Carl Lewis was a man of many talents simply because he wanted to be. Growing up as a long jumper, Lewis’s qualities as a sprinter caught th...
Carl Lewis was a man of many talents simply because he wanted to be. Growing up as a long jumper, Lewis’s qualities as a sprinter caught the eye as well. He shot to fame at the 1981 US national championships where he won gold medals in 100m and long jump despite the two events starting at the same time.
But that wasn’t enough for the Alabama-born super athlete. He was taking acting classes and also wanted to be an actor. He felt he was more than just an athlete. In his own words, he was limitless.
Such was his all-round prowess that he was offered the role in a TV series to play Jesse Owens, Lewis’s idol and the man who at the 1936 Berlin Olympics won four gold medals in athletic events.
“If I do a TV series, I want to be the star,” Lewis was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
In 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, he had the chance to emulate Owens in real life if not the reel one. He was drafted in the US team for 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump.
He won the 100m with ease beating his opponent by 0.2s. He then claimed...
