Carl Lewis

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Carl Lewis athletics

Carl Lewis at the 2009 Save The World Awards press conference
Carl Lewis (2009)

Full name Frederick Carlton Lewis
nation United StatesUnited States United States
date of birth July 1, 1961
size 188 cm
weight 80 kg
Career
discipline Sprint , long jump
Best performance 9.86 s ( 100 m )
19.75 s ( 200 m )
8.87 m (long jump)
society Santa Monica Track Club
End of career 1996
Medal table
Olympic games 9 × gold 1 × silver 0 × bronze
World championships 8 × gold 1 × silver 1 × bronze
Panamerica. Games 2 × gold 0 × silver 1 × bronze
Olympic rings Olympic games
gold Los Angeles 1984 100 m
gold Los Angeles 1984 200 m
gold Los Angeles 1984 Long jump
gold Los Angeles 1984 4 × 100 m
gold Seoul 1988 100 m
gold Seoul 1988 Long jump
silver Seoul 1988 200 m
gold Barcelona 1992 Long jump
gold Barcelona 1992 4 × 100 m
gold Atlanta 1996 Long jump
World Athletics logo World championships
gold Helsinki 1983 100 m
gold Helsinki 1983 Long jump
gold Helsinki 1983 4 × 100 m
gold Rome 1987 100 m
gold Rome 1987 Long jump
gold Rome 1987 4 × 100 m
gold Tokyo 1991 100 m
gold Tokyo 1991 4 × 100 m
silver Tokyo 1991 Long jump
bronze Stuttgart 1993 200 m
Pan American Games logo Pan American Games
bronze San Juan 1979 Long jump
gold Indianapolis 1987 Long jump
gold Indianapolis 1987 4 × 100 m

Carl Lewis (actually Frederick Carlton Lewis ; born July 1, 1961 in Birmingham , Alabama ) is an American former athlete. He is one of the most successful athletes in sports history. He set several world records and dominated the sprint and long jump between 1983 and 1996 with nine Olympic victories and eight world championship titles like no other. In 1999 he was named Track and Field Athlete of the Century by the IAAF (World Athletics) .

Career

Olympic games

1980 Carl Lewis was appointed to the US selection for the Olympic Games in Moscow. The American boycott of the Games prevented Lewis' first major international appearance. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, reparations came. Lewis, who had already been successful at the World Championships in Helsinki the year before , won four gold medals ( 100 m , 200 m , long jump , 4 × 100 m ), doing the same feat that his great idol Jesse Owens did at the 1936 Games had succeeded in Berlin.

At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Lewis was able to add two more gold medals to his collection in the long jump and 100-meter run. However, the latter was only awarded to him retrospectively after the initially victorious Ben Johnson was convicted of doping . The fact that Lewis could not repeat the quadruple triumph of Los Angeles was due to the disqualification of the US sprint relay in the run-up due to a mistake. In addition to Calvin Smith , this mishap with Lee McNeill , of all things , was the substitute who was used instead of Lewis to spare him due to his many individual starts. In addition, Lewis had to admit defeat to his friend and teammate Joe DeLoach over 200 meters .

Four years later, Lewis could not qualify for a single start over the 100 or 200 meters for the games in Barcelona due to an illness in advance. So he only had a chance of winning again in the sprint relay and in the long jump. He succeeded in both, in the relay competition he also led his team as the final runner with a world record for gold, which was only surpassed by Jamaica at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 . With the victory in the long jump, Carl Lewis was not only able to celebrate his third Olympic gold medal in this discipline, but also defeated Mike Powell, the man who over time had become his first really serious competitor and who now held the world record.

At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Lewis was finally able to win his fourth gold medal in a row in the long jump. Before that, only Al Oerter had succeeded in the discus throw . After the Atlanta Games, Lewis retired from competitive sports.

Carl Lewis won a total of ten Olympic medals (nine gold, one silver). In terms of the number of Olympic gold medals, he is after Michael Phelps and three other Olympic athletes the most successful athlete of all time (as of 2021) and one of the most successful athletes ever.

