Carl Lewis: The Life Story Behind the King of the Track

Carl Lewis is the athlete who made the Olympic Games feel like a coronation. When he ran, he did not seem to run like other men. He seemed to float, with long strides, a straight back, and a calm face, as if speed were a natural thing for him, and not a struggle. When he jumped, he seemed to fly, hanging in the air for a moment longer than seemed possible, before landing in the sand, far from the board. He won nine Olympic gold medals, and one silver, across four Olympic Games, from Los Angeles in 1984 to Atlanta in 1996, and he won the long jump at four Games in a row, a feat that no other athlete has matched in that event. He was called the King of the Track, and the name suited him, because for more than a decade, the track was his kingdom.

He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and he grew up in Willingboro, New Jersey, in a family where track and field was a way of life. His parents were both athletes and coaches, his brother played football, and his sister Carol became an Olympic long jumper too. He went to the University of Houston, where he was coached by Tom Tellez, a man who would guide him for his whole career, and he became the best sprinter and long jumper in the world. He was not only fast. He was also graceful, and he was also a showman, and he knew how to play to a crowd, and how to make a stadium roar.

His story is not only about winning. It is about longevity, about winning at twenty-three and winning again at thirty-five, about being the best in the world for more than a decade, and about the pressure of being a star in a sport that does not always pay its stars well. He tried music, he tried acting, he tried politics, and he became a coach, and he is still a voice in athletics today. He is a man who has lived many lives, and who has done it with a style that is all his own.

A Sporting Family in Willingboro, New Jersey

Frederick Carlton Lewis was born on 1 July 1961 in Birmingham, Alabama. His father, William Lewis, was a track coach, and his mother, Evelyn Lewis, was a hurdler who had competed at a high level, and the family lived and breathed athletics. When Carl was a small boy, the family moved to Willingboro, New Jersey, a town in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and Carl grew up there, playing many sports, and running, and jumping, and learning from his parents. His older brother, Cleveland, became a football player, and his younger sister, Carol, became a long jumper who competed in the Olympics, and the Lewis family was a sporting family in the best sense: they played, they competed, and they supported each other.

Carl was a small boy at first, and he was not the fastest, and he was not the strongest, but he was determined, and he worked hard, and he grew, and he became fast. He went to Willingboro High School, and he played football, and he ran track, and he jumped, and he was one of the best young athletes in America. He won titles, and he was selected for junior teams, and people in athletics began to say that he might become a great sprinter and jumper. He was still a teenager, and he was already dreaming of the Olympics, and of gold medals, and of being the best in the world.

He went to the University of Houston in Texas, in 1979, on an athletics scholarship, and he was coached by Tom Tellez, a Cuban-born coach who would become the most important person in his sporting life. Tellez taught him how to run, how to jump, and how to think about the sport, and he did it with a patience and a wisdom that suited Carl. Tellez did not shout, and he did not push too hard. He taught, and he waited, and he let Carl grow into the athlete he was meant to be. It was a partnership that would last for more than twenty years, and it was one of the great coach-athlete partnerships in sport.

At Houston, Lewis became a star. He won NCAA titles, he set records, and he became the best college athlete in America. He was fast in the 100 metres, fast in the 200 metres, and brilliant in the long jump, and he could do all three in the same meeting, which is a rare thing, because sprinting and jumping demand different skills, and different kinds of training. Lewis could do both, and he could do both at the highest level, and that made him a unique athlete, and a frightening opponent for anyone who faced him.

Los Angeles 1984 and Four Golds in One Games

The Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984 were the making of Carl Lewis. He was twenty-three years old, and he was the star of the Games, and he won four gold medals: in the 100 metres, in the 200 metres, in the long jump, and in the 4x100 metres relay for America. It was a feat that had only been done once before, by Jesse Owens in Berlin in 1936, and Lewis had matched it, forty-eight years later, in front of a home crowd, in a stadium that roared for him. He was the king of the Games, and he was the most famous athlete in the world, and he had done it with a grace and a style that made it look easy.

