Carl Lewis
Born in 1961, in Alabama like the legendary Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis was a late developer
physically. Whilst still a puny youngster of 12, he was introduced by his father to Owens
who became his source of inspiration. The metamorphosis took place in 1976; after a ten
centimetres growth spurt, Lewis ran 100 yards in 9.3. He enrolled in Houston University in
1979 and began to be coached by Tom Tellez who was soon to say of Lewis: "He had a
brain like a computer and mastered all the essentials of sprinting and the long
jump." His long reign began after being denied his first Olympic experience by the US
boycott of the Moscow Games. In 1982 he jumped 8.76m and had a narrow foul of 9.14m (over 30 feet).
Despite remaining unbeaten for ten years - 65 straight victories - he was unable to equal
Beamon's 8.90m world record before Mike Powell beat him to it in 1991.
Three times Olympic long jump champion, Lewis (1.88m and 78 kilos)
equalled Jesse Owens' great exploit by winning four gold medals at the 1984 Games in Los
Angeles. "I suddenly felt very, very big," he said at the time, "very
strong, as though I had just conquered the world." Lewis remained an athletics star,
even if it took Ben Johnson's disqualification for doping in Seoul to give him his second
Olympic gold in the 100m. Lewis set a splendid world record of 9.86 to win the 1991 World
Championships 100m title. A year later, he won two more Olympic golds in Barcelona. Then,
his hand on his heart on the podium, he shed a few tears, as if, having reached the
heights of Olympus.
Lewis' crowning glory was to come in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta where
he achieved yet another victory in the long jump after failing to qualify for the 100m and
was excluded from the 4x100m relay team amid much discussion.
His Olympic gold medal total of nine equalled that of the great Paavo
Nurmi. |
