5. HONESTY – The Honesty of Luz Long
Luz knew what Jesse was going through and assured the American that he could qualify for the finals with ease. He suggested that Jesse draw a mark a few inches behind the line on the takeoff board and aim for that. He would be certain not to foul and jump far enough to qualify. Luz’s warmth and advice energized Jesse, who made his way back to the starting point. He ran down the track confidently, flew through the air, and qualified easily. Luz patted Jesse on the back. “See,” the smiling German said, “it was easy.” Jesse clasped Luz’s hand in both of his and thanked him.
That afternoon, the field was narrowed down to the two who would compete for the gold medal: Luz and Jesse. For the rest of the event, the two competitors-turned-friends pushed each other to levels of athletic excellence neither had experienced before. During their first set of jumps, Jesse surpassed the Olympic record. Then, moments later, Luz did the same. The crowd roared. For the final round, each had three attempts. Luz’s first was not his best and Jesse’s first attempt resulted in a foul. Luz’s second jump equaled Jesse’s best of the day and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
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