Carl Lewis long jump controversy; this was because history's second 29 ft long-jumper was in the field: Robert Emmiyan had leaped at altitude in May, just 4 cm short of Bob Beamon's record. But Emmiyan's best was an leap that day, second to Lewis's . Lewis cleared four times. In the 4 × 100 m relay, Lewis anchored the gold-medal team to a time of 37.90 s, the third-fastest of all time. The 100 m final was the most talked about event and caused the most drama. Johnson had run under 10.00 s three times in the year before Rome, while Lewis
Carl Lewis that event earlier that year. He won the 200 m on June 19 at the TAC/Mobil Championships in 19.75 s, the second-fastest time in history and the low-altitude record, only 0.03 s behind Pietro Mennea's 1979 mark. Observers here noted that Lewis probably could have broken the world record if he did not ease off in the final meters to raise his arms in celebration. Finally, Lewis ran the anchor in the 4 × 100 m relay, winning in 37.86 s, a new world record and the first in Lewis' career. Lewis' year-best performances in the 100 m and long