He won the 100 metres in 9.99 seconds, the 200 metres in 19.80 seconds, the long jump with a leap of more than eight and a half metres, and the relay with his American teammates, in a world record time. It was a week of triumph, and it was a week that changed his life, because he became a global star, and he was offered deals, and endorsements, and fame, and he had to learn how to handle it all, at the age of twenty-three, in a sport that does not always know how to handle its stars. He did it with a calm that surprised many people, and with a showmanship that made him a favourite of the crowds.

He also became a controversial figure, because he was open about wanting to be a star, and about wanting to earn money from his sport, at a time when amateurism was still a powerful idea in athletics. He signed deals, he appeared in advertisements, and he spoke about his ambitions, and some people in athletics did not like it. They thought an athlete should be humble, and quiet, and not talk about money. Lewis did not agree. He believed that an athlete who works hard deserves to be paid, and to be famous, and he said so, and he lived it. It was a modern view, and it was ahead of its time, and it made him a pioneer, as well as a champion.

After Los Angeles, he kept winning, and he kept setting records, and he became the best long jumper in the world, winning sixty-five long jump competitions in a row over ten years, a run of dominance that is almost unbelievable. He did not lose a long jump competition for a decade, and he won against the best jumpers in the world, again and again, in all weathers, in all countries, and in all conditions. It was a record of consistency that has never been matched, and it is one of the great achievements in sport.

Seoul, Barcelona, and the Long Jump That Never Ended

At the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988, Lewis won two more gold medals, in the 100 metres and in the long jump, and a silver in the 200 metres. The 100 metres win came after Ben Johnson of Canada, who had finished first, was disqualified for a doping offence, and Lewis was awarded the gold. It was a strange and sad way to win, because Johnson had been the fastest man in the race, but he had broken the rules, and Lewis, who had run clean, was given the medal. Lewis has spoken about that race since, and he has said that it was a difficult moment, and that he wished he had won it on the track, cleanly, without controversy. It is a part of his story that is hard to ignore, and it is a part that shows the difficult side of sport, where winning is not always simple.

He won the long jump in Seoul as well, and he won it again in Barcelona in 1992, and again in Atlanta in 1996, becoming the first man to win the long jump at four Olympic Games in a row, and the third athlete in history to win the same individual event at four Games. In Atlanta, he was thirty-five years old, and he was the oldest man to win the long jump, and he did it with a leap that was not his best, but that was good enough, on a night when the crowd in Atlanta roared for him, and when he knew it would be his last Olympic jump. He raised his arms, he smiled, and he walked away from the pit, a four-time Olympic long jump champion, and a legend.

He also won eight gold medals at the World Championships, in the 100 metres, the 200 metres, the long jump, and the relays, and he set world records, and he became one of the most decorated athletes in history. He was named the Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee, and he was named the World Athlete of the Century by many others, and he is still regarded as one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. His nine Olympic gold medals put him among the most successful Olympians in history, and his longevity, from 1984 to 1996, is a testament to his fitness, his discipline, and his love of the sport.

He had his critics, and he had his controversies, and he was not always loved by the American public, in the way that some athletes are. He was seen by some as arrogant, and by others as a showman, and he did not always fit the idea of a humble American hero. But he was a great athlete, and he was a great champion, and his records speak for themselves, even if his personality divided opinion. He was a king, and kings are not always loved by everyone, but they are always respected, and Lewis is respected, by athletes, by coaches, and by anyone who understands what it takes to win nine Olympic gold medals.

Music, Acting, Politics, and Life After the Track

After he retired from athletics, Lewis tried many things. He tried a music career, recording songs and performing, and he was not a great success, but he enjoyed it, and he learned from it. He tried acting, appearing in films and on television, and he was not a great success there either, but he tried, and he was brave enough to try. He became a coach, working with young athletes at the University of Houston, where he had studied, and he became a mentor, and a teacher, and he gave back to the sport that had given him so much. He also ran for a seat in the New Jersey State Senate in 2011, as a Democrat, but he was removed from the ballot because he had not lived in New Jersey for long enough, and his political career ended before it began.

