August 11, 1984 – World-class sprinter Carl Lewis earned the title of the fastest man on the planet, He repeated what Jesse Owens had accomplished almost 50 years earlier in 1936, by winning a fourth Olympic gold medal as part of the US 4 x 100m relay team.
That relay team set a world record of 37.83 seconds. Joining Owens in the accomplishment were Emmit King, Calvin Smith, and Willie Gault (who would later play for the Chicago Bears.)
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