OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaJesse Owens was a runner who was known as the fastest man in the world! He won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics and proved that anyone can be a champion. Jesse is remembered as a great hero who made his country so proud!
In 1936, Jesse went all the way to Germany to compete in the Olympic Games. At the Olympics, he won four gold medals in running and jumping events! He set world records and showed the world that hard work and talent matter more than anything else.
- Jesse Owens won four gold medals at a single Olympic Games, which was a record at that time!
- He once set three world records and tied another in just 45 minutes at a college track meet.
- Jesse’s real first name was James, but a teacher misheard his nickname “J.C.” as “Jesse,” and the name stuck!
