The inspiring Story of New Jersey’s Nine-Time Gold Medalist

The Olympics are here, and we are celebrating them by spotlighting former U.S. Olympic athletes over the years who were born in New Jersey.

Olympic Athletes Who Were Born In New Jersey

In years past, some of the most celebrated American Olympic athletes have been born in New Jersey.

The Winter Olympics 2026 are upon us, and we thought it would be fun to spotlight the New Jersey athletes who shone in the Winter and Summer Olympics in the past.

This time around, we'll focus on a New Jersey-born Summer Olympic athlete who re-wrote the record books.

This New Jersey-born Olympian Earned Nine Gold Medals

This athlete has 10 Olympic medals to his name, and nine of them are gold. Carl Lewis is one of the most celebrated New Jersey-born Olympians in history.

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Carl Lewis was not just a great Olympic athlete. He was named the Olympian of the Century by Sports Illustrated, according to the Team USA website.

He was also named the Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee.

Carl Lewis' Amazing Olympic Career

During his career as an Olympic athlete, Carl Lewis became one of the world's most celebrated Olympians.

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His Olympic career started with the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and continued through the Atlanta Summer Games in 1996.

The Willingboro-born athlete was not only a legendary Olympian but also so versatile that he was drafted by both the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.

Carl Lewis was one of New Jersey's most outstanding Olympic athletes and is now the coach for the University of Houston's men's and women's track and field teams.