Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

David Albritton
as Self (uncredited)

Arvo Askola
as Self (uncredited)

Jack Beresford
as Self (uncredited)

Erwin Blask
as Self (uncredited)

Sulo Bärlund
as Self (uncredited)

Ibolya Csák
as Self (uncredited)

Glenn Cunningham
as Self (uncredited)

Henri de Baillet-Latour
as Self (uncredited)

Philip Edwards
as Self (uncredited)

Donald Finlay
as Self (uncredited)