– 100 meters: 1. Carl Lewis, United States. 2. Linford Christie, Great Britain. 3. Calvin Smith, United States.
Hersh`s comment: World champion and world record-holder Ben Johnson of Canada, battered by injuries, tax problems and life in a faster lane than even the speed of this event, will be hard-pressed just to make the final in Seoul. Lewis avenged his 1987 loss at the worlds by routing Johnson at the recent Grand Prix meet in Zurich, where Smith was second and Johnson third.
– 200 meters: 1. Carl Lewis, United States. 2. Joe DeLoach, United States. 3. Gilles Queneherve, France.
Hersh`s comment: Watch for a possible surprise from Roy Martin, whose promise was evident when he barely missed the 1984 U.S. team at age 17. He dropped out of sight for a couple of years before winding up with coach Bob Kersee and making a brilliant comeback.
– 400 meters: 1. Butch Reynolds, United States. 2. Danny Everett, United States. 3. Thomas Schoenlebe, East Germany.
Hersh`s comment: Reynolds` spectacular world-record effort (43.29) in Zurich last month shows he should run away with the gold. UCLA freshman Steve Lewis of the U.S. could overcome inexperience and make this a sweep. Roberto Hernandez of Cuba would have been a factor but for his country`s boycott.
– 800 meters: 1. Said Aouita, Morocco. 2. Jose Luis-Barbosa, Brazil. 3. Peter Elliott, Great Britain.
Hersh`s comment: Said the Great has lost only one race-a steeplechase in the 1987 Mediterranean Games-in the past three years, so his unfamiliarity at this distance is less important. Aouita beat nearly all his top rivals in 800s at the end of the European circuit. Johnny Gray of the U.S., the world leader in 1988, could steal the race if he sets a furious pace.
– 1,500 meters: 1. Said Aouita, Morocco. 2. Jens-Peter Herold, East Germany. 3. Steve Crabb, Great Britain.
Hersh`s comment: This race has too many question marks for a sensible prediction. Two medal favorites, Steve Cram of Great Britain and 1987 world champion Abdi Bile of Somalia, are both battling injuries. Aouita will become the first person to win both the 800 and 1,500 since Peter Snell of New Zealand in 1964.
– 5,000 meters: 1. John Ngugi, Kenya. 2. Jack Buckner, Great Britain. 3. Arturo Barrios, Mexico.
Hersh`s comment: If the schedule allowed, Aouita would win this, too. He is the 1984 Olympic champion, the 1987 world champion and the world record-holder at 5,000.
– 10,000 meters: 1. Eamonn Martin, Great Britain. 2. Moses Tanui, Kenya. 3. Hans-Jorge Kunze, East Germany.
Hersh`s comment: World champion Paul Kipkoech of Kenya has been battling malaria all year and is unlikely to get into top shape. Martin has come from nowhere to run the world`s fastest time of 1988.
– Marathon: 1. Ibrahim Hussein, Kenya. 2. Ahmed Saleh, Djibouti. 3. Juma Ikangaa, Tanzania.
Hersh`s comment: A sweep for the East Africans. Belayneh Dinsamo of boycotting Ethiopia will be sorely missed after setting a world record in April.
– 3,000 steeplechase: 1. Peter Koech, Kenya. 2. Patrick Sang, Kenya. 3. Francesco Panetta, Italy.
Hersh`s comment: World champion Panetta won`t have the help of Italian schedule-changers to get extra rest, as he did in at the 1987 worlds in Rome. – 110-meter hurdles: 1. Roger Kingdom, United States. 2. Tonie Campbell, United States. 3. Colin Jackson, Great Britain.
Hersh`s comment: 1984 gold medalist Kingdom completes a spectacular comeback from two injury-plagued seasons with this triumph. He has run four of the world`s top five times in 1988.
– 400-meter hurdles: 1. Edwin Moses, United States. 2. Andre Phillips, United States. 3. Kevin Young, United States.
Hersh`s comment: One more for the old man, giving him three Olympic golds in an event he has completely dominated for 12 years. Moses` longtime rival, Harald Schmid of West Germany, has been inconsistent all year.
– 4×100 relay: 1. United States. 2. Soviet Union. 3. Jamaica.
Hersh`s comment: This team, anchored by Lewis, should provide his fourth gold medal and a new world record. The U.S. men have won the sprint relay in 13 of the 14 Olympics they have entered the event.
– 4×400 relay: 1. United States. 2. East Germany. 3. Great Britain.
Hersh`s comment: This U.S. team, anchored by Reynolds, should break the 20-year-old world record set by the U.S. in Mexico City (2:56.16). If they are not worn out at the end of a long meet, they could break 2:55. Uncle Sam`s teams are 11 for 15 in this race.
– 20-kilometer walk: 1. Maurizio Damilano, Italy. 2. Jozef Pribilinec, Czechoslovakia. 3. Carlos Mercenario, Mexico.
Hersh`s comment: Damilano is the world champ. Mercenario was walking second but was disqualified.
