Carl Lewis wants to be in another L.A. Summer Olympics - as coach

Keith Dunlap
Special to Detroit Free Press
In this July 29, 1996 photo, Carl Lewis takes his third jump during the men's long jump final at the 1996 Summer Olympic games in Atlanta. Lewis won the gold medal.

In the words of Carl Lewis, Los Angeles was “never better” than when it hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Perhaps the signature athlete of those 1984 Games, after he won four gold medals in track and field, Lewis will always have fond memories of Los Angeles as an Olympic host. 

On Monday, it was announced that Los Angeles  in 2028 will host the Summer Olympics for a third time.

“There was no traffic, there was no smog, everyone was happy and it was absolutely amazing,” Lewis, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist, said Monday from Ypsilanti, where he participated in the opening ceremonies for the AAU Junior Olympics, being held in the Detroit area until Saturday. “I look forward to having that shot again. It’s incredible thinking about how that place was and it is going to be the same again.”

Now an assistant track and field coach at his alma mater, the University of Houston, the 56-year-old Lewis said he hopes to coach in the 2028 Olympics and is excited about being a part of a third Olympics in the U.S. after competing in 1984 and 1996 in Atlanta.

Lewis said the chance to compete on home soil will provide motivation for athletes across the country over the next 11 years. 

In this Aug. 11, 1984, file photo, U.S. athlete Carl Lewis lets out a yell as he crosses the finish line to give the American 400-meter relay team a world record and the Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles.

“I’m coaching kids every day that can say ‘I have a chance to run in the Olympics in my country,’” said Lewis, a nine-time Olympic champion. “It’s a long way away and it’s going to be a tough challenge. But I think even 21-year-olds have a shot because they will be around 30. The 18-year-olds will be fine. Even the 25- or 26-year-olds have a chance. I just think it will lift the country in all sports.”

Lewis hopes the Olympics' return to the U.S. will increase interest in track and field, which he said has continued to be on a steep decline. 

“Nothing has really changed,” Lewis said. “It’s just continued to go down. What they have been doing the last 10 or 20 years hasn’t worked because the sport has continued to decline. Maybe we can create opportunities that create a middle class instead of the 1%. That’s kind of what the sport has become, a 1% sport.”

Lewis came to Michigan to speak at the opening ceremonies of the AAU Junior Olympics, featuring about 15,000 athletes from around the country, many of whom will compete in track and field. 

“My message is that amazing awaits,” Lewis said. “Just focus on being the best you can be.”