| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven Earl Lewis | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1969-05-16)May 16, 1969 (age 56) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | 400 metres | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | UCLA Bruins | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Santa Monica Track Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Steven Earl Lewis (born May 16, 1969) is a formerAmerican track and fieldathlete, winner of three gold medals at the1988 Summer Olympics and1992 Summer Olympics.
Born inLos Angeles, Steve Lewis took up track at with the Los Angeles Jets youth track club under the direction of Ronald Moore and later went toBanning High School. He transferred toAmerican High School inFremont, California, following his sophomore year, where he graduated in 1987. While at American he competed in track and field and still holds theMission Valley Athletic League record in the 400 meters. He won theCIF California State Meet in 1986 and 1987.[1] He would go on to attend UCLA. As a freshman at UCLA, Lewis had a spectacular year in 1988, when the precocious 19-year-old not only completely rewrote the world junior all-time list in the 400 m, but also proved his mettle in senior competition by winning the Olympic gold medal.
Lewis had not been a total unknown prior to 1988, having set a personal best of 45.76 at the 1987 USA national junior championships, but he caught many unawares when he won his quarter-final at theUSA Olympic Trials with newworld junior record of 44.61, and then slashed this time the following day, when he won his semi-final in 44.11. Despite this performance, Lewis could only finish third in the final in 44.37, having been well beaten by his older compatriots,Butch Reynolds and his UCLA teammate,Danny Everett.[2]
In the Olympic Games atSeoul, Reynolds was the clear favorite to win the gold medal, and few people took Lewis' chances seriously, but in the Olympic final Lewis set a fast pace in the early stages while Reynolds held back. Although Reynolds closed near the finish, Lewis held on to win in 43.87, still the United States,North American and World junior record. Steve won a second gold medal three days later, as a member of the victorious USA 4 × 400 mrelay team which equalled theworld record of 2:56.16 that had stood since the1968 Olympics.
By the end of 1988, Lewis had run what still rank as 7 of the top ten junior 400 metre races of all time.[3]
In 1990, he wonNCAA Championships in the 400 m and went on to win theUS Track and Field Championships in the same event.
In 1992, Lewis, once again, competed at the Olympic Games inBarcelona and won a silver medal in the 400 m and a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay, which broke the world record (2:55.74) that Lewis had previously helped tie in the 1988 Olympic Games.
The rest of Lewis' career was affected by injury and an ongoing viral illness, and he never again competed at a major international championships.
Lewis was inducted into theUCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2019, he was inducted into theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame.[4]
| Event | Time (seconds) | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meters | 10.41 (+0.5 m/s) | Irvine | April 24, 1992 |
| 200 meters | 20.58 | San Jose | May 30, 1992 |
| 300 meters | 31.82 | Gateshead | July 17, 1992 |
| 400 meters | 43.87 | Seoul | September 28, 1988 |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's World Junior Record Holder,400 metres May 22, 1988 – present | Incumbent |
