Lewis Is Dropped From U.S. Relay Team After a Vote by the Three Other Sprinters
CANBERRA, Australia — Carl Lewis, winner of four gold medals at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, has been dropped from the American 400-meter relay squad for the World Cup track and field meet after a vote by the three other team members, coach Russ Rogers disclosed Wednesday.
Lewis, a mainstay of the 4 x 100-meter team for the past four years and anchor on the last two world-record performances in 1983 and 1984, has been involved in a series of incidents that irritated his teammates.
Rogers said Lewis had failed to turn up for baton training in Tokyo, failed to turn over his passport for visa arrangements and did not stay at the same hotel as the rest of the team.
“It’s got to the stage that the other three members--Harvey Glance, Calvin Smith and Kirk Bapiste--said that unless he came to training, they did not want him on the team,” Rogers said.
“He did not come to training, and they all agreed they would rather run without him.”
Dwayne Evans will fill in as anchor man.
According to Rogers, “Carl screwed up badly in Tokyo,” and Glance was reported locally as saying, “We have all come here to prove we can produce a fast time without Carl.”
At a low-key warm-up meet Wednesday, the new foursome was timed in 38.57 seconds despite a messy final changeover between Smith and Evans. The world record is 37.83.
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