Summertime arrived for the United States swim team just in time Friday. Summer Sanders finally won the gold on the final day of competition, adding to her collection of bronze and silver.
She out-touched China`s Ziaohong Wang in the 200-meter butterfly in a personal best of 2:08.67. She had set American records in the 200 and 400 individual medleys on previous days, but a silver and bronze did not feel as good as the gold.
Sanders, 19, tried to leap out the end of the pool, but was stopped by an official, swam to the wrong exit ladder, got out, and sprinted across the deck to wave to family members before slumping into a chair.
She has become a symbol of U.S. swim success. She was expected to perform miracles in her first Olympics; the Stanford sophomore only performed her best. Relieved and happy that it was over, she characterized a whole team that swam with the weight of a demanding nation at once buoying and burdening young kids with waterlogged expectations.
”I don`t think anyone realizes how much pressure is out there for us,”
she said. ”I kind of went, `Phew, thank you.` I just wanted to sit down and take a load off. I`m bringing home gold.
”Then I didn`t cry. Isn`t that funny?”
The U.S. finished with 27 medals, nearly tripling the totals of their closest rivals. Germany had 11, but only one gold compared to 11 for the U.S. The Unified Team of the former Soviet Union had 10, Hungary, China, and Australia nine apiece.
Hungary`s Krisztina Egerszegi won the 200-meter backstroke for her third gold, becoming the individual heroine of the Games and a reminder that other countries can do more than dogpaddle. She will be 18 next month.
U.S. results far surpassed the 18 medals won in Seoul and although they didn`t match the 34 won in Los Angeles and Montreal, the haul was about as satisfying as any one nation has a right to expect.
The U.S. men tied the world record of 3:36.93 in the 4-x-100 medley relay to hoist the final flag at the Piscines Bernat Picornell, the beautiful Olympic pool where 32 of the 40 U.S. swimmers won a medal. Even ancient Matt Biondi got his 11th medal of his Olympic life after all, tying Mark Spitz`s record when he swam a preliminary relay leg to earn his first gold.
”There were a lot of things that got me back into swimming,” said Biondi, who retired after winning five golds in Seoul. ”The No. 1 reason was to break Mark Spitz`s record for the most medals for a U.S. Olympian, so naturally to be tied with Spitz is a great accomplishment.”
After finishing second in the 50 freestyle Thursday, Biondi, 26, said this morning`s race ”could be” his last Olympic swim. It`s unlikely he would come back for his fourth Olympics at age 30 in 1996.
Biondi, who has the eight fastest 100 freestyle split times in history, swam his leg in 48.66 as the United States finished in 3:39.84.
Biondi also was a member of the 1988 medley relay team that won the gold medal.
The 11 medals also ties Biondi with shooter Carl Osburn for the most medals in a career for a U.S. Olympian.
Greg Burgess won a silver in the 200-meter individual medal and Angel Martino, kicked off the 1988 team for substance abuse, rebounded with a bronze in the women`s 50-meter freestyle.
”Look at how competitive the rest of the world has become by sending their best swimmers and coaches to the U.S. to train,” Biondi said. ”It`s a credit to our team. We`re still taking the largest share of the pile.”
Sanders carried the banner for expectations by becoming the first U.S. woman to compete in four individual events at the Olympics since Shirley Babashoff in 1976.
Sixth in the 100-meter butterfly, where she had ranked only third in the world, Sanders came back with personal bests in the three individual events in which she was ranked first.
”I almost doubted myself,” she said. ”I thought other people doubted me. I, for sure, would have been really bummed right now if I didn`t get the gold.”
Sanders sympathized with gymnast Kim Zmeskal, who finished 10th in the women`s all-around after entering the games as a potential golden girl.
”I was talking to a wrestling coach on the bus and he was talking about us all being mentally drained,” Sanders said. ”There`s no way I could avoid what happened. I was honored they chose me to stand out. I just don`t know how you can prepare for it.
”I never realized it would be so hard.”
Dennis Pursley, U.S. Swimming`s national team director, called the meet
”the most competitive Olympics we have ever seen.”
U.S. coaches knew it wouldn`t be easy.
”Based on the world rankings, it looked like we were well ahead of the rest,” Pursley said. ”But we knew that was misleading because most of our competitors don`t have to be at their best to make their teams.
”I`m just excited that in almost every race, we were challenging for medals, if not the gold. It was the U.S. and Hungary or the U.S. and China or the U.S. and Germany or the U.S. and the Unified Team.”
The biggest disappointment for the U.S. was in the freestyle, where the men were shut out of the gold for the first time since 1960. Women`s world-record holders Jenny Thompson at 100 and Janet Evans at 400 had to settle for silver.
But the Summer of 1992 left the most enduring impression. As she made her triumphant tour around the pool, teammates tossed candy at her. ”But it was all melted, so I couldn`t enjoy it.”
Soon she will get her candy and eat it, too.
