Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is a former American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and subsequently retired. Lewis is now an actor and has appeared in a number of films.
Lewis was a dominant sprinter and long jumper who topped the world rankings in the 100 m, 200 m and long jump events frequently from 1981 to the early 1990s, was named Athlete of the Year by Track and Field News in 1982, 1983 and 1984, and set world records in the 100 m, 4 x 100 m and 4 x 200 m relays. His world record in the indoor long jump has stood since 1984 and his 65 consecutive victories in the long jump achieved over a span of 10 years is one of the sport’s longest undefeated streaks.
His lifetime accomplishments have led to numerous accolades, including being voted "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee and being named "Olympian of the Century" by the American sports magazine Sports Illustrated. He also helped transform track and field from its nominal amateur status to its current professional status, thus enabling athletes to have more lucrative and longer-lasting careers.
Athletic career
Emergence as a competitive athlete
Frederick Carlton Lewis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 1, 1961, the son of William and Evelyn Lewis. The couple ran a local athletics club and this proved a crucial influence on both Carl and his sister, Carol.At age 13, Lewis started to compete in the long jump, and while attending Willingboro High School, he emerged as a promising athlete.[4] As a junior, he was one of the top long jumpers in New Jersey, and by his senior year he was one of the top long jumpers in the world. Lewis was initially coached by his father, who coached other local athletes to elite status, including Tom Farrell, a local runner and eventual junior Olympic medalist and sub-4 minute miler. Many colleges tried to recruit Lewis, and he chose to enroll at the University of Houston where Tom Tellez was coach. Tellez would thereafter remain Lewis’ coach for his entire career. Days after graduating from high school in 1979, Lewis broke the high school long jump record with a leap of 8.13 m (26 ft 8 in).
Lewis immediately decided to make a living off his athletic abilities, even though track and field was nominally an amateur sport. Upon meeting Tellez for the first time after arriving at the University of Houston in the fall of 1979, Lewis said, “I want to be a millionaire and I don’t ever want a real job.” At year’s end, Lewis achieved his first world ranking as tabulated by Track and Field News, an American publication and self-described “Bible of the Sport.” He was 5th[8] in the world in the long jump. (All subsequent ranking references are according to Track and Field News.)
Lewis qualified for the American team for the 1980 Olympics in the long jump and as a member of the 4 x 100 m relay team. Though his focus was on the long jump, he was now starting to emerge as a sprint talent. The Olympic boycott meant that Lewis did not compete in Moscow. However, he did compete at the Liberty Bell Classic in July 1980, an alternate meet for boycotting nations. He jumped 7.77 m there for a Bronze medal, and the American 4 x 100 m relay team won Gold with a time of 38.61 sec.At year’s end, Lewis was ranked 6th[8] in the world in the long jump and 7th in the 100 m
Competitor for the United States
Olympic Games
Gold 1984 Los Angeles 100 m
Gold 1984 Los Angeles 200 m
Gold 1984 Los Angeles 4x100 m relay
Gold 1984 Los Angeles Long jump
Gold 1988 Seoul 100 m
Gold 1988 Seoul Long jump
Gold 1992 Barcelona 4x100 m relay
Gold 1992 Barcelona Long jump
Gold 1996 Atlanta Long jump
Silver 1988 Seoul 200 m
World Championships
Gold 1983 Helsinki 100 m
Gold 1983 Helsinki 4x100 m relay
Gold 1983 Helsinki Long jump
Gold 1987 Rome 100 m
Gold 1987 Rome 4x100 m relay
Gold 1987 Rome Long jump
Gold 1991 Tokyo 100 m
Gold 1991 Tokyo 4x100 m relay
Silver 1991 Tokyo Long jump
Bronze 1993 Stuttgart 200 m
Pan American Games
Gold 1987 Indianapolis Long jump
Gold 1987 Indianapolis 4x100 m relay
Bronze 1979 San Juan Long jump
