Carl Lewis
American sprinter and long jumper with nine Olympic gold medals.
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Frederick Carlton Lewis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 1, 1961, to William and Evelyn Lewis.[1] He won nine Olympic gold medals, tying the record held by Mark Spitz, Paavo Nurmi, and Larysa Latynina.[2] Lewis matched Jesse Owens' feat of four gold medals in the same events at a single Olympic Games in 1984.[3][4]
Key facts and history
At age 13, Lewis began competing in the long jump and emerged as a promising athlete at Willingboro High School in New Jersey.[5] He qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but could not compete due to the boycott, instead participating in the Liberty Bell Classic.[6][2] He won the long jump at the 1987 World Championships and anchored the gold-medal 4 × 100 m relay team.[7][8] After Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids at the 1988 Olympics, Lewis was awarded the gold medal in the 100 m.[9][2]
What the cited sources add
An ESPN profile notes that Lewis attended plays and musicals with his mother and took classes in dance, swimming, cello, and piano as a youngster.[2] At his father's funeral in 1987, Lewis placed his 1984 Olympic gold medal for the 100 m in his father's hands, saying "I want you to have this because it was your favorite event"[2] Lewis sought to run on the 4 × 100 relay team after the 1996 Olympics but was rebuffed.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Carl Lewis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "William Lewis, Track Coach and Father of Olympic Star", The New York Times, May 7, 1987 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "ESPN Classic – More Info on Carl Lewis", Espn.go.com, November 19, 2003. facts only, no text reused. espn.com
- Wikipedia, "Carl Lewis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Carl Lewis – 100m", olympic.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carl Lewis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "ESPN Classic – King Carl had long, golden reign", Espn.go.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carl Lewis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "William Lewis, Track Coach and Father of Olympic Star", The New York Times, May 7, 1987; Gleason, "T&FN Interview: Carl Lewis", Track & Field News, November 2018; Strauss, "WORTH NOTING; Carl Lewis Takes Honors, But Not at His Home Track", The New York Times, December 2, 2001; Gleason, "T&FN Interview: Carl Lewis", Track & Field News, November 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carl Lewis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gleason, "T&FN Interview: Carl Lewis", Track & Field News, November 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carl Lewis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Track and Field News, July 1987, vol. 40 #7, p. 34; "2nd IAAF World Championships in Athletics > Long Jump – men > Final result", IAAF (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carl Lewis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "4x100 Metres Relay Men: 2nd IAAF World Championships in Athletics", IAAF (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carl Lewis" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Track and Field News, November 1988, vol. 41 #11, p. 10–11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Carl Lewis (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Gold Olympic Games — 1984 Los Angeles 100 m
- Gold Olympic Games — 1988 Seoul 100 m
- Gold Olympic Games — 1992 Barcelona 4 × 100 m relay
- Gold Olympic Games — 1996 Atlanta Long jump
- Silver Olympic Games — 1988 Seoul 200 m
- Gold World Championships — 1983 Helsinki 100 m
- Gold World Championships — 1987 Rome 100 m
- Gold World Championships — 1991 Tokyo 100 m
- Silver World Championships — 1991 Tokyo Long jump
- Bronze World Championships — 1993 Stuttgart 200 m
- Gold Pan American Games — 1987 Indianapolis Long jump
- Bronze Pan American Games — 1979 San Juan Long jump
- Gold Goodwill Games — 1986 Moscow 4 × 100 m relay
- Gold Goodwill Games — 1990 Seattle Long jump
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Carl Lewis (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Also in the Codexery
More in Olympic Track & Field
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Carl Lewis (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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