Editing Carl Lewis (section)

===Final years and retirement===
[[File:Carl_Lewis_1996.jpg|thumb|Lewis in [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1996]]
After the heights reached in 1991, Lewis started to lose his dominance in both the sprints and the long jump. Though he anchored a world record 1:19.11 in the rarely run 4 × 200&nbsp;m relay with the Santa Monica Track Club early in 1992,<ref>''Track and Field News'', June 1992, vol. 45, #6, p.4–5</ref> he failed to qualify for the Olympic team in the 100&nbsp;m or 200&nbsp;m. In the latter race, he finished fourth at the Olympic trials behind rising star [[Michael Johnson (sprinter)|Michael Johnson]] who set a personal best of 19.79 s.<ref>{{cite av media | title=200m Carl Lewis vs Micheal Jonhson w zawodach US Trials 1992r | date= | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntHSR5KfEJw | time=4:55 | via=YouTube }}</ref> It was the first time the two had ever met on the track.<ref>''Track and Field News'', August 1992, vol. 45, #6, p. 8</ref> Lewis did, however, qualify for the long jump, finishing second behind Powell, and was eligible for the 4 × 100&nbsp;m relay team. At the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, Lewis jumped {{T&Fcalc|8.67}} in the first round of the long jump, beating Powell who did a final-round {{T&Fcalc|8.64}}. In the 4 × 100&nbsp;m relay, Lewis anchored another world record, in 37.40 s, a time which stood for 16 years. He covered the final leg in 9.85 seconds, the fastest officially recorded [[anchor leg]].<ref>{{cite web | title=USA Men's 4 × 100 m | date=September 6, 1992 | url=https://olympics.com/en/news/usa-men-s-4x100m | work=olympic.org }}</ref>

Lewis competed at the [[1993 World Championships in Athletics|4th World Championships]] in [[Stuttgart]] in 1993, but finished fourth in the 100&nbsp;m,<ref>{{cite web |title=100 Metres Men: 4th IAAF World Championships in Athletics |url=https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/4th-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-1/results/men/100-metres/final/result |publisher=IAAF |access-date=July 15, 2017 |archive-date=October 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027163900/http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/4th-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-1/results/men/100-metres/final/result |url-status=dead}}</ref> and did not compete in the long jump. He did, however, earn his first World Championship medal in the 200&nbsp;m, a bronze with his 19.99 s performance.<ref>{{cite web |title=200 Metres Men: 4th IAAF World Championships in Athletics |url=https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/4th-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-1/results/men/200-metres/final/result |publisher=IAAF |access-date=July 15, 2017 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924172613/http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/4th-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-1/results/men/200-metres/final/result |url-status=dead}}</ref> That medal would prove to be his final Olympic or World Championship medal in a running event. Injuries kept Lewis largely sidelined for the next few years, then he made a comeback for the 1996 season.

In 1996, Lewis qualified for the Olympic team in the long jump for the fifth time, the first time an American man has done so.<ref>''Track and Field News'', September 1996, vol. 49, #9, p. 18</ref> At the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympics]], injuries to world-record holder Mike Powell and the leading long-jumper in the world, [[Iván Pedroso]], affected their performances. Lewis, on the other hand, was in good form. Though he did not match past performances, his third-round leap of {{T&Fcalc|8.50}} won gold by {{T&Fcalc|0.21}} over second-place finisher [[James Beckford (athlete)|James Beckford]] of [[Jamaica]].<ref name="autogenerated2">''Track and Field News'' October 1996, vol. 49, #10, p. 36</ref> He became the third Olympian to win the same individual event four times,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/carl-lewis |title=International Olympic Committee&nbsp;– Athletes |publisher=Olympic.org |date=August 13, 2004 |access-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref> joining [[Denmark|Danish]] [[Sailing at the Summer Olympics|sailor]] [[Paul Elvstrøm]] and American [[Discus throw at the Olympics|discus thrower]] [[Al Oerter]]; the three would be joined by American [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|swimmer]] [[Michael Phelps]] in 2016 and swimmer [[Katie Ledecky]] in 2024. Lewis's nine gold medals also tie him for second on the [[list of multiple Olympic gold medalists]] with [[Paavo Nurmi]], [[Larisa Latynina]],[[Mark Spitz]] and Katie Ledecky behind Phelps.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition |last=Wallechinsky |first=David |author2=Jaime Loucky |year=2008 |publisher=[[Aurum Press]] |isbn=978-1-84513-330-6 |page=702}}</ref>

Lewis' {{T&Fcalc|8.50}} jump was also officially declared tied with [[Larry Myricks]] for the [[List of world records in masters athletics|masters record for the 35–39 age group]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/records/outdoor-men |title=Records Outdoor Men |publisher=World-masters-athletics.org |date=March 27, 2012 |access-date=April 11, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903223836/http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/records/outdoor-men |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |df=mdy}}</ref>

Controversy struck when, as ''Track and Field News'' put it, "Lewis' attitude in the whole relay hoo-hah a few days later served only to take the luster off his final gold."<ref name="autogenerated2"/> After Lewis's unexpected long jump gold, it was noted that he could become the athlete with the most Olympic gold medals if he entered the 4 × 100&nbsp;m relay team. Any member of the American Olympic men's track and field team could be used, even if they had not qualified for the relay event. Lewis said, "If they asked me, I'd run it in a second. But they haven't asked me to run it." He further suggested on ''[[Larry King Live]]'' that viewers phone the [[United States Olympic Committee]] to weigh in on the situation. Lewis had skipped the mandatory relay training camp and demanded to run the anchor leg, which added to the debate. The final decision was to exclude Lewis from the team. Olympic team coach Erv Hunt said, "The basis of their [the relay team's] opinion was 'We want to run, we worked our butts off and we deserve to be here.{{'"}}<ref name="autogenerated2"/> The American relay team finished second behind Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/content/results-and-medalists/gamesandsportsummary/?sport=32588&games=1996%2f1&event=32549 |title=Athletics Results – Atlanta 1996 – Olympic Medals |work=olympic.org}}</ref>

Lewis retired from track and field in 1997.