.jpg) Lewis in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1963-08-08)August 8, 1963 (age 62) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 159 lb (72 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Club | Santa Monica Track Club |
Medal record | |
Carol LeGrant Lewis (born August 8, 1963) is an American formertrack and field athlete who specialized in thelong jump. She is the1983 World Championship bronze medalist, and a 4-timeUS Champion. Her best long jump of 7.04 meters in 1985 is the formerAmerican record. She is the sister of nine-time Olympic gold medalistCarl Lewis, and former professional soccer playerCleveland Lewis. She is also the daughter of the late American hurdlerEvelyn Lawler.[1][2]
Born inBirmingham, Alabama, Lewis qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but was unable to compete due to the1980 Summer Olympics boycott. She received one of the 461Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes. She first competed internationally at theLiberty Bell Classic, an alternate event for boycotted athletes, where she won a silver medal with a jump of 6.60 meters. She won theDial Award that year in recognition of her achievements. While atWillingboro High School in New Jersey, setting the high school indoor long jump record at 21 ft 7.5 in (6.591 m) in 1981.[3] She later went to theUniversity of Houston, following in the footsteps of her older brother. At Houston, she won 2National Collegiate Athletic Association long jump championship titles in 1983: 21-11 3/4 and 1985: 22-1[4] She also joined her brother on theSanta Monica Track Club.[5]
Lewis won theUSA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the first time in 1982, the first of four National championships.[6] Her 6.81m jump from that competition is the current United States,North American and Pan American Junior record.[7] Further success came in 1983, with a win at theNCAA Outdoor Championships and bronze medal at the1983 World Championships in Athletics.[8]
After winning the Olympic Trials, she represented theUnited States at the 1984 Summer Olympics and managed to finish in ninth place at the age of twenty.[1] The following year she won the NCAA Outdoor Championships for a second time and took bronze at theWorld Cup in Athletics. InZürich in August that year, Lewis reached her peak, setting a personal best and breaking theAmerican record in the long jump twice at the same track meeting.[8] Her record of 7.04 m stood for two years until it was beaten byJackie Joyner-Kersee.[9]
Lewis competed at the1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships, finishing in ninth position with a best jump of 6.23 m. She qualified for her third Olympics in1988, failing to qualify for the final by just one centimeter.[8]
Following her retirement from track and field, she went on to work as a commentator for various events forNBC Sports.[8] She commentated on the track events for the1996,2000 and2008 Summer Olympics.[10]
In 2000, Lewis began competing intwo-woman bobsled and, although she failed to make the 2002 US Olympic team, she served asShauna Rohbock's brakeman at the 2002 World Cup inCalgary.[10]
| Event | Date | Venue | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long jump | 21 August 1985 | Zürich, Switzerland | 7.04 meters (AR 1985–1987) |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing United States | |||||
| 1980 | Liberty Bell Classic | Philadelphia, United States | 2nd | Long jump | 6.60 m |
| Pan American Junior Championships | Sudbury, Canada | 2nd | 100 m hurdles | 14.62 | |
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 3rd | Long jump | 7.00 m |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 9th | Long jump | 6.43 m |
| 1985 | Grand Prix Final | Rome, Italy | 3rd | Long jump | 6.73 m |
| World Cup | Canberra, Australia | 3rd | Long jump | 6.88 m | |
| 1987 | World Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, United States | 9th | Long jump | 6.23 m |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 13th (q) | Long jump | 6.47 m |
| Results with (q) indicate overall position in qualifying round | |||||
