Hitler 's Nazi regime saw the Games as a showcase for white Aryan ##s . 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 won his first gold medal in the 100 meters . Owens ' quadruple triumph was a huge blow to the Nazis .
Hitler 's Nazi regime saw the Games as a showcase for white Aryan ##s . Owens won his first gold medal in the 100 meters . Owens ' quadruple triumph was a huge blow to the Nazis .