BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS / DAY 16 : THE GAMES IN REVIEW : One Last Hurrah for the Medal Efforts of the CIS

With the final tally in, it is official--all those eulogies for the Big Red Machine were premature.

The remnant of the once-powerful Soviet sports system left an indelible mark on the Barcelona Olympics, which ended Sunday, with 112 medals.

Competing under the banner of the Unified Team, which encompassed the republics in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Georgia, athletes from the former Soviet Union led the medal count for seventh time in the nine Olympics they have entered since 1956.

The breakup of the CIS will mean no more privileged training facilities.

The effects already have been felt. More than 500 national team members who usually train in Georgia during the winter could not go to the southern republic because of lack of government funds. The fact that Georgia is a politically unstable region did not help matters.

Although the German team, unified for the first time since the 1964 Olympics, finished third in the medal race behind the CIS and the United States, it won far fewer medals (82) than East Germany did at Seoul (102).

The combined efforts of East and West Germany won 142 medals at Seoul, which would have been 10 more than the Soviet Union. But the combining of German national teams has caused scandal after scandal.

The United States, with 108 medals, seemed to benefit most from the changing political climate. Even without winning a medal in baseball and the boxing team falling well short of expectations, American athletes will leave Barcelona satisfied with their improvement from 1988. The United States finished third in the medal count at Seoul with 94.

By hosting the next Summer Games, American athletes should fare even better.

South Koreans learned that lesson four years ago, and the emphasis on sports helped them win 29 medals in Barcelona, seventh on the medal chart.

Even more surprising were the 22 medals won by Spain, tying Japan for 10th. The Spanish Olympic Committee spent $150 million in the last four years to prepare its athletes for these Games. That was an 80% increase over what it spent preparing for Seoul.

Spain’s 22 medals nearly matched its 26 won at all previous Summer Olympics. Thirteen of the medals were gold, remarkable considering the one most Spaniards believed they could win--water polo--they did not. Italy beat Spain in the final, 9-8.

Spanish athletes won their first gold medals in archery, cycling, judo, soccer, swimming, and track and field.

“We wanted the best possible preparation for our athletes and our own coaches, wherever it came from,” Javier Gomez Navarro, secretary of state for sports, told reporters.

They got that and more, using the knowledge of former Soviet coaches who were willing to sell their knowledge to the highest bidders.

Here’s a sport-by-sport look at the Barcelona Games:

ARCHERY

Cho Youn Jeong and her South Korean teammates started the competition with world-record scores and ended the week winning the individual and team gold medals for women. Sebastien Flute of France was a surprise winner for the men, and Spain won its first archery team gold by defeating Finland.

BADMINTON

In its debut as a medal sport, badminton was dominated by Indonesians. Alan Budi Kusuma of Indonesia defeated teammate Ardy Wiranata for the gold medal in men’s singles. Another Indonesian, Hermawan Susanto, shared the bronze with Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen of Denmark, the only non-Asian to win a medal in the competition.

In men’s doubles, the South Korean team of Kim Moon Soo and Park Joo Bong stopped the Indonesian express by defeating Eddy Hartono and Rudy Gunawan for the gold medal. A Malasian team, brothers Razif and Jalani Sidek, shared the bronze with the Chinese.

Susi Susanti of Indonesia defeated Bang Soo Hyun of South Korea for the gold medal in women’s singles.

BASEBALL

“Baseball is our national sport,” Cuban Coach Jorge Fuentes said.

And you thought it was the United States’.

Cuba (9-0) rolled through the tournament, defeating the Americans twice, and won the gold medal by blasting Taiwan, 11-1, in the final. Behind the pitching of Giorge Diaz, Cuba showed it had balance and power. With five players in their 30s, the Cubans also had experience.

But the Taiwanese and Japanese looked strong as well in earning silver and bronze medals, respectively. After losing to Taiwan in the semifinals, Japan’s players were so distraught they considered not showing for their bronze-medal game against the United States. The team of semipros decided to play and walked away with an 8-3 victory.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The greatest basketball team ever assembled overwhelmed the competition, which was as in awe of the legends as any fan. The traveling all-stars, led by Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, wooed the world on the court but failed to sail through the Olympics without controversy, thanks to Charles Barkley.

