Jesse Owens, who died on 31 March, 1980, aged 66, is among the best-remembered of all Olympic athletes due to his stunning victories and achievement of four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

James Cleveland Owens was born on 12 September, 1913, in Lawrence County, Alabama. He was the seventh child of Henry and Emma Owens and was the grandson of a slave. When James (JC - 'Jesse') was nine years old, the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in the hope that James’ father would find a better job.

Jesse took on different jobs in his spare time including delivering groceries, loading freight cars and working in a shoe repair shop and discovered a joy in running.

He went on to become a track star at Cleveland East Technical High School. As a senior, he tied the world record in the 100-yard dash with a time of 9.4 seconds, only to tie it again at the Interscholastic Championships in Chicago. While in Chicago, he also leaped a distance of more than 24 feet in the broad jump (standing long jump).

At Ohio State University he met both his fiercest competition and had many difficult experiences due to the ongoing struggle to desegregate the United States in 1933.

In the Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor on 25 May, 1935, despite having fallen down a flight of stairs and his ability to compete being questioned the week before, he set three world records and tied a fourth, all in a span of about 45 minutes. He also set a new world record in the broad jump, the 220-yard dash and the 220-yard low hurdles and matched the 100-yard dash record.

Jesse entered the 1936 Olympics, often known as the Hitler Olympics. The games were held in Nazi Germany and Hitler was hoping to prove to the world that the German ‘Aryan’ people were the physically superior race.

He won gold medals in the 100m dash, the 200m dash, the broad jump and the 400m relay. In all but one of these events he set Olympic records and became the first American in the history of Olympic Track and Field to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

The financial instability of the Owens family continued and Jesse was not offered any endorsement deals because he was black. In an effort to provide for his family, Jesse left school before his senior year to run professionally. For a while he was a runner-for-hire, racing against anything from people, to horses, to motorcycles. The Negro Baseball league often hired him to race against thoroughbred horses in an exhibition before every game. Jesse even raced against the some of the Major League’s fastest players, always giving them a 10-yard head start before beating them.

He later ran a dry-cleaning business and then even worked as a gas station attendant. He eventually filed for bankruptcy and in 1966 he was prosecuted for tax evasion. After that he started work as a US ‘goodwill ambassador’.

Jesse started his own public relations firm, travelling the country speaking on behalf of companies like Ford and the United States Olympic Committee, stressing the importance of religion, hard work and loyalty. He also sponsored and participated in many youth sports programmes in underprivileged neighbourhoods.

He was married to his longtime high school sweetheart, Ruth Solomon. Together they had three daughters, Gloria, Beverly and Marlene. His widow Ruth and daughter Marlene continue to operate the Jesse Owens Foundation, to provide financial assistance and support to deserving youngsters that otherwise would not have the opportunity to pursue their goals.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded him the Medal of Freedom. After his death, in 1990 Jesse was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George Bush in recognition of his "triumphs for humanity".