1913
Birth of Lutz Long
Lutz Long (1913-43) was a German athlete, famous for his actions at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Long was the German long-jump champion and the holder of the European record but his opponent in Berlin was slated to be the legendary multidiscipline runner and jumper from the United States, Jesse Owens. Owens held the world record not only for the long jump but also for the 100-yard dash, the 220-yard sprint and the 220-yard low hurdles.
When Owens and Long met on August 4, 1936, Owens had just won the gold in the 100 metres but Long had just set the Olympic record in the long jump and qualified for the final. Owens stared disaster in the face by fouling out in his first two attempts, leaving him a single try to qualify. At this point he was approached by Long who told him that he could easily make the final round by making his take-off from several inches in front of the board and avoid the risk of fouling. Owens took his advice and went on to defeat Long, who won the silver medal. Owens was always grateful for that piece of sportsmanship and stated: “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 Luz Long at that moment”.
Long served in the Wehrmacht artillery during the Second World War and was killed in the battle for Sicily. After the war Owens maintained his friendship with Long’s family and served as best man at his son’s wedding.