Still, they proved to be beloved conquistadors. With the NBA’s presence for the first time, the rest of the world conceded that the real battle was for the silver medal. Croatia proved up to the task, advancing to the final where it lost to the United States, 117-85.

Sometimes, it seemed as if the geopolitical baggage of the Cold War era could not be forgotten during competition. This was no more evident than when Lithuania defeated the CIS, 82-78, for the bronze medal. The game, featuring eight players from the 1988 Soviet Union team that won the gold medal in Seoul, was emotional.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The CIS and China were not expected to match the strength and quickness of the Americas’ two best teams. But after semifinal upsets, the United States and Cuba were left playing for bronze medal.

In the end, the CIS had enough firepower to beat China and its 6-foot-8, 278-pound center, Haixa Zheng, 76-66. Natalia Zassoulskaia, a 6-2 forward, led the former Soviets with 19 points.

The United States, with a seasoned group of women, fell apart in a 79-73 semifinal loss to the CIS and had to settle for the bronze medal.

BOXING

Cuba re-established its dominance over Olympic boxing after a 12-year absence by qualifying nine boxers for the finals and by winning seven gold medals. Cuban fighters were a combined 46-5 for the tournament.

The United States proved to be a major disappointment with only a gold, silver and bronze. One of the most controversial moments came when world champion Eric Griffin was upset, 6-5, under a new computer scoring system.

CANOE / KAYAK

In flatwater racing, Germany dominated with four gold medals, two silvers and a bronze in men’s and two golds and a silver in women’s. The Germans added a bronze medal in whitewater slalom kayak.

Elisabeth Micheler of Germany won the gold in the women’s single kayak slalom, and Lukas Pollert of Czechoslovakia won the men’s singles in canoe slalom. In double canoe slalom, Scott Strausbaugh of Dover, Pa., and Joe Jacobi of Bethesda, Md., won the gold.

CYCLING

Britain’s Chris Boardman set a world record in winning the men’s 4,000-meter individual pursuit to highlight the cycling events. Boardman’s revolutionary carbon fiber bicycle is expected to change the face of track cycling.

Boardman was by no means the only surprise of the cycling competition. Kathy Watt of Australia won the women’s road race when she broke free on the final lap of the five-lap race through Spanish vineyards. Watt won because the competition watched world champion Jeannie Longo of France, who took the silver and is so disliked among the women riders they were willing to sacrifice their chances to keep her from winning.

Watt took second in the 3,000-meter individual pursuit, won by Petra Rossner of Germany. Rebecca Twigg of San Diego took the bronze.

DEMONSTRATION SPORTS

In sports hoping to eventually be added to the Olympic community, Argentina defeated Spain, 8-5, in the roller hockey final.

Spain and Mexico dominated pelota competition, with Spain winning four gold medals and three silvers. Mexico had three golds and a silver. Other countries that did well were Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela and France, which had four seconds and a third.

In taekwondo, Spain and South Korea won the most matches.

DIVING

She was not yet 14, but Fu Mingxia won over the judges, as well as the world’s diving fans. Fu was almost 50 points better than Elena Mirochina of the CIS in the women’s platform, and laid the foundation for an outstanding exhibition by Chinese divers. Mary Ellen Clark of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., rallied to win a bronze.

Gao Min, who has not lost a competition since 1986, won her second Olympic gold medal by defeating Irina Lachko of the CIS in the women’s springboard for a Chinese sweep of the women’s golds.

Sun Shuwei, 16, won the gold in men’s platform, Scott Donie of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., won the silver and China’s Xiong Ni took the bronze. Tan Liangde, who earned two silvers behind Greg Louganis in Seoul, was headed for another gold when American Mark Lenzi surprised him in the men’s springboard. Liangde settled for the silver.

EQUESTRIAN

France, the world champion in show-jumping, could manage only a bronze medal as the Netherlands won its first gold in the team event because of superb riding of Jos Lansink. The Netherlands also finished second in team dressage, behind Germany. The United States won the bronze.

