13/12/2023
This is Jim Thorpe, the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for his country. Looking closely at this photo, you can see he wear different socks and shoes. Not because of his fashion sense. This photo was taken in 1912, when Jim, a Native American from Oklahoma, represented the United States in athletics at the Olympics that summer.
On the morning of the match, his shoes were stolen. Luckily, Jim found two different shoes in a trash can. Those are the two shoes he is wearing in the photo. But one of those shoes was a little too big, so he had to put on a few more socks.
Wearing these clunky shoes, Jim won two gold medals that day. The person who stole the shoes must have not expected that instead of causing him to fail, they would bring him glory. This is a reminder to all of us that we can overcome any difficulty in life if we try.
