“The running movement India is experiencing is remarkable. To see the progress that is taking place reminds me of the seventies in the United States when we had all those great runners. I can experience the same energy here. An event like this is so important because when you have a race with 25,000 runners, it is not just about the sport it is about the community. It means people in India are running”, said Carl Lewis, Sportsman of the Century and the International Event Ambassador of the TCS World 10K Bangalore 2014 at a Meet & Greet session at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, here, on Friday.
The star arrived in a BMW motorcade in the company of the event’s elite athletes Lucy Kabuu, Vincent Chepkok, Uwe Höfer, Director, Finance & Administration BMW Group India, and Anil Singh, MD, Procam International at the Stadium, the start-finish point of the 10K run. Lewis said he was amazed with the manner in which the running movement has caught up in the country. “15 to20 years from now, India will look back at its running heritage and say wow, today there are millions and millions of runners all around the country”, he exclaimed.
The winner of 10 spectacular Olympic medals that include nine incredible gold spoke about how his athletic career came to be and advanced, crediting his mother as the one person who pushed him to get involved in the sport. The 52-year-old former track and field star competed in four Olympic Games and won numerous medals after his breakthrough moment came when he was 16. “I was a very good sprinter and long jumper on the East Coast but at that particular meet in Memphis, I ran my personal best. I also jumped 25.9 for the first time. When I made that step, everything changed and I realized what I wanted to do”, he said.
Lewis stressed on the fact that running has the potential to transform one’s body and the fact that is it something anyone can do at his or her own pace. “It’s something that’s great not just for people but for families because everyone can do it together” said Lewis.
In his seventeen-year career, the dominant sprinter and long jumper often topped the world rankings in the 100-metre, 200-metre and long jump events beginning 1981 until the early 90s but still feels that the long jump was the engine of his international career and something that took him to the next level.
Even though Lewis won 10 spectacular Olympic medals, his last Gold stays closest to his heart. “I knew it was my last Olympic chance. It took a huge blessing and tremendous focus. I had a great coach, probably the greatest of the 20th century. It took all of that… every single person and every single ounce of energy to get that last one “said Lewis, one of the most renowned Olympians of all time, talking about winning his ninth and final Olympic Gold.
“I want to be remembered for what I stood for and not for what I ran”, said Lewis as he shared his thoughts about the running movement in India. Carl Lewis’ presence at the TCS World 10K Bangalore – as one of the most renowned Olympians of all time – will be a historic day for the Indian running community, that respects him as a great runner and a genuine human being.
The TCS 10K Bangalore has 50 per cent more female entries this time, proof of the fact that more and more individuals are taking up running in the country. “Running is important for the community and for the world. If you have a country this large, things that you do here affect the entire world. I think the movement is wonderful and I am happy to be here and think it is going to be a great race”, he said as he left.
The TCS World 10K Bangalore 2014, scheduled to be run on Sunday, May 18.
