INDIANAPOLIS -- Carl Lewis ran the fastest 100 meters ever recorded Saturday, a wind-aided effort he believes can be duplicated under proper conditions in the Summer Olympic Games.
Lewis, who won four gold medals in the 1984 Olympics at Los Angeles, ran the 100 in 9.78 seconds to win the event in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
'I know I can run faster this summer,' Lewis said. 'The only thing I can do is focus on the Olympic Games. I've got to train and get in better shape for the Olympic Games.'
Canada's Ben Johnson set the world record of 9.83 seconds while beating Lewis in last year's World Track and Field Championships at Rome. Lewis, who turned 27 two weeks ago, felt jinxed by a fickle wind that blew 5.2 meters/second during his run, far above the 2.0 maximum allowed for record purposes.
'I always thought it was strange for the wind to go from nothing to five meters like that,' he said. 'This is the umpteenth world record time that was wind aided. I've always caught the bad luck.'
Lewis was not amazed at his speed, saying he felt capable of reaching the mark last year.
'I wasn't aware of the time. It felt faster than the others, but I was under control,' Lewis said. 'We've broken stigmas about the times. The times are not as unbelievable because they've been achieved. Last year I said I thought I could reach 9.7, and I did it, even though it was wind aided.'
Lewis won the 100 and 200 meters and the long jump in the Los Angeles Games, and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team. His quest to defend each title is halfway complete, as his sprint triumph is likely to assure him of the anchor spot on this year's relay unit.
Lewis will complete in long-jump preliminaries and final Sunday, plus two 200-meter preliminary heats Monday.
'It's important for me to get a good rest and have a good opening jump,' Lewis said. 'Then I've got two 200s and the long jump the next day. The main thing is to focus on the finals.'
Lewis hesitated to call the run his greatest race ever, but believes his conditioning was the best of his life.
'It's a very good race for me,' he said. 'I've run races technically better, but I haven't been in this good a shape. I'm physically better and emotionally stronger. That comes with age. I believe sprinters improve over time.'
Lewis ran the 100 meters in 9.96 seconds during two qualifying heats Friday, matching the seventh-fastest times then recorded. Friday, Lewis became the first person to run the 100 under 10 seconds twice in the same day. He accomplished the feat despite searing heat that reached 120 degrees at track level.
'Any one of these races I would have taken. I just had them all in one meet,' he said. 'And the best one was in the final. That was important. I was very confident in every race. I wasn't focusing on anyone. I was just trying to concentrate on running my best race.'
Athletes have praised the Indiana University Track and Field Stadium as one of the world's fastest tracks, but Lewis believes times can be improved on the surface at Seoul, South Korea in the Summer Games.
'This track is very fast. But if we're in the same shape in Seoul, I think we can do as well,' Lewis said. 'All the new tracks are good and the one in Seoul has had some time to get broken in.'