Jesse Owens, a Black American, won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics under Adolf Hitler's gaze — 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay. Hitler had intended the Games to demonstrate Aryan racial superiority. Owens returned home to America where he was not allowed to attend his own reception dinner.
The greatest individual political statement in Olympic history — and the most devastating rebuke of racist ideology through sport.
Why It Matters