Lewis Bids Farewell After 18-Year Career

Five-time Olympian Carl Lewis staged a farewell encore at the University of Houston with a ceremonial quarter-lap on the track where his phenomenal 18-year career began.

Backed up by training partners from the Santa Monica Track Club 400-meter relay team - Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell and Floyd Heard - Lewis finished perhaps not the fastest 100 he’s anchored, at Robertson Stadium or anywhere, but one of the most gratifying.

“It’s been a long road, been a lot of fights, it’s been a lot of fun,” Lewis said after finishing the ceremonial “final run” at halftime of the Houston-Pittsburgh football game. “But to quote a song by Frank Sinatra, ‘I did it my way,’ and that’s still pretty damn good.”

Wilson Kipketer, a 24-year-old Kenyan competing for Denmark, clinched the 1997 overall Grand Prix title by winning the 800-meter run at the Fukuoka Grand Prix in Fukuoka, Japan, the last meet on the circuit.

Kipketer totaled 114 points. German discus-thrower Lars Riedel (99) finished second and American hurdler Mark Crear was third at 95.

The women’s overall title and the $250,000 jackpot went to German shot-putter Astrid Kumbernuss, who earned 99 points.

Hurdler Deon Hemmings of Jamaica was second with 93 points. American hurdler Kim Batten was third at 91.