He has also spoken about athletics, and about doping, and about the need for clean sport, and he has been a voice for athletes, and for the sport, for many years. He is a man with strong opinions, and he says them, and some people agree with him, and some do not, but he is always honest, and he is always passionate about the sport he loves. He lives in Texas, and he works as a coach, and he is still a figure in athletics, and he is still remembered as the King of the Track, even though he has not competed for many years.

He became a vegan in 1990, and he has spoken about how it helped his performance, and his health, and he has been a voice for plant-based eating, and for healthy living. He is a man who takes care of his body, and who believes in discipline, and in hard work, and those beliefs have stayed with him, long after his running days were over. He is still fit, still active, and still involved in sport, and he is a reminder that a great athlete can have a long life after sport, if they are willing to try new things, and to keep learning.

His legacy is a complicated one, because it contains great wins, and difficult moments, and a personality that divided opinion, but it is also a legacy of greatness, of nine gold medals, of four Olympic long jump titles, and of a decade of dominance that has never been matched. He is one of the greatest athletes who ever lived, and his story will be told for as long as the Olympic Games are held, because he is a part of Olympic history, and a part of sporting history, that cannot be forgotten.

What Nine Golds Teach About Staying on Top

Lewis’s story teaches us about staying on top, and about how hard it is to be the best for a long time. He was the best in 1984, and he was still the best in 1996, twelve years later, and that is a very long time to be the best in a sport where speed fades quickly, and where young athletes arrive every year. He stayed on top because he worked hard, because he took care of his body, because he had a great coach, and because he believed in himself. That is a lesson for anyone who wants to succeed for a long time: work, take care of yourself, find a good teacher, and believe.

He also teaches us about versatility, and about the value of being good at more than one thing. He was a sprinter, and a long jumper, and a relay runner, and he could do all three at the highest level, which is a rare thing. Most athletes are good at one thing. Lewis was good at three, and that made him a unique athlete, and a frightening opponent. It is a lesson for life: do not limit yourself to one thing. Learn more than one skill, and you will have more chances to succeed, and more ways to contribute.

His story also teaches us about fame, and about how to handle it. He became famous at twenty-three, and he had to learn how to be a star, and how to earn money, and how to deal with criticism, and he did it in his own way, sometimes well, and sometimes badly, but always honestly. Fame is a hard thing, and it is a thing that many people want, and few people understand, until they have it. Lewis had it, and he lived with it, and he is still living with it, and that is a part of his story that is worth thinking about.

The World Championships, World Records, and a Decade at the Top

Lewis won eight gold medals at the World Championships, in the 100 metres, the 200 metres, the long jump, and the relays, and he set world records, and he became one of the most decorated athletes in history. He won the 100 metres at the World Championships in Tokyo in 1991, in a world record time, in a race that is still regarded as one of the greatest sprints ever run, against a field that included the best sprinters in the world. He ran with his long strides, and his calm face, and he won, and he set a record, and he showed that he was not only an Olympic champion, but also a world champion, and that he could win on any stage, in any country, against anyone.

He also won the long jump at the World Championships, again and again, and he won the 200 metres, and the relays, and he did it over many years, from 1983 to 1993, a decade at the top of the sport, which is a very long time in athletics, where speed fades quickly, and where young athletes arrive every year. He stayed on top because he worked hard, because he took care of his body, because he had a great coach in Tom Tellez, and because he believed in himself, even when other people doubted him. That is a lesson for anyone who wants to succeed for a long time: work, take care of yourself, find a good teacher, and believe, and keep believing, even when it is hard.

He was named the Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee, and the World Athlete of the Century by many others, and he is still regarded as one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. His nine Olympic gold medals put him among the most successful Olympians in history, and his longevity, from 1984 to 1996, is a testament to his fitness, his discipline, and his love of the sport. He was a king, and kings are not always loved by everyone, but they are always respected, and Lewis is respected, by athletes, by coaches, and by anyone who understands what it takes to win nine Olympic gold medals, and to stay on top for twelve years.