Matt Ryan led Australia to the three-day team gold after winning the individual three-day gold, and Norman Dello Joio of West Palm Beach, Fla., was a surprise bronze medalist in individual jumping. Ludgar Beerbaum of Germany won the event.

FENCING

France dominated individually, but as a team could muster only a bronze medal. Philippe Omnes of France won the individual foil, and teammate Eric Srecki won the individual epee. Frenchmen Jean-Francois Lamour won a bronze in sabre and Jean-Michel Henry won a bronze in epee.

But in the men’s team competition, France’s only medal came with a third-place finish in the sabre. Germany won the gold in foil after eliminating France in the quarterfinals. Germany also won the epee by defeating Hungary, and the CIS won the sabre by defeating Hungary.

Giovanna Trillini of Italy won the women’s individual gold medal in foil and led her country to the team gold.

FIELD HOCKEY

Eli Maragall, niece of Barcelona Mayor Pasqual Maragall, scored the winning goal as Spain surprised Germany, 2-1, to win the women’s field hockey gold medal.

The Germans, however, were not about to go home without at least one title. The men’s team edged Australia, 2-1, in the gold-medal match. Michael Hilgers scored both goals and was carried around the field after the victory.

GYMNASTICS

The collapse of the Soviet Union was expected to have a profound effect on the once-proud gymnastics teams from Moscow.

Instead, gymnasts from the CIS were nothing short of spectacular, punctuated by Vitaly Scherbo, a 20-year-old Belorussian who won six gold medals, including four individuals. He also won the team and all-around golds to become the most decorated gymnast in Olympic history. Grigori Misutin of the CIS added four silvers to the collection.

Despite Scherbo’s high-flying performances, perhaps the most intriguing moment came in women’s events when coaches replaced Rozalia Galieva with Tatiana Gutsu for the all-around final, claiming Galieva had an injury. Gutsu, the top young CIS gymnast, went on to win the all-around gold.

The CIS women also won the team competition, and to finish a great showing, CIS athletes won gold and bronze medals in rhythmic gymnastics. Alexandra Timoshenko, a Ukrainian, was nearly perfect in winning the gold medal.

Shannon Miller of Edmond, Okla., helped the United States finish third in the team competition and then added a number of individual medals to leave Barcelona with five. While Miller soared, world champion Kim Zmeskal of Houston faltered in her attempt to become the next Mary Lou Retton.

JUDO

Perhaps no medal was bigger than the silver won by Yael Arad of Israel in the women’s 134-pound category. Arad was only 5 when the 1972 Olympics in Munich turned to tragedy with the kidnaping and killing of Israeli athletes and coaches by Palestinian terrorists.

But it is a moment she said she could never forget in dedicating her medal to all of Israel. It was the country’s first Olympic medal. The next day, Shay Oren Smadga won the country’s second medal, a bronze in the men’s 157-pound division.

MODERN PENTATHLON

World champion Edouard Zenovka of the CIS lost the gold medal on the last day during the riding portion of the five-event sport. Holding a comfortable lead, Zenovka’s horse took a tumble and he lost his hat. When he failed to retrieve it, Zenovka was penalized and had only enough points for the bronze.

Poland’s Arkadiusz Skrzypaszek benefited from the mistake to win the gold. Poland also won the team gold, edging the CIS.

ROWING

Canada’s Silken Laumann was hospitalized for three weeks and had five operations to repair nerve and tissue damage after a freak accident during a practice run at a regatta in the spring. Laumann’s right leg was smashed when she collided with a German pair.

Although doctors told Laumann she would be unable to compete at Barcelona, she made the trip and finished with a bronze medal in single sculls.

The strong Canadian women’s team won the coxless pairs and coxless fours to end East Europe’s domination of the sport. German rowers, with the help of the unification, did well in men’s and women’s races.

The United States men came away with only one medal, a silver in the coxless fours. The women crews won a bronze in the coxless pairs and a silver in coxless fours.

