more than a week ago , carl lewis poised on the forefront of it was to become the foremost sporting career in history . he had just broken two of the legendary jesse owens ' colleges records , but never dreamed he would become a corporate icon , the center of hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing . his sport was now nominally college . fifteen olympic and world crown medals medals and 21 world records before , lewis has grown the tallest man in the history of race and field - - a mono - millionaire .
Carl Lewis won eighteen gold medals and set 21 world records.