Owner of ten Olympic medals in four editions of the Games-of them gold-and elected by the 20th century Olympic Committee (COI), the American athlete, the American Carl Lewis shone on the 100 and 200-meter-lined athletics tracks and the distance jump at a time when social networks did not exist.
At 64 and today coach at Houston University, Lewis said social networks can be beneficial in preparing athletes as long as they know they use them properly. He added that he would like to have had the experience of competing under the current pressure exerted by social media.
“It all depends on how you use networks. They can be a wonderful and useful tool if you understand that, as an athlete, the number one question is your performance. And if you see social networks as a projection of your performance and who you are, they can be an incredibly useful tool,” Lewis said during their participation in an event promoted by the COB (Olympic Committee of Brazil) on Wednesday night (24).
“If you have a million followers but never wins or never perform well, it really is not useful. But if you have a thousand followers and are very successful then it may be useful,” he said.
“Athletes can’t let social media take ahead of the situation. They need to realize it’s just something that serves as a complement. But I think it’s extremely useful and I really wish I could be running now, with social networks. I would have loved it,” he added.
Lewis also said that he does not allow the use of cell phones by athletes during the training sessions that coordinates at the University of Houston, so that they do not suffer from internet distractions and focus more on improving their performances on the track.
According to him, the current generation is missing more dedication in training so that records established decades ago are broken.
“Young people no longer want to do their work hard. And even the coaches also no longer motivate them to do what it takes. It’s just easier to train for a 100 -meter race than for the distance jump, which is the most difficult test of athletics,” Lewis said.
“Talent exists, the ability is there, but we need to encourage them to face the difficult challenges and focus on excellence,” said the olympic champion in the distance jump-he got the gold in the race in the editions of Los Angeles-1984, Seoul-1988, Barcelona-1992 and Atlanta-1996.
Lewis pointed out that the distance jump record has been around for 34 years, with the 8.95 meter mark established by Mike Powell in August 1991. “No one is really trying to break the record. It would still love to see it in life. Someone jumping that far.”
He also said he was excited to return to the Los Angeles games in 2028 – Palco in which he won four Olympic gold medals in 1984 – but this time as a coach.
“In the 1984 games, it was my first Olympics, I was just 23 years old, it was all new to me. In 2028, I will have 67, and now I am a grandfather, coach and mentor. I think it will be amazing and I believe Los Angeles will do a great job. I am very excited by the young people who will have a chance to participate,” said Lewis.
In Paris-2024, two athletes trained by him in Houston climbed the podium-South African Shaun Maswanganyi and Briton Louie Hinchliffe won the silver and bronze, respectively, in the 4 x 100 m relay test.
“Remember the happiness of my relatives and friends as I see me win in Los Angeles games and knowing that I can help young athletes reach the same thing will be very exciting, but in a totally different way.”
Lewis also stated that of all the medals won in the Olympics, the one that has a more special flavor for him is the first, which won in the 100 meter race.
“I was looking for four gold medals in the LA Games. If I lost the first race and won the other three in everyone’s mind, it would have failed. It’s strange, but so,” Lewis said, adding that the race was also marked that it was the only one that managed to see her family vibrating in the stands while playing it.
The medal was buried along with his father, who was able to see him in just one Olympics-he died in 1987 of cancer-with the others donated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.
