prises, and disappointments. The Barcelona Games
were no exception. Probably the most extraordinary
success was in men’s gymnastics, in which the UT
gymnast Vitaly Scherbo took six gold medals, four
of them on a single day. He won in the men’s all-
around, still rings, pommel horse, vault, parallel
bars, and in the team all-around. In swimming, Hun-
gary’s Krisztina Egerszegi became a triple champion
in the 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter backstroke,
and the 400-meter individual medley. Egerszegi had
first won Olympic gold at Seoul when she was just
fourteen. She became the world record-holder over
both 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke. The UT
swimmer Alexander Popov won golds in both the 50-
meter and 100-meter freestyle, beating strong U.S.
challenges.
In rowing, the great British oarsman Steve Red-
grave won another gold medal, this time rowing with
Matthew Pinsent in the coxless pairs, a victory to be
repeated in Atlanta four years later. Redgrave went
on to win golds in no fewer than five Olympics,
Pinsent in four. The German oarsman Thomas
Lange retained his 1988 title in the single sculls. In
the track-and-field events, the great Cuban high
jumper Javier Sotomayor finally gained a gold
medal, having been forced to boycott the previous
two Olympics. In the sprints, the U.S. dominance
was broken by the win of the British 100-meter
sprinter Linford Christie and the arrival of sprinters
from Africa, particularly Namibia and Nigeria. At
thirty-two, Christie was the oldest sprint champion
on record. Hassiba Boulmerka, the Algerian winner
of the women’s 1,500-meter, became the first female
medalist from a Muslim country, having run despite
great criticism from some of her fellow Muslims.
The host country is thought to have an advantage
in winning medals. This proved particularly true for
Spain, normally regarded as quite an average coun-
try in world sport, and was nowhere better seen than
in the men’s 1,500-meter, in which a relatively un-
known Spaniard, Fermin Cacho, won the race of a
lifetime in an impeccably timed race. The Spanish
also gained golds in soccer, the men’s 20-kilometer
walk, and their first ever in a swimming event. Spain
came an astonishing sixth in the unofficial medals
table, with 13 gold and 22 medals altogether. The
UT team won the most medals, with 45 gold and 112
altogether, ahead of the United States with 37 gold
and 108 altogether.
Technology continued to play a significant role in
a number of sports, ranging from improved materi-
als in the construction of poles for pole vaulting to
the materials for canoes, kayaks, and boats. Perhaps
the most dramatic technological innovation was in
cycling, in which British rider Chris Boardman
sported a revolutionary new bicycle designed using
the latest aerodynamic technology—though his bi-
cycle was still within Olympic specifications. He won
the 4000-meter individual pursuit event, beating
world champion Jens Lehmann. Later, allegations
were made that he would not have won had it not
been for the new bicycle, allegations proved wrong
when, after the Olympics, he won similar pursuit
races using a conventional bicycle.
The most dramatic event marking the return of
South Africa to the Olympics was the women’s
10,000-meter, in which South African Elana Meyer
battled the whole race with Ethiopian Derartu Tulu,
with Tulu just beating Meyer to the finish. The two
athletes ran the lap of honor hand in hand, black
and white athlete together.
Another dramatic event was in the men’s 400-
meter. In the semifinal, the British runner Derek
Redmond suddenly pulled a hamstring on the final
bend. Struggling to continue, Redmond found his
father jumping on to the track to support his son to
the finish.
Probably the greatest disappointment was in the
men’s pole vault, in which the UT jumper Sergei
Bubka was widely expected to win, having taken gold
at Seoul in 1988 and setting a new Olympic record.
Bubka in fact totally failed to make any height,
though just a month later he set a new world record.U.S. Achievements The U.S. contingent consisted
of 578 athletes, compared to 494 from the UT and
486 from the united German team. Canada’s contin-
gent amounted to 304 athletes, on a level with Aus-
tralia, with 295 athletes.
During the first week, the swimming and diving
events were held. In these, Americans took eleven
golds, more than any other country. Mike Barrow-
man, who had finished fourth in Seoul in the men’s
200-meter breaststroke, broke his own world record
in that event despite the death of his father shortly
before. The win in the men’s 4-by-100-meter free-
style relay gave Matt Biondi his seventh Olympic
gold, though he was well beaten in other events. In
the men’s medley relay, the U.S. team beat two world
records in their win. The other outstanding U.S.The Nineties in America Olympic Games of 1992 639