World championships

At the first World Athletics Championships in Helsinki in 1983 , Carl Lewis made his international breakthrough. With a total of three gold medals over 100 meters , 4 times 100 meters and the long jump, he was the most successful participant in these championships after Marita Koch from the GDR.

Four years later at the World Championships in Rome , Lewis was able to repeat the success. However, he was awarded the world title over 100 meters, as well as the Olympic victory the following year, through the disqualification of Ben Johnson.

Since the Canadian's disqualification, Lewis also held the world record, which he lost to Leroy Burrell in 1991 shortly before the World Championships in Tokyo . At the world championships, Lewis finally defended his title in the fastest 100-meter race of all time and regained the world record with a winning time of 9.86 s. Six of the eight finalists stayed below the “magic limit” of ten seconds in this race, and in addition to the world record, a new European record and an African record were set.

This convincing performance also made Carl Lewis a huge favorite for the subsequent long jump competition. But in his favorite discipline, of all things, he had to give way to his teammate Mike Powell after a winning streak that had lasted for more than ten years . In a memorable competition that once again surpassed the 100 meter final in terms of sporting importance, Lewis jumped the best series of competitions that a long jumper had ever achieved. He managed four jumps between 8.83 m and 8.91 m and with the latter exceeded the legendary record of 8.90 m by Bob Beamon from 1968, which had existed for 23 years to date. However, the 8.91 meter jump could not be rated as a world record due to the strong tailwind. Lewis finally lost the sensational competition against Mike Powell, who in turn set a new world record with 8.95 m. With the victory in the 4 x 100 meter relay, Carl Lewis won his third medal in these world championships.

At this point in time, Carl Lewis had eight world championship titles, which no other athlete at the time had even come close to achieving. This record was later set by Michael Johnson and only exceeded in 2015 by Usain Bolt , who was accommodated by the new regulation that, from 1993, the frequency of the World Championships was halved to two years.

In 1993 Carl Lewis won the bronze medal in the 200-meter run at the World Championships in Stuttgart after he was dethroned as world champion in the previous 100-meter run and only finished fourth. Since he took a break from the long jump in this competition year and also renounced a relay deployment, this was his only medal in these championships.

In total, Carl Lewis won ten medals at four world championships (eight gold, one silver and one bronze).

Doping allegations

In 2003 it became known that in a 1988 doping test Lewis was subjected to during the US elimination bouts, three prohibited doping substances ( ephedrine , pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine ) had been found. The Olympic Committee of the USA ( USOC ) canceled the suspension due to the fact that it was taken unintentionally and withheld the case (as well as other positive samples from other athletes, such as Joe DeLoach ) from the IOC , so Lewis could compete in Seoul.

statistics

Competition balance:

