Carol Lewis

Carol LeGrant Lewis (born August 8, 1963) is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in the long jump. She is the 1983 World Championship bronze medalist, and a 4-time US Champion. Her best long jump of 7.04 meters in 1985 is the former American record. She is the sister of 9-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, and former professional soccer player Cleveland Lewis. She is also the daughter of retired American hurdler Evelyn Lawler.[1][2]

Carol Lewis
Personal information
Born (1963-08-08) August 8, 1963
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb)
Sport
SportTrack and field
ClubSanta Monica Track Club
Medal record
Representing  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place1983 HelsinkiLong jump
World Cup
Bronze medal – third place1985 CanberraLong jump
Liberty Bell Classic
Silver medal – second place1980 PhiladelphiaLong jump
Pan American Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 1980 Sudbury 100 m hurdles

Career

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Lewis qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but was unable to compete due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. She received one of the 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes. She first competed internationally at the Liberty Bell Classic, an alternate event for boycotted athletes, where she won a silver medal with a jump of 6.60 meters. She won the Dial Award that year in recognition of her achievements. While at Willingboro High School in New Jersey, setting the high school indoor long jump record at 21' 7.5" (6.59 meters) in 1981.[3] She later went to the University of Houston, following in the footsteps of her older brother. At Houston, she won 2 National Collegiate Athletic Association long jump championship titles in 1983: 21-11 3/4 and 1985: 22-1[4] She also joined her brother on the Santa Monica Track Club.[5]

Lewis won the USA 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 the NCAA Outdoor Championships and bronze medal at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics.[8]

After winning the Olympic Trials, she represented the United 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 the World Cup in Athletics. In Zürich in August that year, Lewis reached her peak, setting a personal best and breaking the American 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 by Jackie Joyner-Kersee.[9]

Lewis competed at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships, finishing in ninth position with a best jump of 6.23 m. She qualified for her third Olympics in 1988, 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 for NBC Sports.[8] She commentated on the track events for the 1996, 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics.[10]

In 2000, Lewis began competing in two-woman bobsled and, although she failed to make the 2002 US Olympic team, she served as Shauna Rohbock's brakeman at the 2002 World Cup in Calgary.[10]

Personal bests
Event Date Venue Mark
Long jump 21 August 1985 Zürich, Switzerland 7.04 meters (AR 1985–1987)
  • All information taken from IAAF Profile.[11]

National titles

International competitions
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
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

References
  1. Carol Lewis biography. Sports-reference. Retrieved on 2009-06-17.
  2. Amdur, Neil (February 12, 1981). "Jersey Siblings Rival the Best in Track and Field". New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  3. Shepard, Jack (2009). High School Track 2010. Jack Shepard.
  4. "Carol Lewis". Archived from the original on 2018-11-04. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  5. Caroccioli, Tom; Caroccioli, Jerry (2008). Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Highland Park, IL: New Chapter Press. pp. 243–253. ISBN 978-0942257403.
  6. Statistics – USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions Archived June 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. USATF. Retrieved on 2013-03-26.
  7. records/toplists/sprints/100-metres/outdoor/men/senior/. Iaaf.org. Retrieved on 2013-03-26.
  8. Graffit-e Archived September 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. University of Houston. Retrieved on 2009-06-17.
  9. Long Jump All Time. IAAF (2009-06-02). Retrieved on 2009-06-17.
  10. Hiestand, Michael (2006-02-20). Gumbel's comments don't ring true for NBC pioneer Lewis. USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-06-17.
  11. Biography Lewis, Carol. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-06-17.
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