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By Jonah Sharf
On August 25, 1991, American sprinting legend Carl Lewis won the gold medal in the 100 meter race at the World Championships in Tokyo, and set a then-world record of 9.86 seconds. The record only stood for three years until it was passed, and has since been surpassed by almost 0.2 seconds, but it still represents Lewis’ dominance in the 100 meters and as an athlete in general. His list of accomplishments included nine Olympic gold medals and eight World Championship gold medals. Lewis was not just a sprinter, as he won multiple Olympic gold medals in the long jump in addition to the 100 and 200 meter race. In fact, he won the long jump gold medal at four straight Olympics from 1984 until 1996, showing athletic dominance and incredible longevity. He is one of just three Olympians to win a gold medal in the same individual event in four consecutive Olympics.