At the beginning of the 1980's, Lewis was a prodigy on the track:graceful, elegant, and unbeatable.
Regardless, he didn't gain the respect from his teammates, nor did he get the lucrative sponsorships which he deserved. An ill-fated attempt at a singing career didn't help matters as it added fuel to his critics fire.
They thought that Lewis' image was all a calculated facade. But throughout his 20-year career, no one could ignore his glorious running form or his jumping technique, as well his heart.
In the last of a series of memorable races, Lewis lost the gold to Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson in the 100 meters final in the Seoul Games' of 1988, only to win it by default after Johnson was disqualified for testing positive for steroids.
At the age of 30, Lewis set a new world record in the 100 meters in 1991 at the World Championships in Tokyo, and continued his dominance in the long jump in Barcelona the following year by winning his third consecutive gold medal in as many Olympics only to follow up with a fourth in Atlanta '96.
Olympic Legends
