Big Ten greatest athlete bracket: Final round

By Daily Illini Staff Report

After four rounds of voting, The Daily Illini sports staff sent its two final athletes to the championship to determine who is the Big Ten’s greatest athlete. 

As we head into the final matchup, don’t forget to use #DIBracket to weigh in on Twitter.

Here is the matchup for the championship round.

Jesse Owens (Ohio State-Track & Field) v. Tatyana McFadden (Illinois-Wheelchair Racing)

Owens’ legacy began at the Ohio State University where in one day at a track meet, he set world records in 4 separate Track & Field events in the span of 45 minutes. A year later, Owens represented the United States in Nazi Germany at the Berlin Olympics and won 4 gold medals as Hitler watching with disapproving eyes.

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McFadden is the primary product for U of I’s prestigious wheelchair athletics. After racing and playing basketball with the Fighting Illini, McFadden has gone on to win 10 Paralympic medals including 3 Golds at London in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m races in the T-54 category. McFadden is also the only human (able-bodied or disabled) to win the big four marathons in the same calendar year (Boston, Chicago, London, and New York City).