( CNN ) -- In the history of the modern Olympics few , if any , performances have captured the popular imagination in quite the same way as that of American Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Games . Owens defied Hitler by winning four gold medals in Berlin in 1936 . His haul of four gold medals -- in the 100 meters , 200 meters , long jump and 4x100 meters relay -- would have been a notable achievement under any circumstances , especially since two of his victories resulted in new world records . What gave his feat its unique resonance , however , was the fact that it took place at a Games organized by Hitler 's Nazi Party , and specifically designed as a showcase for white Aryan talent . As a black man , Owens ' quadruple triumph was a huge embarrassment to the hosts , and a defiant snub to the Third Reich 's theories of white racial supremacy . No other sporting performance before or since has achieved quite the same level of symbolism . The 11th Olympiad had been awarded to Germany in May 1931 , two years before Hitler and his Nazi party came to power . Their overtly racist policies -- including the exclusion of all Jews and gypsies from German sporting facilities -- led to widespread calls to either move or boycott the competition , especially in Europe and the U.S . Despite that the Games went ahead , with 49 countries and a total of 4,066 athletes participating , more than in any previous Olympics . From the outset the Nazi propaganda machine made the most of the opportunity presented by the Games . For their two-week duration -- from August 1-16 -- houses and monuments throughout Berlin were decked with Nazi flags and banners , while posters and magazine spreads lauded the ideal of the white Aryan athlete , making an overt link between the racial purity of modern Teutonic culture and that of classical Greece . Director Leni Riefenstahl -- dubbed `` Hitler 's film-maker '' -- was employed to capture the anticipated German triumphs on camera . At the same time stringent efforts were made to play down the darker aspects of Nazi ideology , including the removal from Berlin 's streets of all anti-Jewish signs , and an order that foreign nationals were not to be subject to Germany 's oppressive anti-homosexual laws . Nazi showcasing . It was against this background of tightly regimented Nazi showcasing that , on August 3 , Owens started competing in Berlin 's 100,000-seater Olympic Stadium , winning his first gold medal in the 100 meters ( equaling the Olympic record with his time of 10.3 seconds ) . Over the next six days he would take a further three golds , in the process setting two new world records -- for the 200 meters and 4x100 meter relay -- and incensing the Nazi authorities ( Joseph Goebbels , the minister for propaganda , privately described his victories as `` a disgrace '' ) . The Owens myth is admittedly not quite as clear-cut as it has sometimes been presented . German spectators were open in their admiration for the American , and he would probably have not won the long jump gold had it not been for advice given to him by his main rival in the event , the star German athlete Luz Long . His place in the 4x100 meter relay team , meanwhile , was only secured when American team managers dropped two Jewish athletes -- Marty Gluckman and Sam Stoller -- allegedly at the behest of Hitler himself . Claims that the latter refused to shake hands with Owens were also unfounded -- the German leader had been told at the start of the Games that he should either shake every athlete 's hand or none , and had chosen the latter option . Despite that , and the fact that Germany still came top of the overall medal standings , the domination of a black athlete at a Games so overtly dedicated to promoting the ideal of Aryan physical perfection proved hugely symbolic for , and satisfying to a world increasingly alarmed at the activities of the Third Reich . There is a depressing coda to the Owens story , however , for the hero of the Berlin Games subsequently returned home to an America that was itself tainted by profound racial discrimination . Although he received a New York ticker-tape parade , he was snubbed by President Roosevelt , and , because of his color , failed to attract the commercial sponsorship deals awarded to his fellow white athletes . As Owens himself commented : `` Although I was n't invited to shake hands with Hitler , I was n't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either . ''
Hitler 's Games designed the Nazi Party as a showcase for white Aryan talent . Owen won his 11th gold medal in 200 meters . Owen ' quadruple triumph was a huge embarrassment to the hosts .