Lives of Two Olympic Contenders

This article focused on the lives of two Olympian contenders and the

achievements/shortcomings in their lives in general. Their names were Mack Robinson

and Martinus Osendarp. Mack Robinson became a silver medalist and Martinus Osendarp

won the bronze, both in the 1936 Olympics. Although, both men were Olympic medalist,

the both lead rocky lives after the Olympics.

The first medalist detailed in the article was Mack Robinson. Mr. Robinson

participated in the 1936 Olympic sprinting race and came in second to Jesse Owens.

Although he won the silver medal, it was not enough to gain him the popularity among

his hometown and the U.S that he and his family felt he deserved. He lived an

impoverished life and also dealt with racial conflict issues when it came to everyday life.

However, over the years following the 1936 Olympics, Robinson eventually found solace

working as a truant officer for a High school in Pasadena, also becoming a mentor, and a

public speaker that spoke against streets crimes that were committed by the youth.

Martinus Osendarp's story is different from Robinson's. He was able to win the

bronze medal in the same Olympic race against Jesse Owens and Mack Robinson. Even

though his medal represented third place, the Neverlands, which is where he was from,

celebrated him as a hero and was even quoted to be "the best sprinter of the white race".

After the Olympics he continued to compete in different sprinting competitions but he

fell into the hands of Sicherheitsdienst in 1940. In 1945, Osendarp was taken to prison

and sentenced to 15 years for was crimes. Released from prison after serving 12 years,

he was shunned and it became difficult for Osendarp to find employment. He eventually

became a track coach for four decades in a nearby club.

There are many lessons to be learned from this article such as, no matter who you

whether you're black or white,