– 50-kilometer walk: 1. Hartwig Gauder, East Germany. 2. Ronald Weigel, East Germany. 3. Vyatcheslav Ivanenko, Soviet Union.
Hersh`s comment: Gauder`s family made an unusual move, from West Germany to East Germany, when he was 5. He and British decathlete Daley Thompson are the only athletes ever to win European junior and senior titles, an Olympic gold medal and a world championship in their event.
– High jump: 1. Patrik Sjoberg, Sweden. 2. Rodolf Povarnitsyn, Soviet Union. 3. Dietmar Mogenburg, West Germany.
Hersh`s comment: Sjoberg, 23, the world record-holder who puffs away on cigarettes between jumps, should also smoke the competition. The Soviets have apparently left former world-record holder Igor Paklin off their team. Javier Sotomayor of boycotting Cuba had a good medal shot.
– Pole vault: 1. Sergei Bubka, Soviet Union. 2. Rodion Gataullin, Soviet Union. 3. Kory Tarpenning, United States.
Hersh`s comment: The sky is the limit for Bubka, who could break the 20-foot barrier in Seoul. Gataullin, 22, is the heir apparent-except Bubka is still just 24. Tarpenning will end a string of poor performances by U.S. vaulters in major competitions. Americans won the event 13 straight times in the Olympics until 1968, but have not won since.
– Long jump: 1. Carl Lewis, United States. 2. Larry Myricks, United States. 3. Robert Emmiyan, Soviet Union.
Hersh`s comment: If one discounts the 1906 Olympics, an anomaly that fell outside the four-year cycle, no one has won more than one Olympic gold in any of the three events Lewis is attempting: the 100, the 200 and the long jump. He will embellish his immortality by winning all three.
– Triple jump: 1. Oleg Protsenko, Soviet Union. 2. Khristo Markov, Bulgaria. 3. Willie Banks, United States.
Hersh`s comment: Protsenko is the world leader, Markov the world champion, Banks the world`s biggest crowd-pleaser with his appeals to the audience for support. Defending champion Al Joyner and 1987 world runner-up Mike Conley failed to make the U.S. team.
– Shot put: 1. Ulf Timmermann, East Germany. 2. Werner Guenthor, Switzerland. 3. Remigius Machura, Czechoslovakia.
Hersh`s comment: Timmermann set a world record earlier this year. Guenthor, the world champion, is finally rounding into shape after a slow start with injuries. Randy Barnes of the U.S. is also a strong medal contender.
– Discus: 1. Juergen Schult, East Germany. 2. Romas Ubartas, Soviet Union. 3. Yuri Dumchev, Soviet Union.
Hersh`s comment: Schult is the world champ and world record-holder. Mac Wilkins of the United States, 37, is a sentimental pick. He won the gold in 1976 and the silver in 1984.
– Hammer: 1. Sergei Litvinov, Soviet Union. 2. Yuri Sedykh, Soviet Union. 3. Yuri Tamm, Soviet Union.
Hersh`s comment: The only question here is which Soviet will win: Litvinov, the world champion; Sedykh, the world record-holder and greatest hammer thrower of all time; or Tamm, a former world record-holder. Soviets are the top five performers on the all-time list.
– Javelin: 1. Jan Zelezny, Czechoslovakia. 2. Tapio Korjus, Finland. 3. Kazuhiro Mizoguchi, Japan.
Hersh`s comment: Zelezny, the world record-holder, would become the first Czech to win an Olympic medal in the javelin, which is a Finnish specialty.
– Decathlon: 1. Christian Plaziat, France. 2. Torsten Voss, East Germany. 3. Siegfried Wentz, West Germany.
Hersh`s comment: The two stars of this event, Britain`s Daley Thompson and West Germany`s Juergen Hingsen, are both struggling with injuries, as is 1987 world champ Voss. Thompson is trying to become the first to win three Olympic decathlons.
WOMEN
– 100 meters: 1. Florence Griffith Joyner, United States. 2. Marlies Gohr, East Germany. 3. Angelika Nuneva, Bulgaria.
Hersh`s comment: Everyone will be waiting to see how Griffith Joyner can turn the standard-issue U.S. uniforms into something as wild as the one-leggers she wore while setting a world record at the Olympic trials. East Germany`s Heike Drechsler should get the silver medal if she enters this event.
– 200 meters: 1. Heike Drechsler, East Germany. 2. Florence Griffith Joyner, United States. 3. Silke Gladisch-Moller, East Germany.
Hersh`s comment: Drechsler shares the world record. Gladisch-Moller won both the 100 and 200 at the 1987 worlds. Griffith Joyner was the 1984 silver medalist in the 200.
– 400 meters: 1. Petra Mueller, East Germany. 2. Olga Bryzgina, Soviet Union. 3. Grace Jackson, Jamaica.
