The Stirring of Olympic Spirit : Local stars strike gold as old memories revive

Congratulations to Janet Evans. The gold medal she won Thursday at Barcelona’s Olympic swimming pool, in the 800-meter freestyle, should fit quite nicely with the three gold medals the Placentia resident won at Seoul in 1988. But more than the medal, it was Evans’ “comeback” that inspired.

She had finished second on Wednesday in the 400-meter freestyle race, an event she had won at Seoul. Some observers were asking whether a mere silver medal meant that Evans was through at only 20 years old. She proved them wrong Thursday, and there’s a lesson in that for all of us here in Los Angeles: The city too can come back.

It’s hard to remember, with all the recent troubles this city has seen, that just eight years ago we were all caught up in the joyous fiesta that now enlivens Barcelona.

Having enjoyed that celebration of sport in 1984, people hereabouts usually feel a little extra something when they watch Olympic telecasts from other cities. The memories from ’84 echo.

But for a while this year that special feeling was missing, at least for us.

Maybe the electronic media coverage had something to do with it. The initial news coverage focused so heavily on the exploits of the professional basketball players representing the United States this year, rather than on young amateurs in other sports.

Or maybe it was the fact that the end of the Cold War has left many of us at least wondering why we should not know more about other great athletes from around the world.

And perhaps, too, the Cold War’s end left us a little confused as to what and where all these new countries are. NBC didn’t help because, with a few notable exceptions, network TV didn’t do an adequate job of profiling the foreign athletes as they competed. Tell us more, please!

But just when we were prepared to give up, Janet Evans came through. And then East Los Angeles’ Oscar de la Hoya won his first boxing match, raising hopes that he, fellow boxer Pepe Reilly of Glendale and other local Olympians can bring home medals, too.

But even if they don’t, they’ve revived our Olympic spirit. For that, thanks.