date competition location place discipline result wind
June 24, 1978 TAC Junior Championships Bloomington 4th Long jump 7.55 m k. A.
Feb. 23, 1979 AAU indoor championships new York 6th Long jump 7.27 m -
June 16, 1979 AAU championships Walnut 2 Long jump 8.09 m (w) k. A.
7th July 1979 Pan American Games San Juan 3 Long jump 8.13 m k. A.
Feb. 29, 1980 TAC indoor championships new York 3 Long jump 7.87 m -
March 14, 1980 NCAA indoor championships Detroit 1 Long jump 8.04 m -
June 6, 1980 NCAA championships Austin 1 Long jump 8.35 m (w) 2.2 m / s
June 16, 1980 TAC Junior Championships Knoxville 1 100 m 10.21 s −4.0 m / s
June 17, 1980 TAC Junior Championships Knoxville 1 200 m 20.66 s −1.8 m / s
June 22, 1980 US Olympic eliminations Eugene 4th 100 m 10.32 s 0.0 m / s
June 25, 1980 US Olympic eliminations Eugene 2 Long jump 8.01 m (w) 2.6 m / s
July 7, 1980 IAAF Super Grand Prix ( DN Galan ) Stockholm 2 100 m 10.39 s 0.7 m / s
July 13, 1980 IAAF Super Grand Prix (Peugeot-Talbot Games) London 1 4 × 100 m 38.97 s -
Aug 5, 1980 IAAF Golden League ( Golden Gala ) Rome 2 100 m 10.23 s 0.0 m / s
Aug 8, 1980 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 2 100 m 10.28 s −0.9 m / s
Aug 8, 1980 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 1 4 × 100 m 38.70 s -
Aug 13, 1980 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich HF 100 m 10.47 s −0.9 m / s
Aug 29, 1980 Pan American Championships (Juniors) Sudbury 1 100 m 10.43 s −1.1 m / s
Aug 31, 1980 Pan American Championships (Juniors) Sudbury 1 200 m 20.72 s (w) 2.7 m / s
Feb. 27, 1981 TAC indoor championships new York 2 Long jump 8.08 m -
March 13, 1981 NCAA indoor championships Detroit 1 Long jump 8.48 m -
March 14, 1981 NCAA indoor championships Detroit 1 60 yds 6.16 s -
5th June 1981 NCAA championships Baton Rouge 1 100 m 9.99 s (w) 2.6 m / s
5th June 1981 NCAA championships Baton Rouge 1 Long jump 8.25 m -
June 20, 1981 TAC championships Sacramento 1 100 m 10.13 s 0.4 m / s
June 20, 1981 TAC championships Sacramento 1 Long jump 8.62 m 0.8 m / s
June 26, 1981 IAAF Golden League ( Bislett Games ) Oslo 1 Long jump 8.03 m k. A.
Aug 19, 1981 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 1 Long jump 8.52 m −2.0 m / s
Feb. 26, 1982 TAC indoor championships new York 1 Long jump 8.55 m -
June 19, 1982 TAC championships Knoxville 1 100 m 10.11 s −0.5 m / s
June 19, 1982 TAC championships Knoxville 1 Long jump 8.48 m 0.1 m / s
Aug 18, 1982 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 1 Long jump 8.58 m 0.0 m / s
Aug 18, 1982 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 1 4 × 100 m 38.13 s -
Aug 20, 1982 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 1 100 m 10.08 s 1.2 m / s
Aug 20, 1982 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 1 4 × 100 m 38.24 s -
Feb 25, 1983 TAC indoor championships new York 1 60 yds 6.04 s -
Feb 25, 1983 TAC indoor championships new York 1 Long jump 8.35 m -
June 18, 1983 TAC championships Indianapolis 1 100 m 10.27 s −2.4 m / s
June 19, 1983 TAC championships Indianapolis 1 200 m 19.75 s 1.5 m / s
June 19, 1983 TAC championships Indianapolis 1 Long jump 8.79 m 1.9 m / s
Aug 8, 1983 World championships Helsinki 1 100 m 10.07 s −0.3 m / s
Aug 10, 1983 World championships Helsinki 1 Long jump 8.55 m 1.2 m / s
Aug 10, 1983 World championships Helsinki 1 4 × 100 m 37.86 s * -
Aug 17, 1983 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 1 100 m 10.07 s 0.0 m / s
Aug 24, 1983 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 2 200 m 20.21 s 0.6 m / s
Aug 26, 1983 IAAF Golden League ( Memorial Van Damme ) Brussels 1 Long jump 8.36 m 1.8 m / s
Feb. 27, 1984 TAC indoor championships new York 1 Long jump 8.50 m -
17th June 1984 US Olympic eliminations Los Angeles 1 100 m 10.06 s −2.2 m / s
