Jesse Owens’ Four Gold Wins at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany

The 1936 Olympic Games took place in Berlin, Germany, hosted by a newly appointed Adolf Hitler. These Games were significant for both sports and global politics. Notably, it was the first Olympiad documented on film, titled *Olympia*, directed by Leni Riefenstahl, also known for *Triumph of the Will*. Another first was the introduction of the torch relay, where a flame was carried from Greece’s Mount Olympus.

The event is perhaps best remembered for the achievements of Jesse Owens, a track star from Alabama. Owens famously won gold in the 200-meter sprint. This did not sit well with Hitler, whose National Socialist Party advocated Aryan racial superiority. When the International Olympic Committee (IOC) informed Hitler that he must congratulate either all of the day’s winners or none, he chose to exit the stadium, setting a notable tone for the rest of the Games.

Owens did not stop there. He also won gold in the 100-meter sprint, long jump, and the relay, making his mark as an extraordinary athlete. However, Hitler continued to defy IOC directives by shaking hands with all the winners except Owens. According to the official Games website, Owens may be the single greatest Olympic athlete of all time. This record stood until Carl Lewis matched his four-gold tally at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

While Owens’ victories in Berlin served as a direct refutation of Nazi racist ideology, they also had significant implications for the United States. During a time when Black Americans continued to face legal discrimination, Owens’ triumph raised questions about racial equality back home.

Historian Joseph Boskin, in the journal *Reviews in American History*, reflected on the mixed outcome of Owens’ success. “A triumph fantasized by virtually every athlete, those medals became Owens’s magical key to unlocking the door to the American Dream,” Boskin wrote. “Yet, at the same time, they were fool’s gold, dragging him down into unremitting frustration. Although they were constantly polished by an adulatory public, the medals never brought him what he most desired”—which included respect, financial security, and equality.

Owens himself later remarked that he felt more slighted by President Franklin Roosevelt’s actions than by Hitler’s. Roosevelt, needing Southern voter support for upcoming elections, declined to invite Owens and other Black Olympians to the White House. Instead, Roosevelt only extended the honor to white athletes.

It wasn’t until 1976, four decades after the Berlin Games, that Owens was formally recognized by an American president. Gerald Ford awarded Owens the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a long-overdue acknowledgment of his athletic prowess and historical significance.

Source: Vanity Fair