A Vegan, a Coach, and a Man Who Never Stopped Learning

Lewis became a vegan in 1990, and he has spoken about how it helped his performance, and his health, and how it gave him more energy, and a clearer mind, and he has been a voice for plant-based eating, and for healthy living, for many years. He is a man who takes care of his body, and who believes in discipline, and in hard work, and those beliefs have stayed with him, long after his running days were over. He is still fit, still active, and still involved in sport, and he is a reminder that a great athlete can have a long life after sport, if they are willing to try new things, and to keep learning, and to take care of themselves.

He became a coach at the University of Houston, where he had studied, and he became a mentor to young athletes, and a teacher, and he gave back to the sport that had given him so much. He works with sprinters, and jumpers, and he teaches them not only how to run, and how to jump, but also how to think, and how to handle pressure, and how to be a professional, and those are lessons that he learned from Tom Tellez, and that he now passes on to the next generation. It is a fine way to spend a life after sport, and it is a generous thing to do, because a great athlete who teaches is giving back, in the best possible way.

He has also been a voice for clean sport, and for the need to fight doping, and he has spoken about the importance of honesty, and integrity, in athletics, and he has been a controversial figure at times, because he has strong opinions, and he says them, and some people agree with him, and some do not, but he is always honest, and he is always passionate about the sport he loves. He is a man with a long memory, and a strong sense of what is right, and he is not afraid to say it, even when it is not popular, and that is a brave thing to do, in a sport where many people prefer to stay silent.

My Take:

I think Carl Lewis is the athlete in this group who makes me think most about what it means to be the best, and for how long you can be the best. He was the best in 1984, and he was still the best in 1996, and that is twelve years, which is a very long time in a sport where speed fades quickly. I have never been the best at anything for twelve years, and I suspect most people have not, and when I think about Lewis, I wonder how he did it. He did it by working hard, by taking care of his body, by having a great coach, and by believing in himself, even when other people doubted him. Those are simple things, but they are hard to do for twelve years, day after day, and Lewis did them, and that is why he won nine gold medals. I admire that, and I want to learn from it, because I want to be good at something for a long time, not just for a short time.

What I admire most about him is his grace, the way he ran, and the way he jumped. He did not run like other men. He ran with long strides, with a straight back, and with a calm face, as if speed were natural to him. When he jumped, he seemed to hang in the air, for a moment longer than seemed possible, before landing in the sand. It was beautiful to watch, and it was a pleasure to watch, even if you did not understand athletics. I think beauty matters in sport, and Lewis had it, in abundance, and he gave it to millions of people who watched him, and they remember it still. I hope young athletes watch films of him running, and jumping, and learn that sport can be beautiful, and that beauty is a form of greatness too.

His four golds in Los Angeles in 1984 is a moment I think about a lot, because it was a perfect week, and because he matched Jesse Owens, who had done it in Berlin in 1936. That is a powerful connection, across forty-eight years, between two great American athletes, one Black, one Black, both winning four golds, both making history. Lewis knew what he was doing when he matched Owens, and he spoke about it, and he honoured Owens, and that is a gracious thing to do. He did not pretend that he was the first. He said that Owens was the first, and that he was following in his footsteps, and that is a humble and honest way to be a champion. I respect him for that, and I think it shows that he understands history, and that he knows he is part of a larger story.

I also think about his long jump record, winning sixty-five competitions in a row over ten years, and not losing a long jump for a decade. That is an almost unbelievable achievement, and it is one that is hard to understand, until you think about what it means to win every time, for ten years, against the best jumpers in the world. It means you never have a bad day, or if you do have a bad day, you still win, because you are that good, and that consistent. I have never won sixty-five times in a row at anything, and I never will, but I can admire a man who did, and I can learn from him that consistency is a form of greatness, and that it is worth working for, even if it is hard.

I have to be honest about something. Lewis was not always loved, and he was not always easy to like. Some people thought he was arrogant, and some thought he was a showman, and some thought he talked too much about money. I do not know him, and I do not want to judge him harshly, but I do think it is worth saying that a great athlete can be difficult, and can still be great. He was a man who believed in himself, and who said so, and that made some people uncomfortable, because we like our heroes to be humble, and quiet, and grateful. Lewis was not always humble, and he was not always quiet, but he was always honest about who he was, and I think there is value in that honesty, even if it is not always comfortable to hear.

