Feet (feats) that stomped Hitler

Any talk of the 1936 Berlin Olympics will be supine without honors to the man of the hour, Jesse Owens. His feet spent very little time on the track-field and mostly rested on the highest step on the podium with four golds. Hitler refusing to shake the black man's hand is a moving tribute to the significance of his feat. Nonetheless, his was not the only feet that should be credited for spiting Hitler. Hitler's idea of supremacy took another blow on the footballing arena. These feet belonged to Teodoro "Lolo" Fernandez.

Germany had an early exit in the first round games and Hitler had to rely on his birthplace Austria to salvage any pride. In the play-offs, Austria lead 2 - 0 against Peru in the first half. Peru equalized in the next half and slammed two more goals in extra time. Lolo sealed the fate with a goal in the last minute.

The political repercussions of these events are noted in history, and debatable. The immediate reaction was the `Fuhrer' forcing a rematch for foul play. The Peruvian team refused and the whole contingent of the country's athletes withdrew in protest. The event may not be invoked as often as Owen's track blitzkrieg but Lolo is fondly remembered in his homeland Peru. Outside his club team Universitario de Deportes, his statue stands in testimony.