From: xiong@bsu-cs.bsu.edu (Bo Xiong)
Subject: [Olympics] Zhuang Upsets American Thompson To Win China's 1st Gold
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 13:21:20 -0500

The latest China-related Olympics News can be found in CND-Global during
the Barcelona Summer Olympics.

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From:  CND Sources
Subject: First Gold Medel for China
Original Source: DJ    07/26
Swimming: China's Zhuang Upsets American Thompson To Win Gold

    Yong Zhuang of China upset world record holder Jenny Thompson of the
U.S. Sunday to win the gold medal in the women's 100-meter freestyle
swimming competition at the Olympics in Barcelona.

    Zhuang overtook Thompson over the final 50 meters and won in an Olympic
record time of 54.64 seconds.

    Thompson held on for the silver.

    Franziska van Almsick of Germany, a 14-year-old, edged out American Nicole
Haiselett for the bronze medal.

    Thompson led at the 50-meter mark and appeared ready to duel van Almsick
for the gold.

    But Zhuang, off to the left in lane two, surged ahead and Thompson was
unable to catch her. Thompson, who set an Olympic record in qualifying,
finished in 54.84 seconds.

    Three other gold medals will be decided in swimming Sunday.

    The men's 100-meter breaststroke, the men's 200-meter freestyle and the
women's 400-meter individual medley are scheduled for later in the day.

    The U.S. swimming team is comprised of talented youngsters and Olympic
veterans hopes to improve on 1988's sub-par showing when the Olympic
swimming competition gets under way Sunday in Barcelona.

    The U.S. won only eight gold medals, three in relay races, in 1988.

    American men, who had dominated the Olympic pool, ran into strong
competition from swimmers from Hungary, West Germany and the Soviet Union.

    Also, the American women continued to lag behind six-time gold medalist
Kristin Otto and the hot East Germans.

    Things should change at Barcelona.

    The American team is more experienced and the changes in Eastern Europe
should make their presence felt first in the swimming competition.

    The German women will be especially interesting.

    Steroids were long suspected of being staples of the East German sports
machine, but all that has changed since the East and West Germany unified 2
years ago.

    Matt Biondi and Janet Evans, the only U.S. swimmers to capture gold
medals in individual events at Seoul, return to anchor this year's squad.

    Biondi, a five-time gold medalist in 1988, is favored to repeat in the
50- and 100-meter freestyle. He also won three gold medals in relay races at
Seoul.

    Evans, also a freestyle specialist, looks to repeat at her gold medal
distances - 400 and 800 meters. She won her third gold medal in the 400-meter
individual medley 4 years ago.

    The rising star of this year's women's team could be Summer Sanders,
who is among the favorites in both butterfly events and in the two
individual medley races.

    Thompson is among the best in the world in the 50 and 100 meters and will
anchor the U.S. team in 400-meter freestyle relay.

    Thompson also will compete in the 200-meter freestyle, but fellow
American Nicole Haislett is more of a gold-medal threat in that event.

    Other American women with gold-medal hopes include Anita Nall
(breaststroke), Janie Wagstaff (backstroke) and Chrissy Ahmann-Leighton (
butterfly).

    The U.S. women's strongest opposi- tion should come from 1988 gold medal-
ist Krisztina Egerszegi of Hungary and Australian freestyler Jule McDonald.

    Egerszegi won the 200-meter backstroke at Seoul and is among the
favorites in that event, the 100-meter backstroke and in the 400-meter
individual medley.

    In addition to Biondi, the men's team features former Olympians Tom
Jager, David Wharton and Pablo Morales.

    Jager, who took the silver in the 50-meter freestyle in 1988, will
challenge Biondi in the same event this year and swim a leg on the 400-meter
freestyle relay.

    Wharton won a silver in the 400-meter individual medley at Seoul.
He'll compete in that event and the 200-meter butterfly.

    Morales will be making his first Olympic appearance since the 1984 Games
where he won a gold and two silvers.

    Morales will compete in only one event, the 100-meter butterfly, against
defending Olympic champion Anthony Nesty of Surinam.

    Nesty became his nation's first Olympic medalist and the first black
swimmer to win a medal when he edged Biondi for the gold in 1988.

    Mike Barrowman (breaststroke), Jeff Rouse (backstroke), and Melvin Stewart
(individual medley) are among the other top American swimmers.

    Australian Kieren Perkins is among the favorites in the longer freestyle
races, Hungary's Norbert Rozsa is among the top breaststrokers, and Spain's
Martin Zubero could win either the 100- or 200-meter backstroke.

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Forwarded to SCC by Bo Xiong in Chicago