June 19, 1984 US Olympic eliminations Los Angeles 1 Long jump 8.71 m 0.1 m / s
June 21, 1984 US Olympic eliminations Los Angeles 1 200 m 19.86 s −0.2 m / s
Aug 4, 1984 Olympic games Los Angeles 1 100 m 9.99 s 0.2 m / s
Aug 6, 1984 Olympic games Los Angeles 1 Long jump 8.54 m −1.6 m / s
Aug 8, 1984 Olympic games Los Angeles 1 200 m 19.80 s −0.9 m / s
Aug 11, 1984 Olympic games Los Angeles 1 4 × 100 m 37.83 s * -
22 Aug 1984 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 1 100 m 9.99 s 0.9 m / s
Aug 24, 1984 IAAF Golden League ( Memorial Van Damme ) Brussels 1 Long jump 8.64 m 0.2 m / s
Feb. 8, 1985 TAC indoor championships Los Angeles 1 Long jump 8.27 m -
June 15, 1985 TAC championships Indianapolis HF 100 m 10.34 s −0.2 m / s
Aug 21, 1985 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 4th 100 m 10.31 s −0.6 m / s
23 Aug 1985 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 4th 200 m 20.69 s k. A.
Aug 30, 1985 IAAF Golden League ( Memorial Van Damme ) Brussels 1 100 m 10.24 s k. A.
Aug 30, 1985 IAAF Golden League ( Memorial Van Damme ) Brussels 1 Long jump 8.62 m −0.1 m / s
June 20, 1986 TAC championships Eugene 1 100 m 9.91 s (w) 4.5 m / s
June 20, 1986 TAC championships Eugene 1 Long jump 8.67 m (w) 3.3 m / s
June 21, 1986 TAC championships Eugene 4th 200 m 20.30 s (w) 3.2 m / s
July 9, 1986 Goodwill Games 1986 Moscow 3 100 m 10.06 s 0.8 m / s
July 9, 1986 Goodwill Games 1986 Moscow 1 4 × 100 m 37.98 s -
July 11, 1986 IAAF Super Grand Prix (Peugeot-Talbot Games) London 1 200 m 20.63 s −0.3 m / s
Aug 13, 1986 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 3 100 m 10.25 s −0.7 m / s
Feb. 27, 1987 TAC indoor championships new York 3 55 m 6.19 s -
June 26, 1987 TAC championships San Jose 1 200 m 20.12 s 0.4 m / s
June 26, 1987 TAC championships San Jose 1 Long jump 8.65 m 0.7 m / s
June 27, 1987 TAC championships San Jose 2 100 m 10.05 s 1.8 m / s
Aug 16, 1987 Pan American Games Indianapolis 1 Long jump 8.75 m 1.7 m / s
Aug 16, 1987 Pan American Games Indianapolis 1 4 × 100 m 38.41 s -
Aug 21, 1987 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 1 200 m 20.09 s −0.4 m / s
Aug 21, 1987 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 1 4 × 100 m 38.18 s -
Aug 30, 1987 World championships Rome 1 100 m 9.93 s * 1.0 m / s
Sep 5 1987 World championships Rome 1 Long jump 8.67 m 0.4 m / s
Sep 6 1987 World championships Rome 1 4 × 100 m 37.90 s -
Sep 11 1987 IAAF Golden League ( Memorial Van Damme ) Brussels 1 200 m 20.31 s −1.0 m / s
Sep 15 1987 IAAF Super Grand Prix (Athletissima 87) Lausanne 1 100 m 10.11 s 0.0 m / s
Sep 15 1987 IAAF Super Grand Prix (Athletissima 87) Lausanne 1 200 m 20.02 s 0.3 m / s
June 24, 1988 IAAF Super Grand Prix (Athletissima 88) Lausanne 1 Long jump 8.43 m 1.5 m / s
July 16, 1988 US Olympic eliminations Indianapolis 1 100 m 9.78 s (w) 5.2 m / s
July 18, 1988 US Olympic eliminations Indianapolis 1 Long jump 8.76 m 0.8 m / s
July 20, 1988 US Olympic eliminations Indianapolis 2 200 m 20.01 s 1.0 m / s
Aug 17, 1988 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 1 100 m 9.93 s * 1.1 m / s
Aug 19, 1988 IAAF Golden League ( Memorial Van Damme ) Brussels 1 100 m 10.04 s −0.6 m / s
Aug 4, 1988 Olympic games Seoul 1 100 m 9.92 s * 1.1 m / s
Aug 6, 1988 Olympic games Seoul 1 Long jump 8.72 m −0.2 m / s
Aug 8, 1988 Olympic games Seoul 2 200 m 19.79 s 1.7 m / s
June 27, 1989 IAAF Super Grand Prix (Athletissima 89) Lausanne 1 Long jump 8.43 m 0.4 m / s
July 1, 1989 IAAF Golden League ( Bislett Games ) Oslo 2 100 m 10.11 s 1.2 m / s
3rd July 1989 IAAF Super Grand Prix ( DN Galan ) Stockholm 1 Long jump 8.53 m 0.3 m / s
Aug 16, 1989 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 1 100 m 10.09 s −0.7 m / s
