The men's long jump event was part of the track and field athletics programme at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Luz Long won Germany's first medal in the event with silver; Naoto Tajima put Japan on the podium for the second Games in a row with bronze.

However, this conversation may be apocryphal; Grantland Rice was watching Owens the entirety of the qualifying round and did not see him speak to Long.

He and Long each beat the old Olympic record of 7.765 metres multiple times in the semifinal and final rounds.

Now, if not before, the two met and became friends: Long was the first to congratulate Owens, embracing the African-American in front of Adolf Hitler.

[1] Afghanistan, the Republic of China, Peru, the Philippines, Romania, and Yugoslavia each made their first appearance in the event.