BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS / DAY 14 : Cuban Women Show Strength by Defeating CIS for Gold Medal

The Cuban women’s volleyball team won the gold medal Friday, completing an unbeaten Olympic run by defeating the defending champion Commonwealth of Independent States, 16-14, 12-15, 15-12, 15-13.

The Cubans lost only five games in winning their first women’s volleyball gold on their fourth try. They went 5-0 in the Olympic tournament, defeating the United States in five games to reach the final.

“I’ve often seen athletes take part in the Olympic Games, and we’ve never had the chance,” said Mireya Luis, the Cuban captain. “This is such an experience, I can’t explain. It goes beyond words.”

The Cubans boycotted the Games in 1984 and 1988. The powerful women’s team was first in the 1991 Pan American Games, which they hosted.

Cuba handed the CIS its second loss of the Olympics--the first coming to the United States. As the Soviet Union, the CIS won four volleyball gold medals, including two of the last three.

“We played until midnight and did not get home until 2 a.m. To play without pause is not too good,” CIS Coach Nikolai Karpol said. “Naturally, the team was tired.”

The Cubans played well through most of the match, losing only the second game after blowing a 7-0 lead.