Lewis would be the choice of many, for sure. He would have been my choice, until Bolt came along. Apart from his ridiculous times and medals, Bolt is a star who has contributed to making track and field sexy on the world stage, as no-one before him had. Now I understand that not everyone may like his antics, he may even annoy plenty (it annoys me that he's one of these know-nothing-about-Manchester rags from a distance, but that's by the by). He is iconic, as I understand the word. A good case could also be made for Jesse Owens, if only for Berlin.
Two Americans, one Jamaican. All black.
As for drugs: Nesta Carter was convicted of doping, and Bolt was found guilty by association. But as far as I know, Bolt's never been convicted of directly using drugs himself.
The single most iconic ‘moment’ in track and field, incidentally, for someone of my generation, is the Tommie Smith John Carlos black power salute in Mexico in ’68. Right or wrong — and they were pilloried for it in the States, by the way — that was extraordinary. It went beyond sport. It was the times. Just a very personal choice of mine.