Aug 18, 1989 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 1 Long jump 8.38 m 0.0 m / s
Aug 25, 1989 IAAF Golden League ( Memorial Van Damme ) Brussels 5 200 m 20.47 s 0.4 m / s
Sep 1 1989 IAAF Golden League (Grand Prix Final) Monaco 3 100 m 10.30 s 0.4 m / s
June 15, 1990 TAC championships Norwalk 1 100 m 10.05 s 0.6 m / s
July 12, 1990 IAAF Super Grand Prix (Athletissima 90) Lausanne 1 100 m 10.09 s −0.2 m / s
July 14, 1990 IAAF Golden League ( Bislett Games ) Oslo 1 100 m 10.26 s −1.5 m / s
July 23, 1990 Goodwill Games Seattle 2 100 m 10.08 s 1.1 m / s
July 25, 1990 Goodwill Games Seattle 1 Long jump 8.38 m 1.4 m / s
Sep 7 1990 IAAF Golden League (Grand Prix Final) Athens 3 100 m 10.12 s 0.4 m / s
June 14, 1991 TAC championships new York 2 100 m 9.93 s 1.9 m / s
June 15, 1991 TAC championships new York 1 Long jump 8.64 m 1.7 m / s
Aug 3, 1991 IAAF Golden League (Herculis Grand Prix) Monaco 1 4 × 100 m 37.79 s * -
Aug 7, 1991 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 2 100 m 10.12 s -
Aug 7, 1991 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 1 4 × 100 m 37.67 s * -
Aug 24, 1991 World championships Tokyo 1 100 m 9.86 s * 1.2 m / s
Aug 30, 1991 World championships Tokyo 2 Long jump 8.91 m (w) 2.9 m / s
Sep 1 1991 World championships Tokyo 1 4 × 100 m 37.50 s * -
Feb 28, 1992 TAC indoor championships new York 1 Long jump 8.35 m -
July 20, 1992 US Olympic eliminations New Orleans 6th 100 m 10.28 s −0.7 m / s
July 24, 1992 US Olympic eliminations New Orleans 2 Long jump 8.53 m 0.0 m / s
July 28, 1992 US Olympic eliminations New Orleans 4th 200 m 20.15 s 1.0 m / s
Aug 6, 1992 Olympic games Barcelona 1 Long jump 8.67 m −0.7 m / s
Aug 8, 1992 Olympic games Barcelona 1 4 × 100 m 37.40 s * -
Aug 11, 1992 IAAF Golden League (Herculis Grand Prix) Monaco 1 100 m 10.15 s 0.0 m / s
Aug 19, 1992 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 1 100 m 10.07 s −0.7 m / s
4th Sep 1992 IAAF Golden League (Grand Prix Final) Turin 2 100 m 10.18 s 0.5 m / s
June 17, 1993 USATF Championships Eugene 3 100 m 9.90 s (w) 4.8 m / s
June 19, 1993 USATF Championships Eugene 2 200 m 20.07 s (w) 2.5 m / s
July 7, 1993 IAAF Super Grand Prix (Athletissima 93) Lausanne 2 100 m 10.07 s 0.8 m / s
Aug 4, 1993 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 4th 100 m 10.07 s 0.0 m / s
Aug 4, 1993 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich 2 4 × 100 m 38.19 s -
Aug 11, 1993 IAAF Golden League (Herculis Grand Prix) Monaco 4th 200 m 20.31 s −0.3 m / s
Aug 15, 1993 World championships Stuttgart 4th 100 m 10.02 s 0.3 m / s
Aug 20, 1993 World championships Stuttgart 3 200 m 19.99 s 0.3 m / s
June 8, 1994 IAAF Golden League ( Golden Gala ) Rome 1 100 m 10.14 s 0.2 m / s
July 24, 1994 Goodwill Games St. Petersburg 4th 100 m 10.23 s −1.9 m / s
July 29, 1994 Goodwill Games St. Petersburg 1 4 × 100 m 38.30 s -
June 16, 1995 USATF Championships Sacramento 6th 100 m 10.32 s −1.2 m / s
June 18, 1995 USATF Championships Sacramento 2 Long jump 8.45 m (w) 6.0 m / s
3rd July 1995 IAAF Golden League ( Meeting Gaz de France ) Paris 5 100 m 10.32 s k. A.
5th July 1995 IAAF Super Grand Prix (Athletissima 95) Lausanne 8th 200 m 20.53 s (w) 2.3 m / s
July 15, 1996 US Olympic eliminations Atlanta 8th 100 m 10.21 s 1.1 m / s
July 19, 1996 US Olympic eliminations Atlanta 3 Long jump 8.30 m −0.2 m / s
July 22, 1996 US Olympic eliminations Atlanta 5 200 m 20.20 s 1.7 m / s
23 Aug 1996 IAAF Golden League ( Memorial Van Damme ) Brussels 3 100 m 10.10 s k. A.
Aug 29, 1996 Olympic games Atlanta 1 Long jump 8.50 m −1.3 m / s
July 7, 1997 IAAF Super Grand Prix ( DN Galan ) Stockholm 1 4 × 100 m 38.31 s -
Aug 13, 1997 IAAF Golden League ( World Class Zurich ) Zurich HF HF 100 m 10.51 s −0.6 m / s
Aug 26, 1997 IAAF Golden League (ISTAF) Berlin 1 4 × 100 m 38.24 s -

