Jesse Owens wins the 100 metre dash, defeating Ralph Metcalfe, at the Berlin Olympics.

James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who made history at the 1936 Olympic Games by becoming the first person to win four gold medals in a single Olympics. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in track and field history.

Ralph Harold Metcalfe Sr. was an American track and field sprinter and politician. He jointly held the world record in the 100-meter dash and placed second in that event in two Olympics, first to Eddie Tolan in 1932 at Los Angeles and then to Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Metcalfe won four Olympic medals and was regarded as the world's fastest human in 1934 and 1935.

The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XI Olympiad and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona at the 29th International Olympic Committee meeting on 26 April 1931. The 1936 Games marked the second and most recent time the IOC gathered to vote in a city bidding to host those Games. Later rule modifications forbade cities hosting the bid vote from being awarded the games.