Sporting Witness

The black American sprinter made history at the 1936 Berlin Olympics hosted in Nazi Germany where he won four gold medals. By winning gold for the 100m - in a time of 10.3 seconds, and for the long jump, the 200m and the 4x100m relay he made a mockery of the Nazi ideology of Aryan supremacy. Using the BBC Archive, we look back at his remarkable career.

With contributions from his wife Ruth Owens, team mate Marty Glickman and Yogi Mayer, a German decathlete who had been excluded from the competition for being Jewish, but had managed to get tickets to see Jesse Owens.

Presented by Alex Last.

This programme first broadcast in August 2015.

Picture: The sprinter and athlete, Jesse Owens. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In the summer of 1989, the Catholic striker, Mo Johnston, shocked Scotland by crossing the sectarian divide in Glasgow and signing for the traditionally Protestant club, Rangers. His agent, Bill McMurdo, gives Sporting Witness an inside account of the deal.

(Photo: Mo Johnston with his Rangers teammates. Credit: Getty Images)

In 1964, the Native American Billy Mills pulled off a shock victory in the Olympic 10,000 metres in Tokyo. Mills was virtually unknown and his chances were written off by the TV commentators. He talks to Ashley Byrne about his life story and his famous victory. The programme is a Made In Manchester Production.

PHOTO: Billy Mills leading the field at the 1964 Olympics (Associated Press)

In 1967, the legendary British cyclist Tom Simpson died during a mountain stage of the Tour de France. His friend and team-mate, Vin Denson, remembers that day.

(Photo: Tom Simpson (left) with Vin Denson in 1965. Credit: Cycling Weekly)

In 1972, the England women's football team played their first ever international match, following a long campaign for official recognition by the Football Association. Sylvia Gore scored the first goal for the side in a game against Scotland. She talks to Sporting Witness about an era in which women footballers struggled to be taken seriously.

Photo: The first England women's team in the dressing-room in 1972 (Getty Images).

In 1998, a doping scandal rocked the most prestigious race in cycling. It centred on the French team, Festina - one of whose riders, Christophe Bassons, resisted huge pressure to take performance-enhancing drugs. Known as 'Cycling's Mr Clean', he talks to Rebecca Kesby.

(Photo: Christophe Bassons at the 1999 Tour De France. Credit: Getty Images)

In 1991, Mike Powell and Carl Lewis took on Bob Beamon's iconic Long Jump world record at the World Championships in Tokyo. In an epic battle, both men went further than Beamon, with Mike Powell eventually setting a record that stands to this day. He talks to Adrian Moorhead for Sporting Witness. The programme is a Sparklab Production.

PHOTO: Mike Powell (centre) on the winner's podium with Carl Lewis (right). Credit: Getty Images.

In 1998, Iran invited an American wrestling team to a tournament in Tehran as a goodwill gesture.The five Americans were the first to visit the Islamic Republic officially since the two countries had become sworn enemies two decades earlier. Golnoosh Golshani talks to US wrestler Shawn Charles and his Iranian opponent Mehdi Kaveh.

PHOTO: Shawn Charles and Mehdi Kaveh after their fight (Reuters)

In the 1970s, the American transgender tennis player, Renee Richards, fought a long campaign for the right to play tournaments as a woman. Despite objections from fellow players and the tennis establishment, she was eventually allowed to play in the US Open. She shares her story with Ashley Byrne.

(Photo: Renee Richards prepares for a forearm shot in a match at the professional womens tennis tournament in Seattle, 1978. She defeated Sue Mappin of England, 7-6, 5-1 (tiebreaker), 6-1. Credit: AP/Kerry Coughlin)

In 1955, tragedy struck the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour race in Northern France when a car crashed into the crowd at more than 100 miles-per-hour. The accident killed 83 spectators and the driver, and led to an overhaul of safety rules in motor-racing. In 2010, Claire Bowes spoke to the American driver John Fitch, who took part in the race.

PHOTO: The aftermath of the Le Mans disaster (AFP/Getty Images).