Carl Lewis is the most celebrated 
American track & field athlete of 
our time, with 9 Olympic medals -
- 8 of them Gold -- won in 3 
consecutive Summer Games.  In 
1984, Lewis won in the 100 
meters, 200 meters, long jump, 
and as part of the 4X100 meter 
relay team.  This feat was 
matched only by Jesse Owens, 
who won 4 Golds back in 1936. 

In 1988, Lewis repeated his wins 
in the 100 meters and the long 
jump, and took a Silver in the 200 
meters.  Interestingly, in the 100 
meters, Lewis actually came in 
second to Canadian Ben 
Johnson, who outran him by .13 
seconds.  The day after the race, 
Johnson was stripped of his 
Gold and his world record when 
he tested positive for steroids. 
Lewis was awarded the Gold 
and the World Record of 9.92 
seconds.

Returning once more in 1992, 
Lewis earned two more Gold 
medals -- in the long jump and as 
anchor on the 4X100 relay team

Only one American man has 
more track & field records than 
Carl Lewis.  That distinction is 
held by the mostly forgotten Ray 
Ewry, who won 10 Gold Medals 
in the early 1900s, in 3 now-
abandoned events -- the 
standing high, long and triple 
jump.