THE SIDELINES : Lewis Recruits at Olympic Festival

Six-time Olympic gold medal winner Carl Lewis dropped in at the U.S. Olympic Festival on Wednesday, but not to compete. He came to recruit.

Lewis appeared at a church with an evangelical group that ministers to athletes. He sang a creditable duet with Grammy-winning singer Deniece Williams, belting out the gospel rocker, “Fire in My Soul.”

Lewis, who competed in the 1985 and ’86 Olympic Festivals and watched his sister Carol compete at the first festival in 1978, said he is not competing here because he feels “it is more beneficial for some of the people who are striving. I think it helps their careers.”

Lewis said he prays often for Ben Johnson, the Canadian who was stripped of his Olympic gold medal for using steroids.