Gary Hall Jr. on meeting true Olympic legends

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BEIJING -- The U.S. Olympic Committee has a really nice hospitality suite called the USA House here. It’s a very nice building where Olympians and their friends and family can meet, along with those associated with the Olympic movement.

It was at the USA House that I attended an event to honor Olympic legend Bob Beamon. The event was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bob’s historic 1968 long jump. The Olympic record still stands at 29 feet 2 1/2 inches.

I’ve gotten to know Bob pretty well over the last few years. What a great man. We both spend time in South Florida. We both have diabetes.

Bob attends a fund-raiser that I host every year for my diabetes foundation. His demeanor is relaxed despite the fact that wherever he goes his name is whispered. “That’s Bob Beamon!”

If my name is ever whispered, it is usually answered with a ‘Who?’ then followed by, ‘You know, the swimmer guy.’ Oh. But Bob doesn’t need ‘the long jump guy’ tacked on to his name. He is a legend.

I heard that an autographed 2004 Michael Phelps Donruss trading card was worth $500. I would rather have Bob’s autograph. I’m embarrassed to ask though.

I’m not an autograph collector. The closest I’ve come to being an autograph collector was when I was a little kid. I had a Snoopy book with blank yellow pages. I was at a dinner with my parents one night, and my father pointed to an old man. ‘See that man over there? That is a great man. Take your book over there and ask him for his autograph.’

That man was Jesse Owens.

It’s strange, tears came to my eyes when I typed that last sentence. Tears never came to me when I won my Olympic medals, when they played the national anthem. I’m not an overly emotional guy. It’s just that I’m so proud of the fact that I was able to meet Jesse Owens. What a legend. What a gentleman. What a hero.

Some people say that Bob Beamon’s accomplishment was overshadowed by the moving image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos with raised fists, an iconic representation of the complicated conflation of race, politics and sports in 1968. But Tommie was there at the USA House too, honoring the legend, gentleman and hero, Bob Beamon.

You know, the Olympics are pretty cool.

-- Gary Hall Jr.

This Aug. 5, 1936, file photo shows Jesse Owens powering his way at the start of the 200-meter event, which he won, during the Olympic Games in Berlin. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Inspired by Diabetes is a global campaign that encourages people touched by diabetes to share their stories with others around the world. The program is a collaboration between Eli Lilly and Co. and the International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) Unite for Diabetes initiative. In the U.S., the American Diabetes Assn. is the program’s national advocate. For more information, visit inspiredbydiabetes.com.