By Jim van Wijk, PA Sport

'Great' is a term that is perhaps used a little too often when looking back at the history of the modern Olympic Games.

Since its inception in Athens 104 years ago, many athletes have staked their claim to be considered the best in their chosen fields.

From Jesse Owens to Fanny Blankers-Koen, Larissa Latynina to Olga Korbut, Mark Spitz to Ed Moses and Daley Thompson to Michael Johnson - all of whom have earned their place in the Olympic hall of fame.

Yet the achievements of one Fred Carlton Lewis eclipses them all in the quest for the greatest athlete ever to compete under the five-ringed banner.

Born on the first of July 1961 in Birmingham, Alabama but brought up in Willingboro, New Jersey, Lewis had athletics in his blood.

His mother, then Evelyn Lawler, had made the 1951 Pan-Am team in the hurdles and his sister Carol was one of America's most promising youngsters in the long jump.

But Lewis himself was a late developer physically and it was not until his senior year at high school that he began to make his mark, breaking the national high school long jump record with a leap of 26ft 8ins.

In 1973, Lewis met Owen, his idol and inspiration and with whom he shared a birthplace.

Owens had won four gold medals at the Berlin Games in 1936 - he did not know it then, but it was a feat that Lewis would himself accomplish in Los Angeles eleven years later.

When he attended the University of Huston, Lewis reportedly told his coach Tom Tellez: "This may sound funny, but my goal is to be the best of all time."

The US boycott of the 1980 Games in Moscow robbed Lewis of the chance to show the world what he was capable of - but four years later any doubters were blown away by a simply awesome exhibition in Los Angeles.

His 9.99 seconds dash gave him gold in the 100 metres, his first leap of 28ft and one quarter of an inch secured the long jump title.

Lewis appeared invincible in crushing the field in the 200 metres with a run of 19.80secs and then joined Sam Graddy, Ron Brown and Calvin Smith to win the 4x100m gold in a world record 37.83secs.

"I suddenly felt very, very big," said Lewis. "Very strong, as though I had just conquered the world."

However Lewis never fully won over the American public and despite his mesmeric display on home soil, he failed to win the lucrative endorsements he had counted upon and also found himself - somewhat uneasily - thrust into the spotlight as a spokesman for the sport.

Lewis could not match his four-gold haul four years later in Seoul and, despite being awarded the gold for the 100m following the disqualification of Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson who tested positive for the steroid stanozolol, much of the glory had already been taken after Lewis' 0.13sec defeat on the track.

In the 200m, Lewis had to settle for silver behind training partner Joe DeLoach and a disqualification in the 4x100m heats cost him the chance of another gold. Lewis had planned to run only in the final - he would not represent his country on the track in the Olympics again.

However in the long jump he remained unbeatable.

A jump of 28ft seven-and-a-half inches gave him another Olympic title ahead of great rival Michael Powell,

Powell though was to have his revenge at the 1991 World Championships in Toyko. After an unbeaten run of 10 years, Lewis was finally edged into second place - but even then Powell had to break Bob Beamon's 23-year-old record of 29ft and two-and-a-half inches to beat him.

But in the Olympics, Lewis was still the king.

He took the gold medal ahead of Powell in Barcelona the following year and then back on home soil at the Atlanta Games of 1996, he leap 27ft and ten-and-three-quarter inches to win an amazing ninth Olympic title at the age of 35.

There will of course be other champions. Athletes have already run faster than he did and jumped further - but there will never be another quite like Carl Lewis.