His win in Atlanta in 1996, at the age of thirty-five, moves me, because it was his last Olympic jump, and he won it, and he knew it would be his last, and he walked away from the pit as a four-time champion. That is a beautiful ending, and it is a rare one, because most athletes do not get to choose their ending. They fade, or they get injured, or they lose, and they stop. Lewis won, and he stopped, and he did it on his own terms, in front of a home crowd, in Atlanta, in America. I think that is a wonderful way to finish a career, and I hope every athlete gets a finish like that, even though most do not.

If I had to pick one lesson from his life, it would be to be versatile, to learn more than one skill, and to be good at more than one thing. Lewis was a sprinter, a jumper, and a relay runner, and he could do all three, and that made him unique, and it gave him more chances to win. In life, we are often told to specialise, to do one thing, and to do it well. Lewis shows that you can do more than one thing well, and that being versatile can be a strength, not a weakness. I want to remember that, and to learn new skills, and to be open to new chances, just as he was.

In the end, I think Carl Lewis will be remembered as the King of the Track, as a nine-time Olympic champion, and as one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. That is a fine legacy, and it is one he earned, by running fast, by jumping far, and by staying on top for twelve years. He is not a perfect man, and he is not a perfect hero, but he is a great athlete, and a great champion, and his story will be told for as long as the Olympics are held. The boy from Birmingham who grew up in Willingboro, who was coached by Tom Tellez, who won four golds in Los Angeles, and who won the long jump four times in a row, is a legend, and legends do not fade easily.

I will finish by saying that his story reminds me to aim high, to work hard, and to believe in myself, even when other people doubt me. Lewis aimed high, he worked hard, and he believed, and he won nine gold medals. That is a lot of gold, and a lot of belief, and a lot of work, and it is a story that gives hope to anyone who dreams of being the best. Dream big, work hard, and believe, and you might just become a king, even if only for a moment, on a track, in a stadium, in front of a roaring crowd.

I keep thinking about his coach, Tom Tellez, and about the way a good coach can change a life. Tellez was a Cuban-born coach at the University of Houston, and he saw something in Lewis that other coaches did not see, and he taught him, patiently, for more than twenty years, and he helped him to become the best in the world. That is a remarkable partnership, and it is a reminder that behind every great athlete, there is often a great coach, who believed in them, and who gave them their time, and their knowledge, and their patience. I think about the teachers in my own life, and about what they gave me, and I am grateful, because a good teacher is a gift, and Tellez was a gift to Lewis, and Lewis knows it, and he says so, and that is a good example for any student, and any teacher.

There is another part of his story that stays with me, and it is his decision to become a vegan in 1990, and to take care of his body, in a way that was unusual for an athlete at that time. He believed that what he ate mattered, and that it could help him to run faster, and to recover better, and he was right, because he kept winning, into his thirties, when other sprinters had faded. That is a lesson about taking care of yourself, and about the small choices, like what you eat, and how you sleep, and how you train, that add up, over years, to a great career. I think about my own health, and about the small choices I make every day, and I want to make better ones, because Lewis shows me that they matter, and that they can make the difference between winning and losing, over a long career.

I also think about his sister Carol, and about the way athletics ran through the whole Lewis family. His parents were athletes and coaches, his brother played football, and his sister became an Olympic long jumper, and Carl became a nine-time Olympic champion, and that is a remarkable family, and a reminder that talent and love can be shared, and that a family that plays together, and supports each other, can achieve great things. I think about my own family, and about the things we share, and I am grateful, because a family’s support is a powerful thing, and it can carry a person further than they could go alone, just as the Lewis family carried Carl, from Birmingham, to Willingboro, to Houston, to Los Angeles, and to Atlanta.

