10 September, 2024

Jesse Owens Rising Star Award to honour young athletes at WDL Final

Photo: Ohio State University Archives

In 2024, the two best performing athletes aged 23 and under at the Wanda Diamond League Final will receive the Jesse Owens Rising Star Award, presented by the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation and the Wanda Diamond League.

A new award in honour of legendary US sprinter Jesse Owens will be presented to two outstanding young athletes at the Wanda Diamond League Final from 2024 onwards.

The Jesse Owens Rising Star Award will honour the best performing male and female athletes aged 23 or under at each Wanda Diamond League Final, starting with this year’s edition in Brussels on September 13th-14th.

The award, a collaboration between the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation and the Wanda Diamond League, aims to celebrate young talent in athletics and honour the legacy of one of global track and field’s most iconic figures.

Jesse Owens was 23 years old when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi-era Berlin, writing himself indelibly into the sporting history books. He went on to become a fighter for equal employment opportunities and against discrimination. He worked with top management in major corporations in this effort.

The Jesse Owens Rising Star Award will therefore be awarded to the two athletes aged 23 or under, in order to elevate and promote aspiring young talents in the sport.

The winners of the Jesse Owens Rising Star Award will receive a bronze statuette. Photo: Jan Desmarets

The winning performances will be decided using a points system which compares performances across disciplines, with the best male and female athletes each receiving the award. Each winner will receive a bronze statuette of Owens designed by Belgian sculptor Jan Desmarets.

Two oak trees will also be planted in the Wanda Diamond League Final host city in honour of the two winners, in a gesture which unites both the past and the sustainable future of athletics.

At the 1936 Olympics, Owens and his fellow champions were presented with an oak sapling along with their gold medals.

Owens planted one of his trees at the James Ford Rhodes High School -his training site ahead of the 1936 Olympics - where it stood for 85 years until 2021.

The two oak trees planted at each Wanda Diamond League Final will provide a similarly lasting symbol of Owens’ legacy and a sustainable future for young athletes across the world.

Ahead of the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels, Jesse Owens’ grandchildren will present the two saplings, where they will be planted in the Verregatpark, next to the King Baudouin Stadium, later in the year.

Jesse Owens with the oak saplings he won in 1936. Photo: Gina Hemphill-Strachan

“The Owens family is proud to be represented at the first Jesse Owens Rising Star Awards. The awards are in keeping with the many ways Jesse Owens and his prodigies have viewed supporting young people and their aspirations with financial assistance and spiritual guidance. The Rising Star Awards are “right on” in continuing our family’s goals and dreams for young people around the world,” the Owens family said in a statement.

“We are excited about this opportunity to honour both Jesse Owens and the upcoming young stars of our sport who excel at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels. Together with Owens’ family, we are delighted to uphold his legacy by awarding the Jesse Owens Rising Star Award to the best performing young female and male athletes,” said Petr Stastny, CEO of the Wanda Diamond League.

About the Jesse Owens Foundation
The Jesse Owens Foundation seeks to perpetuate the beliefs of Jesse Owens through its support of the Ruth and Jesse Owens Scholars Program at the Ohio State University. Further, the Foundation provides information, materials, and direction for research on his life and legend. Services are provided without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, or sex.

About the Wanda Diamond League
The Wanda Diamond League is the elite one-day meeting series in global athletics. It comprises 15 of the most prestigious events in global track and field. Athletes compete for points at the 14 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on 13th-14th September 2024.