* At the time of the creation of the official world record
HF semifinals
(w) Result too favored by wind

Personal best

open air
100 m 9.86 s (1.2 m / s) August 24, 1991 Tokyo
200 m 19.75 s (1.5 m / s) June 19, 1983 Indianapolis
Long jump 8.87 m (−0.2 m / s) August 30, 1991 Tokyo
4 × 100 m 37.40 s (USA) August 8, 1992 Barcelona
4 × 200 m 1: 18.68 min (Santa Monica TC) April 17, 1994 Walnut
Hall
50 yds 5.31 s February 13, 1981 Toronto
60 yds 6.02 s 5th February 1983 Dallas
50 m 5.72 s 17th February 1984 San Diego
55 m 6.09 s February 14, 1987 East Rutherford
60 m 6.60 s February 10, 1989 San Sebastian
200 m 20.75 s March 4th 1992 San Sebastian
Long jump 8.79 m * January 27, 1984 New York City
  • current indoor world record (status 03/2021)

100 meters

Apart from the Olympic successes and world championship titles, it was above all the sporting battles on the tartan track that made Carl Lewis one of the world's most popular athletes. Above all, the rivalry with the Canadian Ben Johnson , which reached its peak in 1987 and 1988, contributed significantly to Lewis' ascent to superstar and first big earner in athletics. Lewis stayed under ten seconds a total of 27 times in his career, 15 of them under regular conditions. At least until the beginning of the 1990s, he was considered the sprinter with the highest level of performance worldwide on this route. During this time he set a new world record twice and also set the existing record twice (see list of men's athletics world records by sport from 1971 )

