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Time - Man of the Year
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Time_Man_of_the_Year_Compact_Publishing_3YX-Disc-1_Compact_Publishing_1993.iso
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08109923.000
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1993-04-08
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THE WEEK, Page 23OLYMPICSNo Sure Bets
U.S. athletes find the competition keener than anticipated
In basketball, of course, the rest of the world pleaded nolo
contendere: no team came within 33 points of the Dream Team
during the first week of the Olympics. But plenty of other
allegedly sure bets on the U.S. team found themselves absorbing
bracing lessons at Barcelona. "You like to be a superhero all
your life," said swimmer Matt Biondi, finishing fifth in the
100-m freestyle Tuesday, "but today my cape fell off." Only
briefly, as it turned out. By week's end Biondi earned two
medals for a lifetime total of 11, a record he shares with Mark
Spitz.
In women's gymnastics, favored Kim Zmeskal slipped on the
balance beam in the team competition (but recouped to help the
U.S. to a bronze medal), then bounced out of bounds -- and
contention -- in floor exercises in the women's all-around.
Shannon Miller stepped gracefully into the breach and took
silver. Americans Mike Stulce and James Doehring won unexpected
gold and silver in the shot put. And though America's women
swimmers were surprised by the Chinese, who seemed to be picking
up where the East Germans left off, the U.S. generally did well
in the water. In 1988 American swimmers won 18 medals in Seoul;
in Barcelona they splashed to 27. At week's end the Americans
stood just behind the Unified Team in medals.