【美国人物志】杰西·欧文斯 (9/9)

英语自学网

杰西·欧文斯，原名詹姆斯·克利夫兰·欧文斯(James Cleveland Owens)是美国黑人田径明星，短跑运动员。1913年9月12日生于美国南方阿拉巴马州一个棉农之家，黑奴后裔家庭，1980年3月31日卒于亚利桑那州。现代奥运史上最伟大的运动员，被誉为“本世纪最佳田径运动员。”。
Hints:
Moscow
Nazi Germany
President Gerald Ford
Jesse Owens
Medal of Freedom
Jesse Owens Foundation

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These were the same beliefs he tried to express when he spoke around the world about being an Olympic athlete. "The road to the Olympics," he said, "leads to no city, no country. It goes far beyond New York or Moscow, ancient Greece or Nazi Germany. The road to the Olympics leads, in the end, to the best within us."
In 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded Jesse Owens the Medal of Freedom. This is the highest honor an American civilian can receive. Jesse Owens died of cancer in 1980. His family members operate the Jesse Owens Foundation. It provides financial aid and support for young people to help them reach their goals in life.