that Owens was very calm and jumped with about half a foot of clearance, clearing his third attempt. Owens went on to win the gold medal in the long jump with 8,06m while besting Long's own record of 7,87m. Long was the first to congratulate Owens, they posed together for photos and walked arm-in-arm to the dressing room.
Two days later, Long finished 10th in the triple jump. He went on finish third in the 1938 European Championships in Athletics with 7,56m.
Dr. Carl-Ludwig Long worked as a lawyer before the war broke out. Roads near sports facilities in his home town Leipzig, and in the Munich Olympia Park of 1972 are named after him.
Quotations
- "It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler... You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn't be a plating on the twenty-four karat friendship that I felt for Lutz Long at that moment." —Jesse Owens on being advised and congratulated by Luz Long at the 1936 Summer Olympics.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Owens pierced a myth" on ESPN.com Cite error: The named reference "espn" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