Development of personal best (100 m)
date Time wind Competition / location
June 16, 1980 10.21 s −4.0 m / s TAC Junior Championships / Knoxville
May 16, 1981 10.00 s 0.0 m / s Southwest Conference / Dallas
May 15, 1982 10.00 s 1.9 m / s California Relays / Modesto
May 14, 1983 9.97 s 1.5 m / s S&W Classic / Modesto
Aug 30, 1987 9.93 s * 1.0 m / s World Championships / Rome
Aug 17, 1988 9.93 s * 1.1 m / s World class Zurich / Zurich
Sep 24 1988 9.92 s * 1.1 m / s Olympic Games / Seoul
Aug 24, 1991 9.86 s * 1.2 m / s World Championships / Tokyo

* Official world record at the time of creation

200 metres

Despite "only" one Olympic gold or silver medal and a third place at the world championships, Lewis was considered the most consistent sprinter on this route, similar to half the distance. He stayed a total of ten times below the limit of 20 seconds (all regular), a level of performance that was only achieved or exceeded a few years later by Frank Fredericks and Michael Johnson .

Development of personal best (200 m)
date Time wind Competition / location
May 16, 1980 21.04 s k. A. Southwest Conference (preliminary) / Waco
May 17, 1980 20.68 s 0.7 m / s Southwest Conference / Waco
June 17, 1980 20.66 s -1.8 m / s TAC Junior Championships / Knoxville
Apr 17, 1982 20.27 s 0.2 m / s Jenner Classic / San Jose
May 28, 1983 20.16 s 0.5 m / s Jenner Classic / San Jose
June 19, 1983 19.75 s 1.5 m / s TAC Championships / Indianapolis

Long jump

Despite his sometimes legendary appearances in the sprint, Carl Lewis had repeatedly affirmed that the long jump was his actual favorite discipline. Here he gained his first experience in athletics. The first official personal record dates back to 1974 when he reached a distance of 5.51 m at the age of thirteen.

After Lewis finished second behind his compatriot Larry Myricks at the TAC Indoor Championships in 1981 , he remained unbeaten in 65 competitions over the next ten years. It was not until the legendary duel against Mike Powell during the 1991 World Championships that Lewis suffered a defeat again.

Although he never held the outdoor world record, Carl Lewis was considered the most consistent long jumper. His competitions were mostly characterized by a high level of consistency. Examples of this are, in addition to his unmatched series of jumps in Tokyo 1991, the World Championships in Rome four years earlier. Here Lewis achieved a width of between 8.60 m and 8.67 m in four rounds in regular conditions. For comparison: Robert Emmijan , who placed second , reached 8.53 m in his best attempt. In the course of his career, Carl Lewis exceeded the 8.5 m 75 times during a competition, 64 of them under regular conditions. This balance has not yet been achieved by any other jumper. In addition, Lewis set three indoor world records. His record of 8.79 m from 1984 is still valid today. (As of March 2021)

Development of personal best (long jump)
date Expanse wind Competition / location
June 24, 1978 7.55 m k. A. TAC Junior Championships / Bloomington
July 22, 1978 7.57 m k. A. East Coast Invitational / Towson
July 30, 1978 7.57 m k. A. National Age Group / Memphis
March 5th 1979 7.76 m - Eastern States / Princeton
June 9, 1979 7.90 m k. A. International Prep Invitational / Naperville
June 9, 1979 8.07 m k. A. International Prep Invitational / Naperville
7th July 1979 8.13 m k. A. Pan American Games / San Juan
Feb. 20, 1981 8.26 m - Southwest Conference / Fort Worth
Feb. 20, 1981 8.49 m * - Southwest Conference / Fort Worth
June 20, 1981 8.62 m k. A. TAC Championships / Sacramento
July 24, 1982 8.76 m 1.0 m / s USOC Sports Festival / Indianapolis
June 19, 1983 8.79 m 1.9 m / s TAC Championships / Indianapolis
Jan. 27, 1984 8.79 m * - Millrose Games / New York City
Aug 30, 1991 8.87 m -0.2 m / s World Championships / Tokyo
  • At the time of the creation of the official indoor world record

series

With a few exceptions, Carl Lewis was usually used as the final runner. With the 4 x 100 meter relay, he won two Olympic gold medals and three world championships. He was involved in a total of twelve relay races, which were faster than 38 seconds. The world record was improved six times, most recently to a time of 37.40 s. This record, which was achieved at the 1992 Olympic Games, has not yet been beaten by any other US relay and was also the valid world record for a period of 16 years. In addition to the 4 x 100 meter relay, Lewis occasionally played the non-Olympic 4 x 200 meter relay, where he was involved in a total of three world record runs. In 1994 a new world record was set with 1: 18.68 minutes, which was only broken in 2014 by the Jamaican relay in Nassau .

