Carl Lewis

The greatest and most famous athlete of the last century, who formerly won about 20 gold medals in four different events (100 m, 200 m, long jump and 4x100 relay)

At age 13, Lewis started to compete in the long jump. With his high sprinting speed, he also performed well in the sprint events. In 1980, Carl was selected for the US Olympic team, but the American boycott of the Games in Moscow delayed Lewis' debut. He received the 1981 James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.

The following years, Lewis set season's-best performances in the 100 m and long jump. At the inaugural World Championships in 1983, Lewis won his first major titles, achieving victory in the 100 m, long jump and the 4 x 100 m relay events.

This made him a great favorite for success at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Also entering the 200 m, Lewis sought to equal Jesse Owens' performance of 1936 by winning these four events, which he did. He won two more gold medals at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. In the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Lewis won his third consecutive Olympic long jump title. Lewis also ran the last leg of the American 4 x 100 m team.

In 1996 - aged 35 - he made a strong comeback in the long jump event, and made a bid for a fourth consecutive Olympic title. Lewis succeeded with remarkable ease, becoming only the third Olympian to win four consecutive titles in an individual event. Lewis and Al Oerter are the only two to have won the same event at four consecutive Olympics.

Lewis retired after the Atlanta Olympics and is now an actor, living in Los Angeles, California

"Wanting to be the best that I could be was acceptable for a long time, but when I saw I could be the best there was, then that's what became my goal." Carl Lewis