Jesse Owens' historic triumph over Nazi Germany during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Three years before the start of WWII, African American track and field athlete Jesse Owens took the world stage and launched into international fame by making Olympic history after winning four gold medals in the 100-meter dash, long jump, 200-meter dash and 4x100-meter dash. This feat made him arguably one of the greatest and most impactful athletes of all time.