# Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres

The women's 100 metres was an event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were a total of 55 participating athletes, with seven qualifying heats. The top four in each heat qualified for the quarterfinals along with the four fastest remaining.
The world record holder and defending gold medalist Florence Griffith-Joyner had retired. The returning silver medalist, 35 year old Evelyn Ashford ran fast in the quarterfinals but was eliminated in the semis. Other returning veterans included Merlene Ottey, who won her first Olympic medal in 1980, Anelia Nuneva who made a heroic attempt to keep up with Griffith-Joyner four years earlier, only to have her hamstring explode in the attempt. Through the semi-final round, Juliet Cuthbert had the fastest qualifying time, while Gwen Torrence was the winner of the other semi-final. Both Cuthbert and Torrence were also returning finalists from 1988. Irina Privalova, Mary Onyali and Liliana Allen were younger sprinters. As the world championship silver medalist in the 100 metres hurdles, Gail Devers was known as a hurdler and didn't carry a strong reputation as a sprinter, though she had finished a distant second in Griffith-Joyner's world record race.
From the gun in the final, Privalova leaped out to an early lead in lane 6. Less noticed in lane 2, Devers also got a slight edge on the two Jamaicans and Torrence in the middle of the track. But Privalova couldn't put them away, instead all three were slowly gaining on the early leaders, with Cuthbert gaining a slight edge amongst the three. By the finish, Devers, Cuthbert, Privalova and Torrence all were within a foot of one another, with Ottey only another foot back. Separated by inches, Devers beat Cuthbert to the line. Privalova barely arrived ahead of Torrence who passed her in the next step after the line.
Four years later, it would be Devers again by inches ahead of Ottey and Torrence to become only the second woman to win the 100 twice in a row.

## Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics.
| World Record | 10.49 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | Indianapolis (USA) | July 16, 1988 |
| Olympic Record | 10.54 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | Seoul (KOR) | September 24, 1988 |

## Results
### Heats

First 4 from each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) qualified for the semifinals.
| Rank | Heat | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Juliet Cuthbert | Jamaica | 11.14 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Gail Devers | United States | 11.23 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Evelyn Ashford | United States | 11.23 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica | 11.26 | Q |
| 5 | 5 | Gwen Torrence | United States | 11.28 | Q |
| 6 | 7 | Beatrice Utondu | Nigeria | 11.30 | Q |
| 7 | 3 | Anelia Nuneva | Bulgaria | 11.34 | Q |
| 8 | 6 | Mary Onyali | Nigeria | 11.37 | Q |
| 9 | 5 | Christy Opara | Nigeria | 11.39 | Q |
| 10 | 2 | Irina Privalova | Unified Team | 11.42 | Q |
| 11 | 6 | Wang Huei-Chen | Chinese Taipei | 11.43 | Q |
| 12 | 1 | Sisko Hanhijoki | Finland | 11.44 | Q |
| 13 | 3 | Elinda Vorster | South Africa | 11.45 | Q |
| 13 | 7 | Olga Bogoslovskaya | Unified Team | 11.45 | Q |
| 15 | 7 | Nelli Fiere-Cooman | Netherlands | 11.47 | Q |
| 16 | 4 | Pauline Davis-Thompson | Bahamas | 11.48 | Q |
| 17 | 5 | Liliana Allen | Cuba | 11.49 | Q |
| 18 | 1 | Patricia Girard | France | 11.51 | Q |
| 19 | 3 | Melinda Gainsford | Australia | 11.57 | Q |
| 19 | 7 | Laurence Bily | France | 11.57 | Q |
| 21 | 6 | Lucrécia Jardim | Portugal | 11.58 | Q |
| 22 | 2 | Kerry Johnson | Australia | 11.62 | Q |
| 22 | 3 | Odiah Sidibé | France | 11.62 | q |
| 24 | 4 | Stephanie Douglas | Great Britain | 11.65 | Q |
| 25 | 4 | Myra Mayberry-Wilkinson | Puerto Rico | 11.67 | Q |
| 26 | 1 | Gao Han | China | 11.68 | Q |
| 26 | 6 | Tian Yumei | China | 11.68 | q |
| 28 | 2 | Xiao Yehua | China | 11.69 | Q |
| 28 | 7 | Sabine Tröger | Austria | 11.69 | q |
| 30 | 1 | Cristina Castro Salvador | Spain | 11.72 | q |
| 31 | 2 | Dahlia Duhaney | Jamaica | 11.73 | Q |
| 31 | 5 | Andrea Philipp | Germany | 11.73 | Q |
| 33 | 5 | Lalao Robine Ravaoniriana | Madagascar | 11.74 | |
| 34 | 4 | Heather Samuel | Antigua and Barbuda | 11.76 | |
| 35 | 5 | Patricia Foufoué Ziga | Ivory Coast | 11.77 | |
| 36 | 2 | Karen Clarke | Canada | 11.79 | |
| 37 | 2 | N'Deye Binta Dia | Senegal | 11.83 | |
| 38 | 2 | Damayanthi Darsha | Sri Lanka | 11.88 | |
| 39 | 3 | Ratjai Sripet | Thailand | 11.99 | |
| 40 | 7 | Marcel Winkler | South Africa | 12.01 | |
| 41 | 6 | Dawnette Douglas | Bermuda | 12.05 | |
| 42 | 4 | Gaily Dube | Zimbabwe | 12.08 | |
| 43 | 1 | Trương Hoàng Mỹ Linh | Vietnam | 12.11 | |
| 44 | 3 | Monique Kengné | Cameroon | 12.12 | |
| 44 | 6 | Zoila Stewart | Costa Rica | 12.12 | |
| 46 | 5 | Ngozi Mwanamwambwa | Zambia | 12.13 | |
| 47 | 7 | Aminata Konaté | Guinea | 12.33 | |
| 48 | 1 | Gail Prescod | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 12.41 | |
| 49 | 3 | Vaciseva Tavaga | Fiji | 12.47 | |
| 50 | 6 | Deirdre Caruana | Malta | 12.59 | |
| 51 | 5 | Muyegbe Mubala | Zaire | 12.76 | |
| 52 | 4 | Laure Kuetey | Benin | 13.11 | |
| 53 | 2 | Aminath Rishtha | Maldives | 13.66 | |
| | 7 | Magdalena Ansue | Equatorial Guinea | DSQ | |
| | 4 | Antónia de Jesus | Angola | DNS | |

