USA’s 9x Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis Honors Former World No.1 Athlete And Mentor On His 70th Birthday

American fans found a new challenger in Carl Lewis to root for at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The young sprinter imbibed the energy coming off from the bleachers and delivered golden performances in the 100m, 200m, 4 X 100m relay, and Long Jump. This put him on track to become the most decorated Olympian of his time. But behind the conqueror was a kingmaker who had planned his crowning glory long before the events.

Carl Lewis spent his boyhood days idolizing Jesse Owens. However, he had no means to mold his raw talents into a lethal arsenal for multisport dominance. That was until he met his mentor, Steve Williams. On the eve of this great athlete’s 70th birthday, Lewis came forward with an unprecedented gesture.

Carl Lewis honors his track and field mentor

Carl Lewis is the definition of multitalented greatness. He was all-aggression on the track and loved to put the fear of god in his foes. Nevertheless, he owes it all to a former informal mentor who pushed him to the threshold of physical limits. This was none other than Steve Williams, who had seen immense success in his track and field tenure. Despite laying claim to multiple accolades, Williams could not attach the title of an Olympian beside his name. Yesterday was his 70th birthday, and to mark the occasion, his mentee, Carl Lewis, wrote a heartfelt message. On his official Twitter page, he shared another user’s post and wrote, “It’s a shame injury kept him from the Olympics. He was among the best of the 70’s,? and a great mentor”.

The shared post originally came from Costas Goulas, where he posted a picture of Steve Williams competing in an electrifying race. The picture accompanied the words, ?Happy 70th birthday to Steve Williams (rightmost), winner over 100m and anchor for the US to a WR of 38.03 over 4x100m at the World Cup in 1977 as well as former equal WR holder over both 100m and 200m – PBs 10.07/9.9 (100m), 20.16/19.8 (200m), 6.64 (60m)?. He could have attained more trophies, but the personal challenges and the political turmoil between the USA and USSR ended this great athlete?s career.

The unfulfilled potential of Steve Williams

The period between 1972 and 1984 was tough for everyone. This was the time when Steve Williams, a talented athlete, faced the harrowing consequences of an injury. His track and field career truly took off in 1973, and he emerged as the No. 1 athlete in the world with regards to the 100m and 200m races. However, before he could bring that prowess to the Olympic stage, fates dealt Williams a cruel hand. At the 1976 US Olympics trial, the legendary sprinter injured himself in the legs. He recovered from the injury, but due to the political drama between the USA and the USSR, he could not participate in the 1980 Olympics.

Read More: Carl Lewis?s Year Old Record Shattered By 18-Year-Old Star

Thus, the career and Olympic aspirations of a great athlete came to a sudden close. The scars on his body have healed, but his heart still bears that pain. Now, his mentee and friend Carl Lewis has exposed the injustice done to him by unfortunate circumstances and made everyone regret this great loss.

WATCH THIS STORY: Amidst Success of Dwayne Johnson?s $15 Million Investment , Olympic Legend Michael Phelps Joins in the Celebrations With a One-Word Statement