Berlin, 5 August 1936. Games of the XI Olympiad. Gold medallist Jesse OWENS of the United States at the start of the men's 200m. OWENS won the event in an Olympic record time of 20.7 seconds. Credit: IOC Olympic Museum Collections

Other names:

OWENS, James Cleveland

OWENS, James

Born: 12 September 1913

Deceased: 31 March 1980

Birthplace: Decatur (United States)

Nationality: United States

Sport: Athletics

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Berlin 1936

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 4

The Hero of Berlin

Jesse Owens, the son of sharecroppers and the grandson of slaves, assured himself a place in sports history on 25 May 1935, when he broke five world records and equalled a sixth in the space of 45 minutes. One of these world records, 8.13m in the long jump, would last for 25 years. For the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Owens qualified for the U.S. team in both sprints and the long jump. He began by equalling the Olympic record in the first round of the 100m. In the final, he led from the first stride and held off the closing rush of fellow American Ralph Metcalfe to win by one metre. Owens barely qualified for the final of the long jump, but once there he won the gold medal easily, as no one could beat any of his three best jumps. The next day, Owens effortlessly pulled away from the field to win the 200m by four metres. This earned him his third gold medal in three days. Four days later, Owens ran the leadoff leg for the U. S. team in the 4x100m relay. The quartet set a world record that would last for 20 years. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis had hoped that the 1936 Olympics would prove their theory of racial superiority. However, the people of Berlin rejected the Nazi propaganda and hailed Jesse Owens as their hero of the Berlin Olympics.