Ran against him for two years in high school.
He transferred from LA Banning High School in the summer of 1985, and transferred to Fremont American High School in the MVAL league. They had a decent 400m runner in Demetrius Carter. Lewis won the North Coast Section Meet of Champions in a meet record - and PB - 47,31 ahead of Carter, but Lewis could not catch Berkeley's Darron Minor in the 4x400m, which Berkeley won in 3.15,50. American's team was composed of Sheldon Forehand and another runner in addition to Carter and Lewis.
Carter won heat three of the CA State Prelims in a PB 48,19, with Lewis taking the newxt heat in a PB 46,50 (!). Lewis won the final in 46,59, with Carter setting a PB in 47,67. Both teamed again to challenge Berkeley High School for NCS bragging rights, but lost again (Berkeley 3.15,43 for third; American 3.16,12 for fifth) as Hawthorne won in 3.14,79.
Lewis ran hand times of 46,7/21,1 at the 1987 MVAL finals, and had stiff competition in both events from Logan 12-grader Sean Cumby, who:d transferred in from somewhere to add strength to their programme. Lewis was the Arcadia winner in an auto 46,70.
Lewis won his second-straight NCS Meet of Champs title in 47,08, and added the 200m (21,79) for his third overall title.
Lewis repeated as CA 400m champion, running 46,7h (Cumby finished 6:th in 47,8h), but not after controversy. Seated in a row six up from Lewis lane, I heard a camera click just as the runners were called to the set position. Lewis jumped with the click, and was DQ:d. Most everyone at the finish line side of the stadium began booing when the official raised the DQ flag. Lewis was eventually let back in, concentrated again, and won the race. Cumby anchored Logan to a 3.14,45 fourth-place finish behind Hawthorne:s winning time of 3.11,77.
Lewis went on to run a comfortable 46,14 PB at GWI the following week, and ended his season on a high with a 45,76 PB at the USA Jr Nationals - the same time his future collegiate and Olympic teammate, Danny Everett, ran in high school. Everett won the GWI two years before - in 1985 - in 46,06.
Lewis ran 11 races under 45,00 his first year at UCLA (and the extended season) - culminating with that 2.59,91 CR and 43,87 WJR. Lewis ran the first leg on the runner-up 4x100m relay at NCAA:s (Marsh, Everett, Lewis, Thomas - 39,04), and placed second to Everett in the open 400m (44,52-44,83).
Lewis didn:t win a sub-45,00 final until Malmö on 8-August, running 44,75. He:d run a 44,11 PB in the OT semi-finals - a victory. He was third in Butch Reynolds 43,29 WR in Zürich, running 44,26 - his second-fastest time of the season before the Olympics, and his fastest finals-only time ever.
Lewis ran 44,41 in the third heat of the Olympic Games, followed it up with a 44,35 in the first semi-final, and won the final in 43,87 with Reynolds trying valiantly to catch Lewis down the homestretch. Innocent Egbunike took the field out hard, with Lewis latching on and pacing himself perfectly.
The television report first had him at 43,89, it was later adjusted after official results were provided. He also ran every round of the 4x400m, and was part of the 2.56,16 = WR team.