(AURN News) — On Aug. 3, 1936, Jesse Owens won the gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the Berlin Olympic Games.
Owens finished the race in 10.3 seconds, defeating fellow American Ralph Metcalfe.
The victory came in Nazi Germany, where Adolf Hitler’s regime promoted claims of Aryan racial superiority. Owens, a Black American athlete, contradicted that propaganda with his performance on the track.
The 100-meter victory was the first of four gold medals Owens won at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Owens became one of the most successful athletes in a single Olympic Games.
His results in Berlin were reported around the world and remain central to the history of the Olympics, track and field, and the international struggle against racist ideology.
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The post On This Day in 1936: Jesse Owens Wins Olympic Gold in Berlin appeared first on American Urban Radio Networks.
