Carl Lewis

 

Between 1983 and 1996, Carl Lewis was the unrivaled star of international track and field, and America’s most visible and popular Olympic athlete. He won gold nine times in four different Olympic events and eight times in World Championship competition. But he left his most lasting impression in the long jump, where he amassed 65 consecutive victories. One of his world records still remains. That’s part of the reason why the International Olympic Committee once named Lewis “Sportsman of the Century.”