Lewis Finally Has One for the Books to Go With Medals : Track: He’ll take the world record in 100 meters, which was stripped from Ben Johnson, because he believes he has earned it.

Carl Lewis has six gold medals from the Olympic Games, five from the World Championships and is the only man to win the 100 meters and the long jump in consecutive Olympics. Yet, some track and field purists believed his career was incomplete because he did not own a world record in an individual event.

That changed recently when he became officially recognized as the world record-holder in the 100 meters. Whether his accomplishment is diminished because the record was determined by a vote instead of an electronic timer depends on one’s perspective.

The International Amateur Athletic Federation, which governs track and field, awarded the record to Lewis after stripping it from Canadian Ben Johnson at an executive council meeting in Tokyo. The 9.83 seconds that Johnson ran in the 1987 World Championships was voided because he admitted that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs in training for that race. The mark was replaced by the 9.92 Lewis ran at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Some followers of the sport suggest that an asterisk be placed by Lewis’ record considering he did not even cross the finish line first in the race for which he is recognized. He finished second to Johnson, who ran 9.79. Johnson subsequently was disqualified when he tested positive for an anabolic steroid, leading to a Canadian government inquiry in which he confessed to drug use since 1981.

Lewis, however, said his record is legitimate.

“I’ve earned it,” he said. “Except for Ben, who was an admitted drug user, no one beat me in a (100-meter) race of any significance in the ‘80s. In the long run, people aren’t going to remember the situation. They’ll just remember that the time was clean.”

He also applauded the IAAF’s decision.

“It’s great that they’re making this kind of stand against drugs,” he said. “It’s more important for the sport than it is for myself because we now have a record that is attainable by clean athletes.”

Including himself in that group, he said: “I can run better races in the future if I focuson that. I can run faster than 9.92. I still believe I can run in the 9.8s.”

But Lewis, 28, admitted that focusing on track and field is becoming increasingly more difficult as he pursues other interests, including his recently completed autobiography, his new morning drive-time, radio sports show in Houston and his recording career. He has no plans to run indoors this winter and said he is scheduling only a six-week outdoor schedule.

His manager, Joe Douglas of the Santa Monica Track Club, said various promoters are attempting to arrange a race between Lewis and Johnson for a date after Sept. 25, when Johnson’s two-year suspension for testing positive in Seoul is lifted. London’s Daily Express reported in December that boxing promoter Bob Arum was prepared to pay $3.2 million to the runners. Arum said the report was “realistic but not accurate.”

It would be appropriate if Arum became involved because Lewis and Johnson often sound like boxers hyping a fight when they speak of each other. Lewis recently told the Washington Post he believes Johnson has continued to use steroids. He later recanted, but some athletes say they believe Lewis is obsessed with Johnson.

“That’s not true,” Douglas said. “Carl told me he knows he shouldn’t talk about Ben publicly. He really doesn’t spend that much time thinking about him.”

Lewis has not decided whether he is interested in facing Johnson.

“I’m not making any judgments, but a lot of people have told me they don’t think it’s fair for him to come back from a suspension and make a lot of money like nothing ever happened,” he said.

“On the other hand, if this is a race that would attract a lot of interest in the sport, then it should be considered. It’s a whole lot of money, maybe as much as $2 million for each of us. I have to review this.”

Lewis said he also is reviewing offers to make an assault on Bob Beamon’s 21-year-old world long jump record of 29 feet 2 1/2 inches. Only one other athlete, Armenian Robert Emmiyan, has jumped farther than 29 feet. Of the next best 18 jumps, Lewis has 14, including a longest of 28-10 1/4.

He once said he would not long-jump at high altitude, where the thinner air is believed to enhance performances for sprinters and jumpers, because a record set there would be tainted. Beamon set his record in the 1968 Olympics at Mexico City, which is at an elevation of 7,347 feet.

But Lewis might reconsider.

“I’ve already jumped farther than anybody else at sea level,” he said. “So I might go to altitude under the right circumstances. I’d like to see how far I could go. This might be the time to do it since I’m competing less in the long jump.”

Lewis is uncommited on his future in the sport beyond 1990.

“I would say that the 1992 Olympics are a big question mark,” he said. “Physically, there’s no question that I could compete through ’92. But I have to take it one year at a time.

“As long as I stay in the sport, I want to be totally motivated. But I’ll be 29 this year. I’ve been around a long time. It’s not as easy to stay motivated as it used to be.”