Olympic Legend Carl Lewis, 63, Reveals He's Never Had a Long-Term Relationship: 'Thought It Would Hurt My Career'

Mar. 15, 2025

Carl Lewis in August 2024.Photo:Victor Boyko/Getty

Victor Boyko/Getty

Olympic track and field starCarl Lewisopens up about the “wear and tear” his career had on his psyche and on his personal life in a new documentary.

“I’ve never had really a private adult life, and I haven’t really had an in-depth, long-term relationship to this day. I thought that it would hurt my career,” he says. “I’m sure I’ve met 50 people that were incredible in my lifetime. But because of that, I had to shun them away. And I know that on the outside, it can be kind of sad, and I can understand that, but that’s just the way it is.”

Between 1984 and 1996, Lewis twice helped the U.S. win gold in the men’s 4x100m and collected nine Olympic gold medals, making him one of only four athletes to do so. (He also won a silver medal in Seoul in 1988.) Despite his athletic prowess, Lewis was often portrayed negatively in the media.

Carl Lewis at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty

Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty

Lewis’ recent insights into his personal life follow decades of rumors about his sexuality, which he says “have been just nonstop my whole career.”

The image, which he says “looks incredible,” led some to “go after the whole gay thing.” But, Lewis adds, he wasn’t affected at the time because he thought, “I’m in an incredible space in life.”

“I hope it empowered everyone,” he continues. “The more I think about it, the prouder I am.”

Matthew Stockman/Getty

In the documentary, Lewis notes that the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, where Ben Johnson beat him in the 100-meter dash butwas later disqualified for drug use, was a particularly difficult time for him mentally. He recalls later receiving a “wrinkled” medal “underneath the stadium,” adding, “It felt like they pulled it out of [Johnson’s] hand.”

“Mentally, I started to question everything. It was like, ‘What was the point?’ ” he continues. “Track and field dominated every aspect of my life, and everything else was secondary.”

source: people.com