In which US state was Lewis born?
Frederick Carlton Lewis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 1, 1961.
True or False: Lewis was born into an athletic family.
Lewis’ parents ran an athletic club and raised several successful athletes. Lewis's mother was a hurdler for the Pan-Am team, and his sister became an Olympic-winning long-jumper.
True or False: Lewis’ coach was his father.
True! Lewis's father, William Lewis, was a coach to elite athletes in his town. His father coached him to success until colleges scouted him.
Which of the following helped Lewis's breakthrough in 1981 to even greater success?
Please select 4 correct answers
All of the above! 1981 is considered the breakthrough year in Lewis’ career, where he really began to dominate in his field.
True or False: Lewis’ success rivals legend Jesse Owens.
Lewis did match Jesse Owens' feat of winning four gold medals in the same events at a single Olympic Games in the year 1984.
True or False: Lewis became wealthy off endorsements after his success at the 1984 Olympics.
Lewis expected to receive the same fanfare and endorsement deals that Owens did after his Olympic success, but that was not the case. It is believed that Lewis was too full of himself and unlikeable, so he did not receive many deals.
True or False: The 1996 Olympics were extremely significant to Lewis’ career.
Lewis qualified for the long jump in the Olympics for the fifth time in his career in 1996. He was the first American to do so.
True or False: Lewis is the only man to successfully defend an Olympic long jump title.
True or False: Lewis was accused of substance abuse.
After the 1988 Olympics, Lewis was accused of using stimulants but later cleared of all accusations.
What honor did the International Olympic Committee award, Lewis?
In 1999, Lewis was awarded the title “Sportsman of the Century” by the International Olympic Committee.