Finally, I think about his life after sport, and about the way he became a coach, and a mentor, and a voice for clean sport, and for young athletes. He did not retire and disappear. He stayed, and he worked, and he tried to make athletics better, and that is a generous thing to do, and it is a fine way to spend a life after winning. I hope I can give back, in my own small way, to the things I love, just as Lewis gives back to athletics, because giving back is a sign of gratitude, and of maturity, and of a life well lived, and Lewis lives it, even now, in Texas, as a coach, and a mentor, and a king, long after his last race. I also think about the way Lewis handled fame, and about how he became a star at twenty-three, and had to learn how to be famous, and how to earn money, and how to deal with criticism, in a sport that did not always know how to handle its stars. He did it in his own way, sometimes well, and sometimes badly, but always honestly, and he said what he thought, about money, and about fame, and about the sport, and some people did not like it, but he did not pretend to be someone else. I think about that when I think about fame, and about how hard it must be, to be watched, and judged, every day, and I admire Lewis for being himself, even when it was not popular, and even when it cost him friends, and fans, because being yourself is a brave thing, in a world that often tells you to be someone else.

There is something else I want to say, about the way he ran, and about the beauty of his running, and how it made people feel, when they watched him. He ran with long strides, with a straight back, and with a calm face, as if speed were natural to him, and it was beautiful to watch, and it was a pleasure to watch, even if you did not understand athletics. I think beauty matters in sport, and Lewis had it, in abundance, and he gave it to millions of people, and they remember it still, and they will remember it, for as long as they watch films of him running, and jumping, in Los Angeles, and in Atlanta, and in the World Championships. Beauty is a form of greatness, and Lewis had it, and he shared it, and that is a gift.

I think about his music career, too, and about the way he tried to sing, and to perform, and how it did not work out, and how he was brave enough to try, even though he knew he might fail. That is a human thing, to try something new, and to fail, and to learn from it, and to move on, and Lewis did that, with music, and with acting, and with politics, and he did not let failure stop him, and he kept trying, and he kept learning, and he became a coach, and a mentor, and a voice for the sport, and that is a fine way to live a life after winning, by trying new things, and by being brave enough to fail, and to try again.

Finally, I want to say that I hope young athletes watch films of Carl Lewis, and learn from him, not only how to run fast, and how to jump far, but how to be versatile, and how to stay on top for a long time, and how to handle fame, and how to give back, and how to be yourself, even when other people tell you to be someone else. He was a sprinter, a jumper, a relay runner, a singer, an actor, a coach, and a king, and he did all of those things, in his own way, and with his own style, and that is a remarkable life, and one I am glad to have learned about, and one I will remember, for a long time to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Olympic gold medals did Carl Lewis win?

He won nine Olympic gold medals and one silver medal across four Olympic Games, from Los Angeles in 1984 to Atlanta in 1996. His golds came in the 100 metres, 200 metres, long jump, and 4x100 metres relay, and he won the long jump at four Games in a row.

What did Carl Lewis do at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics?

He won four gold medals in one Games: the 100 metres, the 200 metres, the long jump, and the 4x100 metres relay. It matched the feat of Jesse Owens in Berlin in 1936, and it made Lewis the star of the Los Angeles Games at the age of twenty-three.

How long did Carl Lewis go unbeaten in the long jump?

He won sixty-five long jump competitions in a row over ten years, a run of dominance that is almost unmatched in athletics. He did not lose a long jump competition for a decade, beating the best jumpers in the world again and again.

Who was Carl Lewis’s coach?

His coach was Tom Tellez, a Cuban-born coach at the University of Houston, who guided Lewis for more than twenty years. Tellez taught him how to run and jump, and how to think about the sport, and their partnership was one of the great coach-athlete relationships in athletics.

What happened in the 100 metres at Seoul in 1988?

Ben Johnson of Canada finished first but was disqualified for a doping offence, and Lewis, who had finished second, was awarded the gold medal. Lewis has said it was a difficult way to win, and that he wished he had won it cleanly on the track without controversy.

What did Carl Lewis do after he retired from athletics?

He tried music and acting, became a coach at the University of Houston, and ran for a seat in the New Jersey State Senate in 2011, but was removed from the ballot over residency rules. He remains a coach and a voice in athletics, and he lives in Texas.