Carl Lewis to emerge as a talent in the sprints. Comparisons were beginning to be made with Jesse Owens, who dominated sprint and long jump events in the 1930s. Lewis qualified for the American team for the 1980 Olympics in the long jump and as a member of the 4 × 100 m relay team. The Olympic boycott precluded Lewis from competing in Moscow; he instead participated in the Liberty Bell Classic in July 1980, which was an alternate meet for boycotting nations. He jumped for a bronze medal, and the American 4 × 100 m relay team won gold with a
Carl Lewis don't get it." In 1999, Lewis was voted "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee, elected "World Athlete of the Century" by the International Association of Athletics Federations and named "Olympian of the Century" by "Sports Illustrated". In 2000 his alma mater University of Houston named the Carl Lewis International Complex after him. In 2010, Lewis was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. In 2016, Lewis was inducted into the Texas Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Lewis has appeared in numerous films and television productions. Among them, he played himself in cameos in