Almost 80 years after Jesse Owens upstaged Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, his example of courage and persistence on the track and off remains as relevant now as it was then, his daughters say.
Their father’s Olympic glory and the political tumult that almost compelled the Ohio State star to boycott the games is told in the movie Race, which was shown in a special screening Monday night at Mershon Auditorium. The film will open Friday in theaters nationwide.
The first big-screen adaptation of Owens’ life, Race focuses on his early years up through the Olympics, including his time at Ohio State.