On May 25th in sports history, one significant event took place in 1935, when Jesse Owens, the legendary American track and field athlete, broke three world records and tied another in a span of just 45 minutes during the Big Ten Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Owens, who was representing Ohio State University, began his incredible feat at 3:15 pm by breaking the world record for the long jump with a leap of 8.13 meters (26 feet, 8.25 inches). This record would stand for 25 years until 1960.
Just 15 minutes later, at 3:30 pm, Owens broke the world record for the 220-yard dash, completing the race in 20.3 seconds. This record would remain unbroken for 15 years.
At 3:45 pm, Owens tied the world record for the 100-yard dash, finishing in 9.4 seconds. This record had been set by Frank Wykoff in 1930.
Finally, at 4:00 pm, Owens broke the world record for the 220-yard low hurdles, completing the race in 22.6 seconds. This record would stand for over a decade.
Owens' remarkable achievement on that single day in 1935 cemented his status as one of the greatest athletes of all time. His performance was even more impressive considering the discrimination and racial barriers he faced as an African American athlete in the 1930s. Just a year later, Owens would go on to win four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, demolishing Adolf Hitler's myth of Aryan superiority and becoming an international icon.
