Yes, this is a popular misconception, although based on a factual observation. It is true that Adolf Hitler did not personally congratulate Jesse Owens, but he didn't do it not because he refused to do so, but simply because an Olympic Games protocol did not include the head of the host state congratulating the champions. Hitler, however, personally met with and congratulated all German champions on the first day of the competitions, but this was met with critique from IOC. President of the Committee, Henri de Baillet-Latour stated that to maintan the Olympic ideal of equality, head of state should not play favourites and should either officially congratulate all winners or none, and Hitler decided to choose the latter option. He also did not have an opportunity to witness the first victory of an African-American, Cornelius Johnson (high jump) later that as he left earlier on that day. The next day, when Jesse Owens famously won, Hitler, upholding the deal with IOC, did not congratulate him, much like he didn't congratulate anyone else (at least publicly), save for a customary wave when champions paraded in front of the VIP box. It is true however, that Jesse Owens publicly expressed that he felt 'snubbed' by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as he claimed that President did not sent a congratulatory telegram to any of African-American champions or recognize their achievements in any way, even though all 'white' winners were invited to the White House.

Also it should be noted that the victory of Owens was definitely not a shock for Germans, who were very much aware about the proficiency of the African-American sportsmen, as e.g. Volkischer Beobachter, an openly pro-government Nazi popular newspaper, in an article Wunder auf USA! [Wonder from USA!] presented Americans as great sportsmen who have a chance to triumph during the games, not making any secret of their ethnicities. An article detailing results of the preliminary competitions in USA, published in the same newspaper and titled Amerikas Leichtathletik-Streitmacht. Neger... Neger. Dieser Jesse Owens! [American Athletics Powerhouse. Blacks... Blacks... This Jesse Owens!] also praised African-Americans athletes, at least in part to keep good relations with USA to minimise its chances of boycotting the Games. In other words, although the newspapers were not too eager to publish photos of non-white champions, African-American athletes were well-known and respected in Germany thanks to the exposure in daily press. According to the accounts of the athletes themselves, including Jesse Owens, African-Americans expected cold if not hostile reception and they were surprised by fervent ovation they received after their respective victories.

And, of course, the victories of foreign athletes were nothing unexpected, as the lecture of the newspapers shows that Germans were pretty much aware of their strong and weak suits, knowing that despite good results in various Championships, they do not fare too well in some disciplines, e.g. football, especially in comparison with the best teams from across Europe. Thus, the victory of a famed world champions was not a problem, at least not for the journalists or sports enthusiasts. In general, the 11th Olympic Games ended with the host country topping the medal classification with 101 medals out of 347 and 38 gold medals out of 127, what was an immense improvement over the previous Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where Germany won 20 medals out of 346 and 3 gold medals out of 116.

Now, let's focus on the second part part of the question that is, again, divided into two constituent parts. First, did Jesse Owens ended the myth of 'supreme Aryan nation' and second, did he achieve or attempt to achieve single-handedly? I would say that answer of both of these questions is negative. First and foremost, the 'myth of Aryan superiority' was largely confined to Germany, where it has been introduced and propagated chiefly by NSDAP. And maybe save for the contemporary equivalents of conspiracy theorists, Germans were perfectly aware that they are not superhumans, and losing in some competitions in something natural. As noted above, the results at Olympic Games in Los Angeles were less than stellar, and this was 1932, a year when NSDAP will start their successful ascension as the dominant political force for the next 13 years, and the racist rhetoric has already gained a substantial foothold in Germany.

Secondly, even if Owen's exploits have really debunked the discussed myth, we can't really say that he did it single-handedly, because it would have required Jesse Owens to be the only 'non-Aryan' 1936 Olympic champion who defeated German contestants, and this was not the case. Sure, Jesse Owens famously won the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash and long jump, but he was also a part of the 4 x 100 m relay race that included another African-American sportsman, Ralf Metcalfe. In addition, Cornelius Johnson won gold in high jump a day before Owens' performance. Americans were also not only participants who managed to win over Germans. In women 100 meter dash, won by American Helen Stephens, Polish representative Stanisława Walasiewicz (also known as Sally Walsh after her naturalization in USA after the war) came second, with German runner, Käthe Krauß getting third place. Medals in shooting (25 m rifle, prone) were also won by representatives of Norway, Hungary and Poland, respectively, with the best representative of Germany ranking 23rd. Gold was also won by two Egyptian weightlifters, Mohammed Mesbach (lighweight) and Khadr el Touni (middleweight), with the latter winning over a renowned German representative, Olympic champion and world record holder, Rudolf Ismayr. And although bulk of the participants came from the Europe and were of European descent, often Scandinavian or Germanic, we also need to remember that seven representatives of Japan also won gold medals: Tajima Naoto (triple jump), Son Kitei [Son Kee-chung] (marathon run), Maehata Hideko (200 m breaststroke women), Hamuro Tetsuo (200 m breaststroke men), Terada Noboru (1500 m freestyle) and Taguchi Masaharu, Yusa Masanori, Arai Shigeo and Sugira Shigeo (4 x 200 m freestyle). This was still before the formation of the Anti-Komintern Pact between Germany and Japan signed several months later and long before any idea of 'honorary Aryans' was devised by Nazis. As far as the Hitler's writings go, he considered Asians as inferior to Germans as Africans were in his opinion, when he wrote in Mein Kampf: 'It is almost inconceivable that one could make a mistake so big, thinking that an African or a Chinaman could become a German only because he learned German and wants to speak German in the future or even vote for a German political party. '

Thus, although it can be argued that Hitler preferred not to congratulate non-German or non-Germanic champions for racist reasons (what was pretty consistent with his views), he did not select Jesse Owens specifically and after the first day of competition he simply decided not to congratulate anyone publicly. The Games results were also not a shock to Germans, who were aware of the skills of African-Americans athletes, and the German representatives, although they lost on numerous occasion to competitors of African and East Asian descent, still managed to win the highest number of medals, including gold, what was a great opportunity for state propaganda.

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Rürup, R. [Ed.] 1936. Die Olympischen Spiele und der Nationalsozialismus. The Olympic Games and National Socialism, Argon, Berlin 1996 (bilingual publication).