The son of two Willingboro, New Jersey, teachers, Carl Lewis went from being an awkward teenager to winning ten Olympic Gold medals before he retired in 1997, setting numerous world records along the way. Qualifying in the long jump for the first of his American record five Olympic teams in 1980, Lewis missed the Moscow Games because of the United States boycott ordered by President Jimmy Carter as a response to Soviet aggression in Afghanistan. He then won four gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4 X 100 meter rely, and long jump, matching Jesse Owens's feat at Berlin in 1936. In the process, Lewis not only tied Owens's record for track and field gold medals at a single Olympic Games but also revived popular appreciation for Owens's achievements.

Lewis went on to win gold at the 1988 Seoul Games, the 1992 Barcelona Games, and the...