Hersh`s comment: Mueller gets revenge for finishing second to Bryzgina at the 1987 worlds. This event could provide a surprise because top quality has been lacking since the retirement of the two fastest ever, Marita Koch of East Germany and Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechoslovakia. Ana Quirot of boycotting Cuba would have been a factor in the 400 and 800.
– 800 meters: 1. Christine Wachtel, East Germany. 2. Paula Ivan, Romania. 3. Sigrun Wodars, East Germany.
Hersh`s comment: Ivan has made a big breakthrough against the stopwatch this year, but has yet to do it in a big competition. Wodars and Wachtel were 1-2 in the 1987 worlds.
– 1,500 meters: 1. Tatiana Samolenko, Soviet Union. 2. Mary Decker Slaney, United States. 3. Paula Ivan, Romania.
Hersh`s comment: Samolenko won the 1,500 and 3,000 at the 1987 worlds. Ivan has this year`s best time, followed closely by Slaney, whose two millionth comeback attempt from eight million injuries has been a success so far.
– 3,000 meters: 1. Tatiana Samolenko, Soviet Union. 2. Elly van Hulst, the Netherlands. 3. Mary Decker Slaney, United States.
Hersh`s comment: Samolenko may not run this event, preferring the 800, but she will be favored if she does. Van Hulst upset Slaney recently in Europe. Slaney, deprived of a gold medal chance by the collision with Zola Budd in this race four years ago, will be remembered, like Jim Ryun, as one of the greatest runners not to be an Olympic champion.
– 10,000 meters: 1. Liz Lynch-McColgan, Great Britain. 2. Ingrid Kristiansen, Norway. 3. Kathrin Ullrich, East Germany.
Hersh`s comment: Kristiansen seemed untouchable at this distance until McColgan upset her on the Norwegian`s home turf (Oslo) in July. McColgan has promised once again to hang with the front-running Kristiansen, who has always seemed vulnerable when pressured.
– Marathon: 1. Rosa Mota, Portugal. 2. Xiao Hongyan, China. 3. Lisa Martin, Australia.
Hersh`s comment: Mota, the reigning world champion, has won five straight marathons. She was third at Los Angeles in 1984. East Germany`s Katrin Dorre is coming back from injury, as is sentimental favorite Grete Waitz of Norway, the 1984 silver medalist.
– 4×100 relay: 1. United States. 2. East Germany. 3. Soviet Union.
Hersh`s comment: The performances of Gwen Torrence, Evelyn Ashford and Florence Griffith Joyner in the U.S. trials suddenly made this team the favorite over the East Germans.
– 4×400 relay: 1. East Germany. 2. Soviet Union. 3. United States.
Hersh`s comment: The battle between the Soviets and the East Germans could make this one of the most exciting races in the Games. The U.S. will be a distant third.
– 100-meter hurdles: 1. Yordanka Donkova, Bulgaria. 2. Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgaria. 3. Gloria Seibert, marathons. She was third at Los Angeles in 1984. East Germany`s Katrin Dorre is coming back from injury, as is sentimental favorite Grete Waitz of Norway, the 1984 silver medalist.
– 4×100 relay: 1. United States. 2. East Germany. 3. Soviet Union.
Cuba`s Silvia Costa would have been a factor except for the Cuban boycott.
– Long jump: 1. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, United States. 2. Heike Drechsler, East Germany. 3. Galina Chistyakova, Soviet Union.
Hersh`s comment: This could be the toughest gold medal in the meet. The contest is among Joyner-Kersee, the 1987 world champion and former world record-holder; Drechsler, the 1987 indoor world champion and former world record-holder; and Chistyakova, who this year broke the record previously shared by the other two. Joyner-Kersee gets an edge because of her poise under pressure.
– Shot put: Natalia Lisovskaya, Soviet Union. 2. Ines Muller, East Germany. 3. Li Meisu, China.
Hersh`s comment: Lisovskaya was undefeated in 1987, winning the outdoor and indoor worlds and improving her world record.
– Discus: 1. Gabriele Reinsch, East Germany. 2. Ilke Wyludda, East Germany. 3. Diana Gansky-Sachse, East Germany.
Hersh`s comment: Reinsch pushed the world record to 252 feet this year. Wyludda is only a junior, the world junior champion, but a medal contender if the East Germans take her instead of Martina Hellmann, who is merely the 1983 and 1987 world champ. Hellmann and Wylluda were having a last-minute throwoff for the final spot.
– Javelin: 1. Petra Felke, East Germany. 2. Silke Renk, East Germany. 3. Beate Koch, East Germany.
Hersh`s comment: Felke, the world record-holder, went back to the drawing board after finishing second in the 1987 worlds. The result has been the three longest throws in the world this year. The two British stars, world champion Fatima Whitbread and defending Olympic champ Tessa Sanderson, are both battling injuries.
– Heptathlon: 1. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, United States. 2. Anke Behmer, East Germany. 3. Chantal Beaugeant, France.
Hersh`s comment: The only question here is how much JJK will improve the world record she set in the U.S. trials. She is so far ahead of the competition she could almost skip an event and still win.
