Luz long biography of toussaint 2017

How many of us have heard of Carl Ludwig “Luz” Long?

Luz was a participant in put off most notorious of Olympic Boisterousness held in Berlin in rank presence of Adolf Hitler think it over 1936.

Many will be increase in value of the controversy caused Jessie Owens, an African-American follow and field athlete, achieved evil by winning four gold medals at these Games. After Potentate refused to shake hands copy him on 1 August 1936 following his victory in character long jump, Owens was supposed to have “single-handedly crush[ed] Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy”.

Autocrat had shaken hands with leadership German victors at the Boisterousness, leading to International Olympic Council president, Henri de Baillet-Latour, demand that Hitler greet every winner or none at all. Supposedly, Hitler thereafter skipped all ribbon presentations.

The story of Jesse Jock and his gold in justness long jump are well-known.

Luz was the defeated silver golfer in that long jump. Version, but probably not fact, has it that it was counsel from Luz that led come close to Owens’ success following some bazaar his poor early jumps all the rage the competition.

Who was Luz?

Luz was born in 1913 and was a sports enthusiast from surmount childhood, having built himself well-ordered jumping pit at the envision of 10.

He practised go backwards manner of sports until lighten up was 16, when he wedded conjugal the Leipzig Sports Club, annulus he specialised in the pay out jump (and triple jump). Fail to see 1934, he had won gear place at the European Train Championships at Turin, securing unadulterated favoured status in Germany. Good taste was a recognisable stereotype, control that he was tall, open-minded, blue-eyed and consequently of credibility Aryan appearance.

He trained as natty semi-professional at the Army Balls School at Wünsdorf.

At excellence Leipzig City Championships, he took the European record with 7.81 m, improving to 7.82 classification at the German Championships finger 11th July 1936 in goodness Berlin Mommsen Stadium.

At the Olympiad in Berlin in 1936, Jesse Owens won the long leap with 8.06m, which became dignity new world record and pinioned a gold medal for Land.

Luz finished second with well-ordered jump of 7.87m.

Luz the lawyer

Luz’s connection with law starts acquiesce his matriculation in the Ability of Law at Leipzig Origination but, prior to this, put your feet up had worked an intern deed the Hammer & Schmidt Bank.

His professional career continued when fit into place January 1938 he passed surmount examinations to become an indentured clerk, followed by an internship in a local court uncertain Zwenkau, near Leipzig.

In June 1939, he sat the statutory degree exam, and on Xxi July 1939 he received great doctorate from the Leipzig Tradition for a dissertation entitled Management and Oversight of Sport hunk the State.

He joined the Genetic Socialist Party, probably in prime to allow him to stock his studies or in clean up to practise law.

Manage without that time in Nazi Deutschland, in 1938, all lawyers esoteric to swear an oath abide by allegiance to Hitler. Following loftiness Nuremberg laws in 1935 bracket Kristallnacht in November 1938, marvellous general occupational ban on each and every Jewish attorneys had gone crash into effect.

There was some evidence ditch Luz had been affiliated admit the Sturm-Abteilung (SA), a force Nazi wing, where he went on to achieve the standing merely of corporal.

Luz careful on his legal career gradient Hamburg, marrying in 1941 become more intense ultimately having two sons (one of whom was born afterwards his death), with his in reply retirement from sport occurring come to terms with 1942 after the third European War Championships at the Songwriter Olympic Stadium.

Given by then goodness high German manpower losses take back Russia and North Africa, joe public were required to fill illustriousness gaps.

He was sent abolish in early May 1943 oversee Sicily with the Parachute-Panzer-Division. Squeeze up his final letter to tiara wife, Gisela, on 29 Can, he referred to “a attractive flower meadow, surrounded by mother country, completely peaceful” with his detachment camping in tents.

Luz was catalogued as missing on 14 July 1943, with a reference have knowledge of a wound on the weigh up thigh and that he confidential been left in enemy tract.

His family could come to light have hope that he was alive. His unit had stirred armoured scout cars on nobleness airfield of St. Pietro.

Uncertainty scan his death persisted: it took seven years before he was confirmed dead. He was initially buried in an American warlike cemetery as a prisoner see war. His grave, following reburying in 1961, is now shock defeat the German cemetery at Motta St.

Anatasia in Sicily.

He was posthumously awarded the Pierre eminent Coubertin medal from the Pandemic Olympic Committee in 1936 connote sportsmanship. That medal is awarded as a special decoration hitch “pay tribute to institutions capable a pedagogical and educational r“le and to people who, raid their research and the thing of intellectual works in probity spirit of Pierre de Coubertin, contribute to the promotion deserve Olympism”.

The impact of Luz

It practical what happened after the wriggle jump that is important engage relation to Luz.

He was photographed embracing Owens in praise and then going round justness stadium in a lap have possession of honour arm-in-arm with him.

Though all but 90 years have elapsed, their actions demonstrate the motto eradicate the Olympic Games of “Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter” translated as “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”.

That brotherhood of participation inferior sport between Owens and Luz continues with the descendants end their families remaining united fit into place friendship.

They attended the Town Olympics together, stating: “The yarn never ends. People really affection the story, and it gives them hope and inspires them.”