SHOOTING

Zhang Shan of China was not planning to be a groundbreaker. A medal in skeet shooting would be enough. But Zhang, a 24-year-old student from Sichuan, became the first woman to win an open shooting event at the Olympics.

The International Shooting Union plans to change the format in 1996, separating men and women, but might reconsider after Zhang’s spectacular performance.

“I hope this infuences the (union) to take a second look at its decision,” said Lloyd Woodhouse, U.S. shotgun coach.

Zhang, who hit all 200 targets in the preliminary round for an Olympic record, understood the ramifications of her victory.

“As a woman shooter, to get first place means greater courage for women of China,” she said.

Zhang was not the only woman to excel. Marina Logvinenko won both women’s pistol events, and Launi Meili of Colorado Springs, Colo., won the women’s three-position rifle. Bob Foth, also of Colorado Springs, lost the gold in the men’s three-position rifle on the final shot, but won a silver.

SOCCER

Spain was not supposed to challenge for many team medals, but there it was before 95,000 fans playing for the gold medal in soccer.

The soccer tournament, which amounted to an amateur event, did not draw well in this football-crazy country. The problem, experts said, was the Spanish were used to a better level of competition than what the 23-and-under Olympic teams could offer.

That changed for the exciting final, won by Spain when Albert Ferrer chipped a loose ball over Polish goalkeeper Aleksander Klak in the final minute for a 3-2 victory.

The United States, with leading scorer Steve Snow complaining about playing time, failed to advance out of its pool play. The Americans did end the tournament by tying Poland, 2-2.

SWIMMING

She came expecting to win at least two gold medals and left the Bernat Picornell pool with three. Her name is Kristina Egerszegi of Hungary, the world’s fastest female backstroker.

Egerszegi, 17, won the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke, as well as the 400 individual medley. But she was not the sole Hungarian swimmer to shine at Barcelona. Teammate Tamas Darnyi, a double gold winner at Seoul, added two more--in the men’s 200 and 400 individual medleys.

Another East European sped through the water--Alexandre Popov, 20, of the CIS, who won the 50 and 100 freestyle. His teammate Evgueni Sadovyi won three gold medals.

Kieren Perkins, 18, of Australia might dominate the distances for a few years after setting a world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle with a time of 14 minutes 48.40 seconds. Perkins also won a silver medal in the 400 freestyle.

A strong American contingent, led by Mike Barrowman, Pablo Morales and Melvin Stewart, did well. Janet Evans, Summer Sanders and Nichole Haislett highlighted the women’s team.

Perhaps the most inspirational performance was that of Ron Karnaugh, who finished sixth in the 200 individual medley four days after his father died of a heart attack at the opening ceremony.

The swimming could not be completed without controversy. After China’s Yong Zhuang won the 100-meter freestyle she was not given a drug test. FINA, the international swimming federation, decided to not test every medal winner in its administration of random drug testing because so many swimmers compete in multiple events.

But the organization was embarrassed when questioned about the wisdom of not testing a gold-medal winner early in the competition. The outcry was perhaps pointed at the Chinese, whose swimmers have developed into world-class competitors since the 1991 World Championships in Perth, Australia.

Although none of the Chinese swimmers have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, some coaches and athletes have leveled allegations of anabolic steroid use since their strong showing in 1991.

SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING

After Kristen Babb-Sprague of Pleasanton, Calif., upset Sylvie Frechette of Montreal for the gold medal in solo competition, officials had a minor controversy on their hands.

Frechette, the world champion, might have lost the gold when a Brazilian judge admittedly punched the wrong score in her computer. An apparent computer malfunction prevented her from correcting the mistake, and when she informed the referee of the error, she still was not allowed to make the change.

The Canadians appealed the referee’s decision but the protest was denied, and the score stood. Babb-Sprague edged Frechette, who earned the silver.

Twins Karen and Sarah Josephson of Concord, Calif., won the duet gold medal over Penny and Vicky Vilagos of Canada.

