1. Carl Ludwig "Luz" Long was a German Olympic long jumper who won the silver medal in the event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and had a friendship with Jesse Owens, who won the gold medal in that event.
10 Facts About Luz Long
1. 2.
Luz Long won the German long jump championship six times: in 1933,1934,1936,1937,1938, and 1939.
3.
Luz Long studied law at the University of Leipzig, where in 1936 he joined the Leipziger Sport Club.
4.
The 21-year-old, 1.84-metre-tall Luz Long had finished third in the 1934 European Championships in Athletics with 7.25 metres.
5.
Luz Long won the silver medal for second place and was the first to congratulate Owens: they posed together for photos and walked arm-in-arm to the dressing room.
6.
Two days later, Luz Long finished 10th in the triple jump.
7.
Luz Long served in the Wehrmacht during World War II, having the rank of Obergefreiter.
8.
Luz Long was buried in the war cemetery of Motta Sant'Anastasia in Sicily.
9.
Luz Long is supposed to have asked Owens to explain to the boy how life was before people were divided by the war.
10.
Additionally, the letter is often reported as having come from North Africa, a theatre that Luz Long did not serve in.