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Modern Olympics
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Barcelona 1992 |
The 1992 Olympic Games are
probably best remembered for one of the most spectacular and
stylish opening ceremonies of all time . Held in the
neo-classical Olympic Stadium on Montjuic, there were
performances by the Spanish Opera stars, Placido Domingo, Jose
Carreras, and Monserrat Caballe. Other highlights included the
mythical birth of Barcelona from the sea, followed by ocean
battles between sea monsters & humans.
Much praise was also given to the many other sporting
facilities which were either built from scratch (such as the
1700 seat Sant Jordi Sports Palace) or that were refurbished
and modernized from existing buildings.
Barcelona put on many fine cultural events to complement the
sport. All this put Barcelona firmly back onto the tourist
map.
These Games where also very special for the IOC president,
Juan Antonio Samaranch, for they were held in his native
region of Catalonia, Spain. Samaranch was foremost in
supporting the commercialization of the Olympics. This
resulted in the IOC taking in millions on dollars in revenue
(mainly from the sale of television broadcasting rights).
Communism had just fallen in Eastern Europe and the
reunification of Germany (1990) was underway. The Soviet
Union, once a powerhouse in the athletic world, competed for
the last time as the Unified Team. This team was made up of 12
nations from the former USSR. In comparison , Germany competed
under one flag for the first time since 1964.
There were no boycotts during these Games. Both Cuba and North
Korea returned after 12 years and South Africa was welcomed
back after 32, as its government had finally put an end to its
apartheid policies.
A record 10,563 athletes from 172 nations attended. - A new
record.
These Olympics also saw the final demise of one of de
Coubertin's primary ideals - that of amateurism . Thus , for
the first time in 96 years, professional athletes were allowed
to compete.
Basketball was one of the chief beneficiaries. The U.S. Dream
Team of NBA (National Basketball Association) All-Stars easily
captured the gold , defeating Croatia, 117-85. The team
included such legends as Charles Barkley and Earvin "Magic"
Johnson.
In athletics, Carl Lewis earned his 7th and 8th (career) gold
medals with a 3rd consecutive Olympic win in the long
jump(8.67metres), and an anchor-leg performance on the US
4x100m relay team .This team, which also included Leroy
Burrell, Mike Marsh and Dennis Mitchell, set a world record of
37.40 seconds. Lewis, won the long jump on his first attempt
defeating teammate Mike Powel who had previously defeated
Lewis at the 1991 world championships in Tokyo. These 2 golds
were some consolation for Lewis as he had failed to gain an
individual sprint place with the US team.
At 32 years of age, Jamaican-born Linford Christie who was
running for Great Britain won the men's 100m. He beat
Namibia's Frank Fredericks, and Dennis Mitchel of the US. This
made Christie the oldest sprint champion at any Games.The
following year, Christie won the World championship.
In female athletics, the 30 year old American Jackie Joyner-Kersee
won her second consecutive heptathlon gold. She was the sister
of the 1984 triple-jump champion ,Al Joyner. With 7044 points,
she defeated Irina Belova (6845 points, Unified Team) and
Sabine Braun(6649 points, Germany).
The U.S. won the women's 4x100m relay. This team was lead by
4-time Olympic sprinter Evelyn Ashford . Gwen Torrence was the
anchor.
The women's 100m was won by Gail Devers of the U.S. This was a
personal triumph for the American as her feet had nearly been
amputated by doctors in 1990 as a result of radiation
treatment for Graves' disease. She nearly won a second title
(200m hurdles) , but fell, letting Paraskevi Patoulidou of
Greece take the gold. This was the first gold medal that a
Greek woman athlete had ever won.
In swimming, the defending world champion, Summer Sanders of
the U.S., took the gold in the 200m butterfly event with a
time of 2 minutes, 8.67 seconds. This race was so fast that
the first 7 finishers all set personal best records. The
runners up were Wang Xiaohong of China (2:09.01), and Susie
O'Neill of Australia (2:09.03)
Janet Evans (U.S.) won her 2nd consecutive gold in the 800m
freestyle. Evans had not lost an 800m race in five years. She
lead from the start of the race to its finish and won by eight
metres.
The most successful female swimmer was Krisztina Egerszegi of
Hungary. She won golds in the 100 & 200m backstroke, and the
400m individual medley. The most successful male swimmer was
Yevgeni Sadovyi of the Unified Team. He won the 200m & 400m
freestyle, and was part of the 4x100m freestyle relay team.
At 13, Fu Mingxia, of China, won the women's platform (high
board) diving gold .This made her the second-youngest person
to win an individual gold medal. The Chinese dominated the
diving with Gao Min winning the women's spring board, and Sun
Shuwei winning the men's high board. The only non Chinese
athlete to win a diving gold medal was Mark Lenzi of the USA
(spring board).
In gymnastics, Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus, competing for the
Unified Team, won six golds. He was easily the most successful
athlete at these Games.
Cuba returned with a vengeance, winning 7 boxing golds as well
as a gold in baseball. |
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Source:
olympicwebsite.com |
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