Carl Lewis

High school

Willingboro High School

College

University of Houston

Pro team(s)

Santa Monica Track Club, Pirelli Athletic Club

Hall of Fame

⭐ U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame

Frederick Carlton Lewis was born on July 1, 1961, in Birmingham, Alabama, and grew up in Willingboro, New Jersey, where his parents — both coaches — raised him and his siblings in a household devoted to athletic excellence. He attended Willingboro High School, where he began to show the sprinting and jumping gifts that would make him one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. He went on to the University of Houston under coach Tom Tellez. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Lewis won four gold medals — in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4×100m relay — matching Jesse Owens's legendary four-gold performance in 1936 and instantly entering the pantheon of American athletic achievement. He went on to win gold at the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympics; his 1988 100m gold came after Ben Johnson was disqualified for a positive steroid test. His most astonishing achievement came at the 1996 Atlanta Games, where he won the long jump gold at age 35 — becoming the oldest track & field gold medalist in Olympic history and the only person ever to win the same individual event at four consecutive Olympics. He finished his Olympic career with nine gold medals and one silver. He was also the dominant force at the World Championships, winning eight gold medals, and held an unbeaten streak of 65 consecutive long jump competitions spanning nearly a decade. Track & Field News named him Athlete of the 20th Century; the International Olympic Committee honored him as Sportsman of the Century. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985 as part of the inaugural class. Grew up in Willingboro, New Jersey.