Carl Lewis

Lewis was rarely first out of the blocks, and that is the point. His races were built on holding top speed longer than anyone, so rivals appeared to come back to him in the last 30 metres when in fact they were slowing. The 1991 Tokyo world final, where he ran a then world record of 9.86, is the best demonstration. His 1988 Olympic 100m gold came after Ben Johnson's positive test, a reminder to read that race's result with care.