ACOG - News - IBM

(1 August 1996; Day 13)

Poor Start Overcome, ENGQUIST Battles Back for 100m Hurdle Gold

Ludmila ENGQUIST (SWE) received her gold medal tonight, almost 24 hours after winning the 100m hurdles Olympic title. But she had to wait even longer to get another opportunity to compete again, and made it through obstacles even higher than the 33-inch (0.84m) barriers that she faced in the final.

After a hiatus of almost three years, ENGQUIST burst back on the international scene this summer, winning titles in Oslo and Lausanne before capping the season with the gold medal. The absence was forced, with the IAAF hitting her with a doping suspension and ENGQUIST battling the ban all the way.

ENGQUIST, who formerly competed under the name Ludmila NROZHILENKO, was born in and competed for the then-Soviet Union. She was a top flight hurdler, with the 1991 world championships title and a personal best of 12.26 seconds, set in 1992. She was named to the Soviet team in Seoul in 1988 but did not start, and she did not finish in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Hit with a positive drug test after Barcelona, she claimed that she had not knowingly taken drugs, accusing her Russian husband and coach of spiking her food and ruining her career. So ENGQUIST fought the ban for two years and divorced her husband.

Now the 32 year old hurdler has served her suspension and been remarried to Thomas ENGQUIST. She gained Swedish citizenship in June, and immediately hurdled a national record of 12.52 seconds on 3 July in Lausanne. She was embraced by her new country, and set about winning an Olympic gold medal.

Clearly the best hurdler throughout the preliminary rounds in Atlanta, ENGQUIST nearly blew it in the finals. Her poor start made her a glaring last in the eight-woman field before the first hurdle. "I'm older than the rest," said ENGQUIST. "After four rounds, in the final I was very tired. I did not have a good start because of this."

Nevertheless, ENGQUIST showed the same determination in overhauling Brigita BUKOVEC (SLO) for a 12.58-12.59 win that she has showed in battling her suspension and marriage difficulties. "The last few years have been very difficult," she said.

Now ENGQUIST is all the way back, with a gold medal and a sure No. 1 ranking at the end of the season. "I am so pleased that I could win this gold medal for my new home, Sweden. Nothing could make me prouder than this," she said.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Brett Ayers.


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Olympic Factoid
The Mother Nature was kind to Olympic athletes and spectators. The average high temperature during the Games was 89 degrees with an average low of 72 degrees. Highest temperature registered (20 July) - 99 degrees. Lowest high temperature registered is 79 degrees (28 July).