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Article: Carl Lewis battles serious arthritis.(Sports)(Extra Points)(Sports People)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- July 5, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Sad news this morning from Houston, where Carl Lewis has told The Observer newspaper he suffers from degenerative arthritis that could leave him bedridden in later years. For anyone, that prospect would be daunting. For a man who won nine Olympic track and field gold medals in 16 years, it must be devastating.
Going public to increase awareness of the disease, Lewis, 37, said, "I've always known that sporting people frequently suffer from joint problems because of the repeated strain they put on their bodies to get to the top. But somehow I never thought it would happen to me. It has given me constant pain in my lower back, which only really stopped throbbing ...