The Business of Being the Fastest Man in the World | Carl Lewis with Declan Kelly

Carl Lewis is widely regarded as one of the most dominant athletes of the modern era. For more than a decade, he was the fastest man in the world, winning nine Olympic gold medals, going undefeated in the long jump for ten years, and becoming one of the most recognized athletes on the planet.

Over the course of his career, Lewis came to understand that dominating track and field had a dual effect. It brought extraordinary visibility and influence, allowing him to challenge the sport’s amateur model and advocate for athlete compensation. It also placed him under constant scrutiny, where anything less than perfection was viewed as failure and every position he took invited resistance. 

In this episode of Grey Matter, Lewis sits down with Consello Founder, Chairman and CEO Declan Kelly to discuss what it means to occupy the top position in the world for an extended period, the responsibility and scrutiny that followed, and what that level of sustained success demands. 

In this conversation, Carl discusses:

• How his parents taught him to track personal bests instead of placements and why that shaped his entire approach to competition
• The decision to follow Tom Tellez to the University of Houston and why choosing what he asked for over what felt comfortable defined his career
• Why he became one of the first advocates for professionalizing track and field and the resistance he faced from every direction
• The mental discipline and strategic intimidation required to remain undefeated in the long jump for an entire decade
• What the losses to Mike Powell and Joe DeLoach taught him that winning never could
• Why he returned to coaching at the University of Houston, doing exactly what his parents did before him

About Consello

Consello is an Advisory and Investing Platform with offices in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Dublin, Belfast, London, Barcelona, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.

Consello’s distinct advisory practices provide the complete strategic counsel today’s leaders need to grow and transform their organizations. Consello’s advisory expertise spans Corporate Advisory; M&A; Management Consulting; Talent; and Sports and Entertainment. Dedicated teams operate in each practice, led by a leadership group with deep operational experience across industries, business growth stages and market cycles and with an expansive set of global corporate relationships.

Consello’s investment business, Consello Capital, identifies high-potential mid-market companies and invests capital and expertise to transform their growth.

About Host Declan Kelly

Declan Kelly is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Consello, one of the world's most influential boutique advisory firms. A trusted advisor to dozens of CEOs leading the world's top companies, Mr. Kelly has built or run four global consulting companies over the last three decades prior to founding Consello. Mr. Kelly also served in government as US Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland during the Obama administration.