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Jesse Owens<\/a> was a black American sprinter who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin \u2013 a feat that shattered Adolf Hitler\u2019s plans to use the games as a showcase for Aryan supremacy.<\/p>\n President Roosevelt never publicly acknowledged Owens\u2019 triumph. However, in 1976 Gerald Ford awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of what is among the most iconic sporting achievements of the 20th century.<\/p>\n This content forms part of our history hero series.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> It was at school while studying for my history O-level. I remember being fascinated by the story of this incredible black athlete who, by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics<\/a>, put a huge dent in Adolf Hitler<\/a>\u2019s myth of an Aryan \u201cmaster race\u201d.<\/p>\n He absolutely never, ever gave up \u2013 whatever the odds, whatever prejudices he was confronted with. We\u2019re talking here about a legendary athlete who was born with some kind of growth on his chest \u2013 his mother removed it herself without anaesthetic when he was a boy. Then, when he went to Ohio State University, he couldn\u2019t live on campus or eat with white athletes because he was black. Not even that could stop him in his tracks.<\/p>\n And the prejudice didn\u2019t end after his gold medal haul in Berlin. When New York\u2019s Waldorf Astoria hosted a celebration marking his incredible performance in the games, he wasn\u2019t permitted to enter the hotel through the main doors \u2013 and had to take the freight elevator \u2013 simply because he was black.<\/p>\n I\u2019d say that there were two. The first came on 25 May 1935 when, in just 45 minutes, he broke the world records for the 220-yard dash, the 220-yard low hurdles and the long jump, and equalled the world record for the 100-yard dash.<\/p>\n Then, of course, there was his immortal performance in Berlin the following year, when he won four gold medals [100m, 200m, long jump and relay] right under the noses of the Nazis, who thought he was inferior just because of the colour of his skin. These two performances surely mark him out as the greatest athlete of the 20th century.<\/p>\n He was resourceful and did what he had to do to survive. He even raced against horses to make a bit of money. When asked why, he said: \u201cYou can\u2019t eat four gold medals.\u201d<\/p>\n You see, life wasn\u2019t always that easy for him after he retired \u2013 he worked in a gas station and as a janitor and was even convicted for tax evasion. Above all, he was human, with all the flaws and contradictions that come with that.<\/p>\n Absolutely none! I\u2019d love to have been as fast as him when I was younger but quickly realised that that wasn\u2019t case. I was quite rapid over the first 20 metres, then slowed down very quickly! So I threw myself into rugby rather than athletics.<\/p>\n I\u2019d ask him if winning the four golds in Berlin made all the prejudice he\u2019d had to endure as a young athlete worthwhile.<\/p>\n Ross Kemp is best known for playing Grant Mitchell in EastEnders. His latest series include Ross Kemp: Shipwreck Treasure Hunter<\/em>, which aired on Sky History<\/strong><\/p>\n This content first appeared in the May 2022 issue of BBC History Magazine<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nWhen did you first hear about Owens?<\/h3>\n
What made him a hero?<\/h3>\n
What was Owens\u2019 finest hour?<\/h3>\n
What kind of person was he?<\/h3>\n
Can you see any parallels between his life and your own?<\/h3>\n
What would you ask him if you could meet him?<\/h3>\n