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Carl Lewis is considered the greatest athlete of all time by many people.
Although Carl was born in Birmingham, Alabama, he grew up in Willingboro, New Jersey, in the Philadelphia area. At age 13, Lewis started to compete in the long jump. With his high sprinting speed, he also performed well in the sprint events. In 1980, Carl was selected for the US Olympic team, but the American boycott of the Games in MoscowThe Games of the XXII Olympiad were held in 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union. It was the first the Olympics were held in a socialist country. Moscow won out over Los Angeles for the right to host the games, though L. was to host the next Olympics. American-le delayed Lewis' debut.
The following seasons, Lewis set seasons best performances in the 100 m and long jump. At the inaugural World ChampionshipsThe World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It is the largest event in the world after the Olympic Games, and the Football World Cup finals. Originally, it was organised every four in 1983The 1983 World Championships in Athletics were the first World Championships and run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14. Medal W, Lewis won his first major titles, achieving victory in the 100 m, long jump and the 4 x 100 m relay events.
This made him a great favourite for success at the 1984 Los Angeles OlympicsThe Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in 1984 in Los Angeles, United States. Los Angeles was the only city to bid to host the 1984 Summer Olympics. Games of the XXIII Olympiad Nations participating140 Athletes participating6,797 (5,230 men, 1,567 wome. Also entering the 200 m, Lewis sought to equal Jesse OwensJames Cleveland "Jesse" Owens ( September 12, 1913 March 31, 1980) was an African-American athlete and civic leader. He was most famous for his participation in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany where he won four gold medals and was the star of' performance of 1936Events January-February January 15 The first building to be completely covered in glass is completed in Toledo, Ohio, for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. January 20 Death of George V of the United Kingdom. His son Edward VIII succeedes him as King of th by winning these four events, which he did.
After he had repeated his 1983 performance at the World ChampionshipsThe 1987 World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6. Medal Winners Medal table by country Track Field See in Rome in 1987, he was set for four more golds at the 1988 Olympics. However, things did not all go his way. He won the 100 m, but only after Ben Johnson had been disqualified for a doping offence. It has since become known that Lewis himself had failed a drug test before the games, although he was subsequently cleared by the IAAF. In the 200 m, he was surprisingly beaten by compatriot Joe DeLoach. The 4 x 100 m relay team was disqualified in the heats (with Lewis not even running) due to a bad exchange. Lewis had no problems defending his long jump title and headed an all-American podium.
After 1988, Lewis' dominance in the sprint events began to wane, though his long jump performance was still excellent. However, he was challenged in that event as well, as compatriot Mike Powell won an exciting duel at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, in which the legendary record of Bob Beamon from 1968 was finally broken.
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, another duel between the two was decided in favour of Lewis, winning his third consecutive Olympic long jump title. Lewis also ran the last leg of the American 4 x 100 m team.
In the years that followed, Lewis did not win any major titles. In 1996 - aged 36 - he made a strong comeback in the long jump event, and made a bid for a fourth consecutive Olympic title. Lewis succeeded with remarkable ease, becoming only the third Olympian to win four consecutive titles in an individual event - the two others being Al Oerter ( discus throw 1956-1968) and Paul Elvstrøm ( yachting, 1948-1960). Lewis and Oerter are the only two to have won the same event at four consecutive Olympics; Elvstrøm won in two different events. If Lewis would have qualified for the 4 x 100 m team, he could have won his tenth Olympic gold, surpassing his countryman Ray Ewry as the most successful male Olympian.
Carl Lewis recorded a single called "Break It Up" in 1987 with his band Carl Lewis and the Electric Storm.
Lewis retired after the Atlanta Olympics and is now an actor.