Passage 4 Jesse Owens was born in Alabama, USA, in 1913. He came from a poor family, so he had many part-time jobs as a student. He worked hard, but still found time for his favorite pastime, running. His natural talent made him a track star at high school and, then, at university. On 25 May 1935, at the Big Ten Championships in Michigan, Jesse became a world champion. He broke three world records in one day! For the next 30 years, nobody could break those records. Jesse Trained hard and took part in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. He was the first American in the history of Olympic Track and Field to win four gold medals in one Olympic Games: the 100m and 200m sprints, the long jump and the 4×100m relay. However, Jesse’s success as an athlete didn’t help him financially. He had lots of different jobs and worked hard to support his family. He died in 1980 and to this day, his family runs the Jesse Owens Foundation, which gives young athletes with financial problems a chance in the world of sports.