### Quarterfinals
#### Quarterfinal 1

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Evelyn Ashford | United States | 11.13 | Q |
| 2 | Beatrice Utondu | Nigeria | 11.31 | Q |
| 3 | Sisko Hanhijoki | Finland | 11.50 | Q |
| 4 | Patricia Girard | France | 11.54 | Q |
| 5 | Kerry Johnson | Australia | 11.59 | |
| 6 | Dahlia Duhaney | Jamaica | 11.61 | |
| 7 | Lucrécia Jardim | Portugal | 11.66 | |
| 8 | Tian Yumei | China | 11.78 | |

#### Quarterfinal 2

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Juliet Cuthbert | Jamaica | 11.12 | Q |
| 2 | Anelia Nuneva | Bulgaria | 11.17 | Q |
| 3 | Mary Onyali | Nigeria | 11.28 | Q |
| 4 | Elinda Vorster | South Africa | 11.44 | Q |
| 5 | Nelli Fiere-Cooman | Netherlands | 11.55 | |
| 6 | Laurence Bily | France | 11.64 | |
| 7 | Myra Mayberry | Puerto Rico | 11.69 | |
| 8 | Cristina Castro | Spain | 11.79 | |

#### Quarterfinal 3

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica | 11.15 | Q |
| 2 | Gwen Torrence | United States | 11.17 | Q |
| 3 | Pauline Davis | Bahamas | 11.31 | Q |
| 4 | Olga Bogoslovskaya | Unified Team | 11.43 | Q |
| 5 | Odiah Sidibé | France | 11.63 | |
| 6 | Andrea Philipp | Germany | 11.67 | |
| 7 | Xiao Yehua | China | 11.73 | |
| 8 | Stephanie Douglas | Great Britain | 11.77 | |

#### Quarterfinal 4

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Irina Privalova | Unified Team | 10.98 | Q |
| 2 | Gail Devers | United States | 11.17 | Q |
| 3 | Liliana Allen | Cuba | 11.33 | Q |
| 4 | Christy Opara-Thompson | Nigeria | 11.42 | Q |
| 5 | Wang Huei-Chen | Chinese Taipei | 11.57 | |
| 6 | Melinda Gainsford | Australia | 11.67 | |
| 7 | Gao Han | China | 11.76 | |
| 8 | Sabine Tröger | Austria | 11.76 | |

### Semifinals
#### Semifinal 1

Wind: -2.9
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Gwen Torrence | United States | 11.02 | Q |
| 2 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica | 11.07 | Q |
| 3 | Irina Privalova | Unified Team | 11.08 | Q |
| 4 | Mary Onyali | Nigeria | 11.30 | Q |
| 5 | Pauline Davis | Bahamas | 11.34 | |
| 6 | Christy Opara-Thompson | Nigeria | 11.47 | |
| 7 | Sisko Hanhijoki | Finland | 11.65 | |
| 8 | Patricia Girard | France | 11.70 | |

#### Semifinal 2

Wind: -0.8
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
| 1 | Juliet Cuthbert | Jamaica | 10.98 | Q |
| 2 | Gail Devers | United States | 11.12 | Q |
| 3 | Anelia Nuneva | Bulgaria | 11.17 | Q |
| 4 | Liliana Allen | Cuba | 11.28 | Q |
| 5 | Evelyn Ashford | United States | 11.29 | |
| 6 | Elinda Vorster | South Africa | 11.44 | |
| 7 | Olga Bogoslovskaya | Unified Team | 11.45 | |
| 8 | Beatrice Utondu | Nigeria | 11.53 | |

### Final

Wind: -1.0
| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Time |
| | 2 | Gail Devers | United States | 10.82 |
| | 3 | Juliet Cuthbert | Jamaica | 10.83 |
| | 6 | Irina Privalova | Unified Team | 10.84 |
| 4 | 5 | Gwen Torrence | United States | 10.86 |
| 5 | 4 | Merlene Ottey | Jamaica | 10.88 |
| 6 | 7 | Anelia Nuneva | Bulgaria | 11.10 |
| 7 | 8 | Mary Onyali | Nigeria | 11.15 |
| 8 | 1 | Liliana Allen | Cuba | 11.19 |