Carol Lewis
Encyclopedia
Carol LeGrant Lewis (born August 8, 1963) is an American
former track and field athlete who specialised in the long jump
. Born in Birmingham, Alabama
, she is the sister of former world record holder Carl Lewis
.
She first came to prominence as a high school athlete, setting the high school indoor long jump record at 21' 7.5" in 1981. She later went to the University of Houston
, where she had followed her older brother. She also joined her brother on the Santa Monica Track Club
. She first competed internationally at the 1980 Olympic Boycott Games
, taking the silver medal with a jump of 6.60 meters. She won the Dial Award
that year in recognition of her achievements. She won the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
for the first time in 1982, the first of four National championships. Her 6.81m jump from that competition is the current United States, North American
and Pan American Junior record. Further success came in 1983, with a win at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
and bronze medal at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics
.
After winning the Olympic Trials, she represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics
and managed to finish in ninth place, aged twenty. 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. Her record of 7.04 m stood for two years until it was beaten by Jackie Joyner-Kersee
.
She competed at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships, finishing in ninth position with a best jump of 6.23 m. She represented the US at the Olympics for a third time, but she failed to qualify for the final at the 1988 Olympics
.
Following her retirement from track and field, she went on to work as a commentator for various events for NBC Sports
. She commentated on the track events for the 1996
, 2000
and 2008 Summer Olympics
.
In 2000 she 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
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former track and field athlete who specialised in the long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
. Born in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, she is the sister of former world record holder Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and...
.
She first came to prominence as a high school athlete, setting the high school indoor long jump record at 21' 7.5" in 1981. She later went to the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, where she had followed her older brother. She also joined her brother on the Santa Monica Track Club
Santa Monica Track Club
The Santa Monica Track Club was formed in 1972 by Joe Douglas as a post-collegiate track club. By the 1980s, the team came to be a major player in worldwide Track and Field competition, with team members setting numerous World and National records...
. She first competed internationally at the 1980 Olympic Boycott Games
Olympic Boycott Games
The Liberty Bell Classic was an event held at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1980 by 29 of the boycotting countries of the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics as an alternative to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow...
, taking the silver medal with a jump of 6.60 meters. She won the Dial Award
Dial Award
For the literary award presented by The Dial magazine in the 1920s, see The Dial.The Dial Award was presented annually by the Dial Corporation to the male and female American high-school athlete/scholar of the year.-Awardees:...
that year in recognition of her achievements. She won the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
for the first time in 1982, the first of four National championships. Her 6.81m jump from that competition is the current United States, North American
North, Central American and Caribbean Junior records in athletics
North, Central American and Caribbean Junior records in athletics are the best marks set in an event by an athlete who has not yet reached their 20th birthday in the given year of competition, competing for a member nation of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association...
and Pan American Junior record. Further success came in 1983, with a win at the NCAA Outdoor Championships
NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA team champions for Women's Outdoor Track and Field-By school:-See also:*AIAW Intercollegiate Women's Outdoor Track and Field Champions*NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship...
and bronze medal at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics
1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....
.
After winning the Olympic Trials, she represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics
United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics
The United States was the host nation of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. It was the nineteenth time that Team USA participated, having boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics...
and managed to finish in ninth place, aged twenty. The following year she won the NCAA Outdoor Championships for a second time and took bronze at the World Cup in Athletics
1985 IAAF World Cup
The 4th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on October 4–6, 1985, at the Bruce Stadium in Canberra, Australia.-Men:|width="50"| ...
. In Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
in August that year, Lewis reached her peak, setting a personal best and breaking the American record
United States records in track and field
The following are the national records in track & field in the United States maintained by USA Track & Field .Key:-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distanceA = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified by IAAF...
in the long jump twice at the same track meeting. Her record of 7.04 m stood for two years until it was beaten by Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jacqueline "Jackie" Joyner-Kersee is a retired American athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the women's heptathlon as well as in the women's long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in those four different events...
.
She competed at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships, finishing in ninth position with a best jump of 6.23 m. She represented the US at the Olympics for a third time, but she failed to qualify for the final at the 1988 Olympics
Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Women's long jump
The Women's Long Jump at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entrylist of 32 competitors, with two qualifying groups before the final took place on Thursday September 29, 1988.-Records:...
.
Following her retirement from track and field, she went on to work as a commentator for various events for NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
. She commentated on the track events for the 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, 2000
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
In 2000 she began competing in two-woman bobsled
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
and, although she failed to make the 2002 US Olympic team, she served as Shauna Rohbock
Shauna Rohbock
Shauna L. Rohbock is a Specialist in the U.S. Army National Guard, an Olympic medal-winning bobsledder, and former professional soccer player....
's brakeman at the 2002 World Cup in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
.
Personal bests
| Event | Date | Venue | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long jump Long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point... |
21 August 1985 | Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich... , Switzerland |
7.04 meters (AR United States records in track and field The following are the national records in track & field in the United States maintained by USA Track & Field .Key:-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distanceA = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified by IAAF... 1985–1987) |
- All information taken from IAAF Profile.