American track and field athlete Jesse Owens (1913–1980)
American track and field athlete Jesse Owens (1913–1980) is regarded as one of the finest athletes of the 20th century. Notwithstanding the pervasive bigotry and persecution of the period, he achieved worldwide recognition for his achievements at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, when he broke several world records and won four gold medals.
While Owens was born in Alabama and lived in poverty as a child, he immediately displayed extraordinary skill as a runner. He continued to succeed in track and field as a student at Ohio State University, establishing several records and winning numerous awards.
As a Black athlete participating in Nazi Germany at the 1936 Olympics, Owens was subject to extreme criticism and scrutiny because Adolf Hitler intended to use the games to further his regime's Aryan supremacy doctrine. In spite of this, Owens excelled, taking home gold medals in the 4x100-meter relay, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and long jump.
Generations of African American athletes and activists have been motivated by Owens' triumphs, which challenged the idea of racial supremacy. Despite becoming a hero when he returned to the United States, he still had to deal with racism there. After the Olympics, Owens continued to compete and break records, but he was finally forced to withdraw from sports owing to financial issues.
In latter years of his life, Owens was active in civil rights advocacy in addition to working as a motivational speaker and businessman. After receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976, he has continued to inspire people all across the globe as a trailblazing athlete and social justice activist.

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