He competed at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where he won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling in the featherweight class.

At one point in his high school career, Lewis held the national consecutive pin record, with 45 straight.

In college, Lewis became a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion at the University of Iowa.

President Jimmy Carter's boycott prevented the U.S. team from traveling to the 1980 Olympic Games held in Moscow, Russia.

At the 1984 Olympic Games, Lewis won the gold medal at the 62 kg weight division in freestyle wrestling, outscoring his first four opponents 52-4 to advance to the final, where he defeated Japan's Kosei Akaishi 24-11 in 4:52.