The medal the Nazis HATED winning: Olympic silver that embarrassed Hitler when it was awarded to German long jump champ who befriended Jesse Owens is set to sell for £900,000

• Hitler hoped to promote Aryan supremacy when he hosted 1936 Berlin Olympics
• But long jump champion Carl Ludwig ‘Luz’ Long came second to Jesse Owens 
• Afterwards, with Hitler watching, Luz congratulated and embraced his rival 

The medal that exposed the emptiness of Nazi racial superiority will fetch up to £900,000 when it goes under the hammer this week.

Adolf Hitler hoped to promote his ideas of Aryan supremacy when he hosted the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, building a 100,000- seat stadium for the showcase.

But when German long jump champion Carl Ludwig ‘Luz’ Long faced off against Jesse Owens, the African American world record holder, it was the latter who won gold.

Afterwards, with Hitler watching, Luz congratulated and embraced his rival, before leading him around the stadium and posing for pictures with him.

Owens, who almost failed to make the final after two foul jumps, would later credit Long’s advice with helping him to qualify for the last round.

Now the German’s family are putting his silver medal up for auction, with the heirloom set to fetch up to $1m (£900,000) under the hammer.

The silver medal won by Carl Ludwig ‘Luz’ in the long jump at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he was beaten to gold by American runner Jesse Owen, is set to fetch up to £900,000 at auction. Above: Jesse Owens is seen on the top step of the podium after his victory, with Ludwig behind him

The ornate medal is being sold via SCP Auctions in California. Auctioneer Austin Widger said: ‘Luz Long’s silver medal from the 1936 Berlin Olympics is highly historic in what it represents’

After Owens’ victory, Long congratulated his rival as a seething Hitler watched on 

Austin Widger from SCP Auctions, which is handling the sale, said: ‘Luz Long’s silver medal from the 1936 Berlin Olympics is highly historic in what it represents.

‘When Long gave Jesse Owens advice on how to qualify for the long jump final, he virtually eliminated any opportunity he would have had of winning the gold medal.

‘In that moment, he showed how sport transcends discrimination and nationalistic divides, and has the power to unite people from the most diverse backgrounds.

‘Luz Long became the most courageous sportsman in Olympic history by going against everything the Third Reich stood for and helping an African American win the long jump gold.’

Talking about Luz, Owens later said the outcome must have driven Hitler ‘crazy’.

He said: ‘It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me.

‘You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn’t be a plating on the 24-karat friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment.

‘Hitler must have gone crazy watching us embrace.’

Long and Owens stayed in touch for years after the Olympics, exchanging letters until the German’s death in 1943 during the Allied invasion of Sicily

He was right.

Albert Speer, Hitler’s close ally and favourite architect, later wrote that the dictator was ‘highly annoyed’ by the success of black Americans at the 1936 Olympics.

And Owens was the highest achiever at the Games, winning four gold medals.

Long and Owens stayed in touch for years after the Olympics, exchanging letters until the German’s death in 1943 during the Allied invasion of Sicily.

In his final letter, Luz – anticipating his death – wrote: ‘Go to Germany when this war is done, someday find my Karl, and tell him about his father.

‘Tell him, Jesse, what times were like when we were not separated by war. I am saying – tell him how things can be between men on this earth.’

Owens was the highest achiever at the Games, winning four gold medals for his country

In his final letter to Owens, Luz – anticipating his death – wrote: ‘Go to Germany when this war is done, someday find my Karl, and tell him about his father’. Above: Luz during the 1936 games

Owens did so in 1964, visiting Berlin and telling Karl about the advice Luz had given before he qualified, suggesting he jump from further back to avoid another foul.

‘He helped me measure a foot back of the takeoff board,’ said Owens.

‘And then I came down and I hit between these two marks. And therefore I qualified.’

It’s possible that Owens was embellishing a little for his friend’s son – a contemporary account makes no mention of the two talking before the contest concluded.

And in one 1965 interview, Owens was quoted as saying: ‘Those stories are what people like to hear, so you tell ’em.’

Albert Speer, Hitler’s close ally and favourite architect, later wrote that the dictator was ‘highly annoyed’ by the success of black Americans at the 1936 Olympics.  Above: Hitler is seen with Italian crown prince Umberto at the games

Jesse Owens of the USA in action in the mens 200m at the games. Owens also won gold in this event

Luz’s daughter-in-law, Ragna Long, and his granddaughter, Julia Kellner Long, made the decision to sell the heirloom after Karl – Julia’s father – passed away aged 80

In any case, the mark they left upon sporting history is real.

The two families even met up at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin.

Luz’s daughter-in-law, Ragna Long, and his granddaughter, Julia Kellner Long, made the decision to sell the heirloom after Karl – Julia’s father – passed away aged 80.

‘They consigned the silver medal, and several dozen other Long family heirlooms, to this special auction that is spotlighting Luz’s collection,’ said Mr Widger.

Owens, a smoker, died of lung cancer in 1980. He was 66.

Long, who was just 30 when he was killed, is buried in Sicily.

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