Editing Carl Lewis (section)

===Breakthrough in 1981 and 1982===
At the start of 1981, Lewis's best legal long jump was his high school record from 1979. On June 20, Lewis improved his personal best by almost half a meter by leaping {{T&Fcalc|8.62}} at the [[USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|TAC Championships]] while still a teenager.<ref>''Track and Field News'', January 1982; vol. 34, #12, p. 46</ref>

While marks set at the thinner air of high altitude are eligible for world records,<ref name=altitude>{{cite web |url=http://www.weeklyscientist.com/ws/articles/records.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050129134221/http://www.weeklyscientist.com/ws/articles/records.htm |archive-date=January 29, 2005 |title=Olympic world records may be wrong |publisher=Weeklyscientist.com |access-date=June 9, 2015}}</ref> Lewis was determined to set his records at sea level. In response to a question about his skipping a 1982 long jump competition at altitude, he said, "I want the record and I plan to get it, but not at altitude. I don't want that '(A)' [for altitude] after the mark."<ref>''Track and Field News'', July 1982, vol. 35 #6, p. 61</ref> When he gained prominence in the early 1980s, all the extant men's 100&nbsp;m and 200&nbsp;m records and the long jump record had been set at the [[1968 in athletics#Altitude|high altitude]] of [[Mexico City]].<ref name=altitude/>

Also in 1981, Lewis became the fastest 100&nbsp;m sprinter in the world. His relatively modest best from 1979 (10.67&nbsp;s) improved to a world-class 10.21 the next year. But 1981 saw him run 10.00&nbsp;s at the Southwest Conference Championships in Dallas on May 16, a time that was the third-fastest in history and stood as the low-altitude record.<ref>''Track and Field News'', July 1981, vol. 34 #6, p. 12</ref> For the first time, Lewis was ranked number one in the world, in both the 100&nbsp;m and the long jump. He won his first national titles in the 100&nbsp;m and long jump. Additionally, he won the [[James E. Sullivan Award]] as the top amateur athlete in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aausullivan.org/winners_1981.html |title=The Sullivan Award Winner |publisher=Aausullivan.org |date=July 1, 1961 |access-date=April 11, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404031851/http://www.aausullivan.org/winners_1981.html |archive-date=April 4, 2012}}</ref>

In 1982, Lewis continued his dominance, and for the first time it seemed someone might challenge [[Bob Beamon]]'s world record of {{T&Fcalc|8.90}} in the long jump set at the [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Olympics]], a mark often described as one of the greatest athletic achievements ever.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00014092.html |title=Beamon made sport's greatest leap |publisher=Espn.go.com |access-date=April 11, 2012}}</ref> Before Lewis, {{T&Fcalc2|28|0}} had been exceeded on two occasions by two people: Beamon and [[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Olympic]] champion [[Lutz Dombrowski]]. During 1982, Lewis cleared {{T&Fcalc2|28|0}} five times outdoors, twice more indoors, going as far as {{T&Fcalc|8.76}} at Indianapolis on July 24.<ref>''Track and Field News'', January 1983, vol. 35 #12, p. 45</ref> He also ran 10.00&nbsp;s in the 100&nbsp;m, the world's fastest time, matching his low-altitude record from 1981. He achieved his 10.00&nbsp;s clocking the same weekend he leapt {{T&Fcalc|8.61}} twice, and the day he recorded his new low-altitude record {{T&Fcalc|8.76}} at [[Indianapolis]], he had three fouls with his toe barely over the board, two of which seemed to exceed Beamon's record, the third which several observers said reached {{T&Fcalc2|30|0}}. Lewis said he should have been credited with that jump, claiming the track officials misinterpreted the rules on fouls.<ref>''Track and Field News'', August 1982, vol. 35, #6, p.28–29</ref>

He repeated his number one ranking in the 100&nbsp;m and long jump, and ranked number six in the 200&nbsp;m. Additionally, he was named Athlete of the Year by ''Track and Field News''. From 1981 until 1992, Lewis topped the 100&nbsp;m ranking six times (seven if [[Ben Johnson (Canadian sprinter)|Ben Johnson]]'s 1987 top ranking is ignored), and ranked no lower than third.<ref name=100worldrank/> His dominance in the long jump was even greater, as he topped the rankings nine times during the same period, and ranked second in the other years.<ref name=ljworldrank/>