TABLE TENNIS

Chinese women swept gold and silver medals in singles and doubles, with Deng Yaping and Qiao Hong teaming for the doubles title. Deng then defeated her partner for the singles championship.

Lu Lin and Wang Tao of China defeated Steffen Fetzner and Jorg Rosskopt of Germany to win the men’s doubles gold medal in an exciting five-game match.

But the Chinese men could not maintain the pace in singles’ play. Jan Waldner, a two-time world champion, gave Sweden its first gold medal of the Barcelona Olympics by defeating Jean Philipe Gatien of France in three games.

TEAM HANDBALL

The CIS men and South Korean women won the team handball competition. Iouri Gavrilov scored five goals to lead the CIS past favored Sweden, 22-20, and defending champion South Korea used its superior quickness to overpower Norway, the 1988 silver medalist, 28-21.

TENNIS

Spanish players had the advantage of playing at home before a partisan crowd. But foreigners reigned in Spain, and none was more of a surprise than Marc Rosset of Switzerland.

Rosset took 5 hours 3 minutes to defeat Jordi Arrese of Spain, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 8-6. Rosset had 33 aces in the gold-medal match.

The Rosset-Arrese final was as unexpected as any Olympic matchup. But the heat, slow clay and perhaps lack of interest hindered such superstars on the professional tennis circuit as top-ranked Jim Courier, No. 2 Stefan Edberg, No. 3 Pete Sampras, No. 6 Michael Chang and Boris Becker. All went down to defeat.

Also unable to please their hometown fans were the Barcelona doubles team of Aranxta Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez, who lost the gold in three sets to Americans Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez.

Jennifer Capriati, 16, was having the time of her life in the Olympic Village and forgot about rebelling against her parents and coaches. Adding to her excitement was a gold-medal victory over defending Olympic champion Steffi Graf of Germany.

TRACK AND FIELD

The United States had one of its best track and field meets in recent memory, winning 30 medals, including 12 golds. From world-record relays to long jumps, American men and women were strong competitors.

Carl Lewis, not expected to compete in the 4x100 relay, anchored the team to a world-record time of 37.40 seconds. Lewis also won the long jump and has eight gold medals over three Olympics.

Perhaps no athlete embodied the Olympic spirit more than 100-meter champion Gail Devers of Los Angeles, who competed in Barcelona although she suffered from Graves’ disease. Devers, a former UCLA athlete, almost added another gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles, but ran into the final hurdle and tripped with a big lead. She finished fifth.

Besides Devers, other former UCLA athletes were impressive. Jackie Joyner-Kersee repeated as heptathlon champion and added a bronze in the long jump. Kevin Young became the first man to break 47 seconds in the 400 intermediate hurdles with a world-record clocking of 46.78. Mike Marsh won the 200 meters and was a member of the 400 relay team. Steve Lewis, who finished second in the 400, was a member of the record-breaking 1,600 relay team.

Also on the team was Quincy Watts of USC, who earned two golds. He defeated Lewis and the rest of the world in the 400.

Gwen Torrence of Decatur, Ga., made more noise in finishing fourth in the women’s 100 than she did in winning the 200 and anchoring the first-place women’s 400 relay team. Torrence claimed some of the runners who defeated her in the 100 used performance-enchancing drugs. She did not name names and did not explain how she knew they used drugs, but her statements caused a stir.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The men’s tournament became the bad, the bald and the bronze for the U.S. men.

In one of the Barcelona Games’ first controversies, the United States lost to Japan because Bob Samuelson, who has a skin condition that stunts hair growth, was given two yellow cards. Officials ruled Samuelson showed have been ejected and Japan award a point, giving it the match. In protest, the rest of the U.S. team shaved their heads. The Americans advanced to the semifinals but lost to eventual champion Brazil and had to settle for a bronze by defeating Cuba.

Brazil was one of the biggest surprises. Outside hitters Negrao and Tande emerged from the tournament as two of the world’s best and led Brazil to the gold medal with a 15-12, 15-8, 15-5 victory over the Netherlands.