Development of personal best (4 × 100 m)
date Time team Competition / location
17th July 1980 38.61 s United States Philadelphia
July 24, 1982 38.27 s USOCSF Indianapolis
Aug 18, 1982 38.13 s United States World class Zurich / Zurich
Aug 10, 1983 37.86 s * United States World Championships / Helsinki
Aug 11, 1984 37.83 s * United States Olympic Games / Los Angeles
Aug 3, 1991 37.79 s * Santa Monica TC Herculis Grand Prix / Monaco
Aug 7, 1991 37.67 s * United States World class Zurich / Zurich
Sep 1 1991 37.50 s * United States World Championships / Tokyo
Aug 8, 1992 37.40 s * United States Olympic Games / Barcelona

* Official world record at the time of creation

Trainer

In 2014, Lewis became an assistant coach at the University of Houston . In 2020, the reigning long jump world champion Malaika Mihambo announced that she would train with him in Houston from now on.

politics

Lewis is a member of the Democratic Party . He announced his candidacy for the New Jersey Senate in April 2011 : "I am ready to serve the taxpayers of this wonderful state that has made so much possible for me." A little later, the Republican lieutenant governor of New Jersey, Kim Guadagno , said Lewis is not allowed to compete because he had not previously lived in the state for at least four years, as required. The relevant federal district court initially ruled in Lewis' favor, but reversed its verdict after an objection from Republicans in Burlington County . As a result, Lewis declared his election campaign over in September 2011; he also ruled out running against Republican incumbent Jon Runyan in the 2012 congressional election.

Private

Lewis has been a vegan since 1990 . His mother Evelyn Lawler was a successful athlete in the early 1950s, his sister is the former long jumper and Olympian Carol Lewis .

Filmography (selection)

Awards

See also

Web links

Commons : Carl Lewis  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. An ex-USOC official says some athletes were allowed to bend the drug rules . ( Memento of August 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Sports Illustrated , 15. April 2003.
  2. USA sport threatens new scandal: Carl Lewis under suspicion of doping ( Memento from August 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) In: Rheinische Post , April 17, 2003. Carl Lewis's positive test covered up . In: The Sydney Morning Herald , April 18, 2003. Likewise: Lewis: “Who cares I failed drug test?” In: The Guardian , April 24, 2003.
  3. World ranking list of all official 100 meter results (men). Alltime athletics
  4. World ranking list of all official 200 meter results (men). Alltime athletics
  5. World ranking list of all official long jump results (men). Alltime athletics
  6. World ranking list of all official 4 x 100 meter results (men). Alltime athletics
  7. Carl Lewis: 'Biggest regret' was leaving UH early
  8. Carl Lewis is the new coach of Malaika Mihambo
  9. ^ Carl Lewis ends his 8th District state Senate bid, rules out run against Runyan . PolitickerNJ
  10. ^ Introduction by Carl Lewis. In: Jannequin Bennett, Carl Lewis: Very Vegetarian. Routless Hill Press, 2001, pp. Vii-x.
  11. History Of T & FN's Athletes Of The Year . ( Memento from May 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Track & Field News
  12. ^ The International Athletic Foundation At a Glance . ( Memento of February 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) IAAF
  13. Carl Lewis at the IAF World Athletics Gala in Monte Carlo will receive award for his legendary career . IAAF, November 18, 1997
  14. ^ Lewis and Blankers-Koen voted top athletes of the 20th century - Johnson and Szabo the athletes of 1999 . ( Memento of November 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) IAAF, November 22, 1999