Carl Lewis

Frederick Carlton Lewis is a legendary American track and field athlete.

He is widely recognized for his dominance in sprinting and the long jump. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996. During this time, he earned nine Olympic gold medals and one silver medal. He also won ten medals at the World Championships. Eight of those World Championship medals were gold. Lewis is one of only six athletes to win gold in the same individual event at four consecutive Olympic Games. He is also one of only two people to achieve this in individual athletics. The other person is American discus thrower Al Oerter.

Lewis achieved his results through extreme speed and technical precision. In the 100 m sprint, he broke the 10-second barrier fifteen times. He also ran the 200 m in under 20 seconds ten times. His long jump ability was equally impressive. He leaped over 71 meters in total during his career. He maintained a massive undefeated streak in the long jump. Lewis won 65 consecutive long jump victories over a ten-year period. This remains one of the longest streaks in the history of the sport.

His athletic journey began with strong family influences. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 1, 1961. His mother, Evelyn Lawler Lewis, was a hurdler on the 1951 Pan-Am team. His sister, Carol, also became an elite long jumper. Lewis began competing in the long jump at age 13. He later moved to New Jersey to attend Willingboro High School. There, coaches Andy Dudek and Paul Minore helped him rise to the top of the junior rankings. He eventually enrolled at the University of Houston. He trained under coach Tom Tellez for his entire career.

Lewis was very careful about how he set his records. Many athletes set records at high altitudes where the air is thinner. This can make running and jumping easier. However, Lewis preferred to set records at sea level. He wanted his marks to be pure and not aided by altitude. In 1981, he became the fastest 100 m sprinter in the world. He ran a 10.00 s time in Dallas that stood as a low-altitude record. In 1983, he became the first person to run a sub-10 second 100 m at low altitude. He achieved this with a time of 9.97 s in Modesto.

The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles were a turning point. Lewis sought to emulate Jesse Owens, who won four golds in 1936. Lewis successfully won four gold medals in a single Games. He won the 100 m with a time of 9.99 s. He also won the 200 m with an Olympic record time of 19.80 s. His third gold came in the long jump. He won this event with relative ease. He chose to take only the necessary jumps to win. This decision was meant to protect him from injury.

His performance in the long jump caused some public controversy. Many people wanted to see him try to break Bob Beamon's legendary record. Beamon's mark was 8.90 m, set at the 1968 Olympics. Lewis decided not to make more attempts after his first successful jump. This led to him being booed by the crowd. Lewis later remarked that the booing was actually because people wanted to see more of him. His final gold of the 1984 Games came in the 4 x 100 m relay. He ran the anchor leg and finished with a time of 37.83 s.

Lewis has received many honors for his historic career. The IAAF named him "World Athlete of the Century." The International Olympic Committee named him "Sportsman of the Century." Sports Illustrated called him "Olympian of the Century." He was also named Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News in 1982, 1983, and 1984. After retiring, he became an actor in several films. He also started a branding company called C.L.E.G. Currently, he serves as the head track and field coach at the University of Houston.