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THESE OLYMPIC ATHLETES EXCELLED AT MORE THAN WINNINGBud Greenspan, one of the world’s most distinguished documentary filmmakers, has had a special passion for more than three decades: the Olympics. He was the official filmmaker of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1988 Calgary and Seoul Games. Hehas won four Emmys, including one forthe TV series “ The Olympiad. ” We asked Bud to describe some incidents of personal courage from past Olympics to provide a fresh perspective with which to view the future Games.S YOU READ THIS,thousands of young athletes around the world are in training—on running tracks, in gymnasiums, swimming pools and wooded countrysides. All have a dream—to one day stand on the top step of the victory podium as the winner of an Olympic gold medal.In recent Olympics, a few have ascended the steps of the victory podium by violating the rules. Doomsayers have had a field day bemoaning the erosion of the Olympic philosophy. Have we lost the dream that young people from many lands can join in friendly competition every four years “for the honor and the glory of sport”?The answer is a resounding “no,” for only a small number have dishonored the long heritage of honorable competition for Olympic fame. In the main, young athletes—win or lose—have .shown the qualities that personify the highest form of the Olympic spirit. As the modern Games move toward the 1992 competition in Barcelona, Spain, and the centennial celebration in 1996 in Atlanta, they already have written a history of drama, romance and courage that few fiction-writers could match.Here, then, are some true tales of the Olympics:THE GERMAN WHO HELPED JESSE OWENSThe great Jesse Owens was frightened and confused. He stood alone at die long jump pit at the Berlin Olympic stadium on Aug. 4,1936, trying to calm himself as Chancellor Adolf Hitler and thousands of others looked on. A day earlier, Owens had won the 100-meter final, for his first gold medal of an expected four. He had won his two preliminaryLeft,FrankHavenstoday: Hewon onefor Dadin 1952.Below,France’sGoHschelsisters,Christine(left) andMarielle.races in the 200 meters, and his victory in that event was a foregone conclusion. But now, in the qualifying round of the long jump, which was being contested almost simultaneously with the 200 meters, he was in trouble.The qualifying distance to make it to the finals was only 23 feet 5 'A inches. Owens’ world record was more than 3 feet farther than that. Earlier, wearing sweat clothes, he had tested the runway and halfheartedly leaped into the pit. Thinking it a practice run, he was amazed to learn that the judges had counted it as his first qualifying attempt. Still upset, he overcompensated on his second attempt and fouled.Now, with just one attempt left to qualify, Owens stood alone contemplating his fate. As he looked at the runway, the German champion Lutz Long—the only other entrant who’d been considered a challenge to Owens—came over and introduced himself. “Jesse,” he said, “I have a suggestion: Let me put my towel a foot in front of the foul line, and use my towel as your jump-off point. Then you will not have to worry about fouling.” Owens agreed.A little later, Owens came roaringIiiisdown the runway and leaped magnificently, using Long’s towel as his foul marker. He qualified by 2 feet.The finals took place that afternoon. At one point, Owens and Long were tied for the lead with the exact same distance. On his fifth attempt, Owens set an Olympic record. Long’s last attempt failed, and Jesse had his gold medal.As soon as Long knew he had to settle for the silver, he rushed over to the American, and they walked off the field arm-in-arm as Hitler grimly watched from his box. Long died in World WarII, in 1943 in Italy; Owens died in 1980.Denmark’s Us Hartel, a rider who overcame polio to win a dressage medal.Till the end, Jesse Owens would extol the sportsmanship of Lutz Long, saying he could not have won had the German champion not come to his aid.THE RIDER WHO CONQUERED POLIO“Dressage,” an equestrian event, is judged when a horse and its rider go through a series of gaits and maneuvers without visible command. Horse and rider appear to be a single entity, with the rider’s leg and hand pressures guiding the mount’s performance.In 1944, Lis Hartel of Denmark contracted polio during pregnancy. Almost completely paralyzed, she was determined to continue her career as one of her country’s leading dressage riders. She began her rehabilitation while still pregnant First she painfully learned to lift her arms, then she regained use of her thigh muscles. Her daughter was bom healthy, and Lis continued her comeback. She began by crawling, then soon was able to walk haltingly on crutches.Three years after her attack, still unable to use her legs properly, Lis entered the Scandinavian Riding Championships and finished second. She continued to compete and improve, and when the 1952 Olympics took place in Helsinki, Lis Hartel was selected as one of Denmark’s dressage competitors. And she amazed the sports world by winning the silver medal, even though she had to beTOPHAM/THE IMAGE WORKS (CLARKE iCHEL) AND UP1/BETTMANN (OERTER)PAGE 4 • APRIL 21,1991 • PARADE MAGAZINE
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Sandusky Sunday Register
Sandusky, Ohio, US
Sun, Apr 21, 1991
Page 50
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