To create a fair comparison
- Andre must run in a replica pair of Jesse’s shoes
- Andre has to run on a dirt track as Jesse did in 1936
Steve meets young Canadian sprinting sensation Andre De Grasse, and learns of his meteoric rise from high school track star to a contender for world’s fastest man. Andre is accustomed to sprinting the 100 metres in high tech shoes on a high tech track. But for this Equalizer challenge he runs 100 metres in the competitive conditions of the legendary Jesse Owens. A shoemaker recreates the leather shoes that Jesse Owens wore at the 1936 Olympics. A track is found that matches a 1930s era dirt and cinder running surface. In practice sprints Andre thinks the old shoes are great but the old track doesn’t have the same bounce as a modern one. Running beside a virtual avatar of Jesse Owens, Andre sprints a hundred meters in Jesse’s shoes. Who wins?
Spoiler: De Grasse’s time is 11 seconds. His best time this year was 9.92 sec.