Jesse Owens' four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin were a 'thumb in the eye' to Adolf Hitler, says the track legend's grandson

Jesse Owens' grandson said his track-legend grandfather's successes astatine nan 1936 Olympics successful Berlin were a 'thumb successful nan eye' to Adolf Hitler connected Thursday. 

To commemorate nan 4th of July, and nan opening of nan Paris Olympics successful 3 weeks, Owens' sanction is backmost successful nan news arsenic 1 of nan top American Olympians of all-time.

Owens' grandson, Stuart Owen Rankin, told CNN really his grandpa's 4 golden medals mattered successful overmuch much than sports. 

The 1936 Olympics were group successful nan German superior pinch Hitler's reign of panic of nan Nazi authorities opening a fewer years prior. 

Hitler wanted to show disconnected nan power of nan 'Aryan' title of athletes, nan white, blonde-haired, blue-eyes competitors nan dictator saw arsenic superior. 

Owens recovered ways to return down those from Nazi Germany, and astir nan world, to proceed to beryllium applicable successful sports today. 

'My grandfather’s bequest continues to prosper,' Rankin said to CNN. 'When group do find retired and it’s not often that I talk it outwardly, but group do yet find out, for example, possibly done watching interviews for illustration this, their consequence is ever positive.'

'Their consequence is 1 that fills maine pinch pride. Again, their consequence speaks to my grandfather’s accomplishments and nan enduring value of what he did successful ‘36 and benignant of nan timelessness of those accomplishments,' Rankin continued. 

Rankin besides discussed Owens' relationship pinch German competitor Luz Long. 

Per Rankin, Long gave Owens proposal connected really to amended his long-jump shape earlier nan arena wherever nan 2 went head-to-head. 

Long passed distant while successful nan German service fighting successful World War II, but nan Owens and Long families are still successful interaction today. 

'What came from that was a bond, a brotherhood, a relationship betwixt 2 world people athletes connected nan highest shape of their peculiar arena aliases sport,' Rankin said to CNN.