Perfection also eluded an American female figure
skater, Debi Thomas, who finished without a gold
medal. As did her principal competitor, East Ger-
many’s Witt, Thomas delivered her long perfor-
mance to the music Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.” How-
ever, a lackluster effort, which included an inability
to complete three triple jumps, left her with the
bronze medal. Witt did not dazzle either during her
long program, but she still won the gold medal, de-
fending the title that she had won during the 1984
Winter Games. Witt was a fourth-time world cham-
pion in her sport in 1988.
Perhaps the most tragic figure of the Games was
American speed skater Dan Jansen. He was one of
the favorites in the 500 meter, and he also stood a re-
alistic chance of earning a medal in the 1,000 meter.
However, on the morning of the first event, he
learned that his sister had died of leukemia. He
chose to skate but fell on the first turn. A few days
later, he was leading the 1,000 meter when he fell
again. However, Jansen never publicly complained
about what had happened to him, nor did he seek
any special treatment.Summer Games The 1988 Summer Games in
Seoul, South Korea, marked the first time in twelve
years in which no organized, widely supported boy-
cott took place. One hundred fifty-nine nations and
8,391 athletes competed in the Games.
The Soviet Union once again dominated the com-
petition, winning 55 gold and 132 total medals. The
United States finished third, taking home 36 gold
and 94 total medals. Those results were considered
unacceptable by the American public, which was stillThe Eighties in America Olympic Games of 1988 733
Greg Louganis hits his head on the diving board during the men’s springboard competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics.(Hulton Ar-
chive/Getty Images)