Carl Lewis, simply "the King"
Carl Lewis, simply "the King"
FREDERICK CARLTON LEWIS (b. July 1, 1961, Birmingham, Alabama, (U.S.), American track-and-field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals during the 1980s and '90s, and all of them in some of the most challenging, disrupting and difficult events of all sports, 100-200m, long jump and 4x100m relay.
Athletic greatness came with his genes, but not so simply. Lewis' parents
were both track coaches, he grew up with three brothers and sisters, all
of whom for years considered Carl as the least impressive athlete in the
family. Wrong.
I always loved Lewis incredible killer instinct, capable to take the
most of himself in the most important and difficult competitions, not bothering
about of opponents, age and pressure.
His unforgettable long, elastic, explosive, effortless, relaxed, smooth
running style will remain unique.
Lewis still qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 1980 but did not
compete because of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games. In 1983 at the
World Championships in Helsinki he showed his talent to the first time
to the whole world: gold medal in 100m, long jump and 4x100m relay.
At the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, Lewis won gold medals in the 100-metre
(9.9 sec) and 200-metre (19.8 sec) races, the long jump (8.54 m [28 feet
1/4 inch]), and the 4x100-metre relay, where he anchored the U.S. team,
beating also the world record. Lewis became the third track-and-field athlete
to win four gold medals in one Olympics, joining Americans Al Kraenzlein
(1900) and Jesse Owens, the latter of whom won the same four events at
the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
In 1987 in Rome for the W.C., he conquered 3 golds again, winning 100m,
long jump and 4x100m relay. In those days his father died of cancer: Carl
puts his gold medal from the 100m in Los Angeles in his parent's hand in
the coffin. "I want you to have it because it was your favorite event",
he said. When he saw his mother surprised look, he told her: "Don't worry,
I'll win another one!" And he did.
Lewis added two more gold medals and a silver medal at the 1988 Games
in Seoul, becoming the first Olympic athlete to win consecutive long-jump
gold medals with a leap of 8.72 m (28 feet 7 1/4 inches). Lewis had the
four best jumps in the competition,and his Olympic title was part
of a long string of consecutive long-jump victories that extended over
several years during the 1980s. Lewis' other gold medal at the 1988 Games
came in the 100 metres (9.92 sec), after Canadian Ben Johnson, who had
won in world record time (9.79 sec), was disqualified three days later
after testing positive for anabolic steroids.
Scientist proved that Lewis desperate challenge of Johnson's cheated
run, pushed him to the fastest speed ever reached by a man ( faster than
Johnson's too ): 43,373 km/h !
Lewis settled also for a silver in the 200 metres, where he was defeated
by Joe DeLoach.
In the 1991 W.C. in Tokio, Carl at 30 produced a fantastic 100m race,
winning a final with the world record in 9.86 sec., where the 6th placed
runs sub 10'' too.
In the same event he lost one of the greatest sports duels of ever
with long jumper Mike Powell, who had to break the 23 years old old record
of Bob Beamon to beat living legend Carl, jumping 8.95 cm. Carl jumped
"only" 8,87 cm, obviously the best jump of his life.
At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Lewis won two more gold medals, including
his third consecutive long-jump title with a leap of 8.67 m (28 feet 5
1/2 inches). Again anchoring the American 4x100-metre relay team, Lewis
won his eighth gold medal as the U.S. team set a world and Olympic record
of 37.40 sec.
Yet people have been saying that he's on the back end of his career
for the past several years, and he still keeps on running, jumping and
winning. But he replies:"I have another year. I have the Olympic Games,
I have the Olympic Trials and then I will have the World Championships.
And you're going to see an athlete more committed to performance than you've
ever seen before, as much as anybody has ever been committed. I am going
to perform very well." And he did it.
In 1996, Lewis captured perhaps his most incredible victory in the long
jump Olympic Games in Atlanta; during the USA Trials Carl was "only" third,
only 3 cm in front of the fourth, qualifing in the last spot. In
the Olympics he qualifies for the long jump final only with his last effort,
the third: but the day after .... he won another fantastic gold with 8.50
cm, leaving the second (James Beckford of Jamaica) at 20cm behind
him.
So he won the fourth gold in a row in 4 Olympics: ... none before him
had even won it twice.
Since 1981 he has been ranked nr.1 in the world list of long jumpers
......
In 1997 he finally decided to retire.
He settled 9 world records, in relays or individual competitions; none
of those records was set in high altitude, were faster times can
be obtained due the less air density.
"Carl is this entity in the 100 meters," says sprinter Dennis Mitchell.
"When he gets into a race, he changes the way athlets think. When he enters
the 100 meters, he will be some sort of a factor in the race even if it's
just a mental factor. It's hard for young athlets to run against something
like that, to run against a living legend."
One of the greatest things about Lewis is his ability to think all
positive, no matter if he wins or loses, pretending to be perfect and therefore
unbeatable.
For a man who has defined track and field for more than a decade, whenever he decide to walk away, the greatest loss will be to the sport, not to him. What about naming him the greatest Olympian of all times ?