The accolades continue to roll in for the nine-time Olympic Champion and Houston track & field Assistant Coach, as Panam Sports announced Lewis as its guest of honor for the games. Lewis will travel to Lima, Peru to watch the games as a special guest of Panam Sports and will be in charge of awarding medals for the 100-meter dash and the men’s long jump.
According to a press release by Panam Sports, Lewis accepted the invitation that was extended by the organization’s president, Neven Ilic.
Proud to announce that I have received another opportunity to represent the USA at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru on August 10th! This will be my second time going and am hoping to bring back the ! @canalstcreations
Burke ran a 10.46 in the 100m for 4th in his heat, will not advance. Lattin won his heat in the 400m hurdles in 49.75. Finals are tomorrow (8th) at 6:15pm.
Bethel ran 11.76 and Evelyn 11.89 in the 100m for the women, neither advance.
Lattin continues to find success, securing a second-place finish and silver medal for Team USA at the 2019 Pan American Championships in Lima, Peru. The alum advanced to the finals of the 400-meter hurdles after taking a first-place finish in his preliminary heat and third-place overall at 49.75 on Tuesday afternoon.
In the finals, Lattin ran a strong race from wire-to-wire securing a second-place finish at 48.98 as one of two finishers to run sub-48 times.
Lattin will now prepare for the IAAF World Championships after finishing third at the USATF Championships in July.
Carl Lewis’ mother competed in the first Pan American Games that took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951. The experience changed her life and, in turn, changed Lewis’ as well.
One of the big takeaways from her Games experience was the need to raise her children to travel more.
“That experience was amazing for her,” Lewis said. “It if weren’t for her and what she believed in, especially her empowerment for women, I wouldn’t have been in athletics. That experience was really good for our family and was very good for me.”
The Pan American Games marked the first international competition Lewis, a four-time Olympian and 10-time Olympic medalist, ever competed in.
His first invitation came for the Pan American Games San Juan 1979 after narrowly making the cut in a qualifying meet in the U.S.
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