Competing in four Summer Olympics, Lewe earned two medals in the C-1 1000 m event with a silver in 1968 and a bronze in 1972. He also won four canoe sprint world championship medals with three golds (C-1 500 m: 1971, C-1 1000 m: 1966, 1971) and one silver (C-1 1000 m: 1963). Lewe also carried the West German flag at the opening ceremonies of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.