Lewis on Bolt's Olympic Plans
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Olympic great Carl Lewis believes sprinting world record holder Usain Bolt might find it difficult switching to the long jump for the London 2012 Olympics. Let's take a look.
Usain Bolt should focus on keeping his Olympic sprinting titles before considering a move into other events, nine time Olympic champion Carl Lewis said on Tuesday.
Bolt emulated Lewis by winning gold medals in the one hundred, two hundred and four hundred-meter relay in a single Games at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But Lewis, representing the U.S., also won four consecutive long jump titles.
Bolt, a Jamaican, is now considering the long jump and also the four hundred.
[Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic Champion]:
"The long jump is a tough one, though, because what people have to realize is that I was a long jumper who sprinted. It's a lot more difficult to come from the sprints to the long jump. It's not as easy as people think."
Bolt, the fastest man ever in the 100 and 200 meters, will be the hottest ticket in town at the London Games next year. But Lewis warned that at the Olympics, nothing is a sure bet.
[Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic Champion]:
"No matter who you are, or what you are, anything could happen at the Olympics. I went to four of them and something different happened every time."
In 1991, Mike Powell famously beat Lewis for the gold medal at the world championships and broke the world record.
[Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic Champion]:
"So it really doesn't matter how far you're out there. You've just got to focus, be the best you can be and make sure you try to have your best race that day."
Lewis added that he's relishing the prospect of his fourth Olympic games as a fan.
[Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic Champion]:
"I always go to new events so I'm going to try and look and see what sports I've not seen before."
The London Olympics are now just under five hundred days away.