That either team was playing for gold was a surprise in the strong field. World champion Italy was expected to challenge, and, if not, the United States and Cuba. Italy was bumped from the preliminary play by Brazil, an inconsistent team that peaked when it needed to most.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

After waiting 12 years to show the world what it could do, the Cuban women’s volleyball team finally got its chance in Barcelona. The powerful team that won the 1991 Pan American Games took advantage of the forum.

The Cubans, who boycotted the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, won all five of their matches to take the gold medal. They defeated the CIS, 16-14, 12-15, 15-12, 15-13, in the final.

The United States, led by Caren Kemner, won the bronze over Brazil in what was a culmination of eight years of rebuilding.

WATER POLO

Manuel Estiarte, the world’s most prolific scorer the past decade, is married to an Italian and lives in Italy. But his loyalties were not torn in Spain’s gold-medal match.

Estiarte, 31, gave Spain an 8-7 lead over the Italians with 42 seconds left in the second overtime, but the home team, made up mostly of Catalonian players, was unable to hang on and lost, 9-8.

The hotly contested final took more than 17 minutes of overtime to decide. After Estiarte’s goal, Massimiliano Ferretti of Italy tied the score with 20 seconds to play in the second overtime. The teams then engaged in three more extra periods of three minutes each in one of the Olympics’ most dramatic gold-medal matches.

Ferdinando Gandolfi got the last goal for the Italians, and Oca Gaia’s final shot for Spain hit the goal post.

The CIS won the bronze medal by defeating the United States for the second time, 8-4.

WEIGHTLIFTING

The CIS was called the Unified Team by Olympic officials, but that was a misnomer in weightlifting.

Alexandre Kourlovitch, the gold-medal winner in the prestigious super heavyweight division, had strong words after winning the title as “World’s Strongest Man.”

Kurlovitch, a Belorussian who will compete for his republic in future competitions, called Vasily Alekseyev, chief of the CIS Weightlifting Federation, a dictator.

“I will be very happy to part ways and return to my republic,” he said. “He (Alekseyev) attempted not to include me here, but I was supported by people above him.”

The CIS lifters had a rife-filled Olympics. First, Alekseyev, a Soviet champion in the 1976 Olympics, declared a Turkmenistan light-heavyweight ineligible, angering many athletes. The lifter, Altymourad Orazdourdyev, was considered the favorite in his category.

Furthering embarrassing the team was the emotional display by replacement Ibragim Samadov, who refused to accept his bronze medal after being upset by Pyrros Dimas of Greece in the light-heavyweight category. Samadov was stripped of his medal and banned from competition for two years.

Samadov later was apologetic, saying he was so frustrasted with the loss that he acted immaturely at the medal ceremony.

GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING

The CIS continued to dominate the power events, winning nine medals in Greco-Roman wrestling--three each of gold, silver and bronze.

Dennis Koslowski of St. Louis Park, Minn., lost to Hector Milian of Cuba in the gold-medal match at 220 pounds, but won over the fans with his spirited performance.

FREESTYLE WRESTLING

Asgari Mohammadian of Iran was shut out in his gold-medal match of the 136.5-pound class, 6-0. He had to settle for the silver. But it is one he will cherish. It is one his country will, too.

Mohammadian’s second-place finish to world champion John Smith of Stillwater, Okla., proved to be Iran’s best performance of the Games. Iran’s three medals were all won in wrestling where Rasul Khadem Azghadi was a bronze winner at 181.5 pounds and Amir Reza Khadem Azghadi won the bronze in the 163-pound class.

Smith was one of three American gold medalists. Kevin Jackson of Ames, Iowa, won the 181.5-pound class, and Bruce Baumgartner of Cambridge Springs, Pa., the 286-pound category.

YACHTING

Instead of concentrating on the competitors, much of the talk was about the polluted seas off Barcelona. But many of the sailors said it was not as bad as other places they have competed, and set off on the weeklong regatta.

It was apparent that the home country would be tough. Spain won four gold medals and one silver to surprise the sailing community.

Mark Reynolds of San Diego and Hal Haenel of Los Angeles won the Star class for the only American gold medal. American sailors won six silvers and two bronzes.