All language subtitles for Atlantas.Olympic.Glory.1997.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

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[music playing]

NARRATOR: In the summer of
1936, an historic ceremony

took place for the first
time at the Olympic games--

a torch run beginning at the
ancient ruins of Olympia,

Greece and ending at the
Berlin Olympic Stadium,

a journey of 1,900 miles.

It was a tradition that would be
revived at every Olympic Games

since.

[music playing]

And so it was six decades
later, as the midday

sun rose in the sky at Olympia,
the tradition continued.

[music playing]

The igniting of
the Olympic flame,

the start of a journey that
would end at the Atlanta

Olympic Stadium for the
celebration of the Centennial

Olympic Games.

[music playing]

The torch was flow to
California, where, at the Los

Angeles Colosseum, the
scene of the 1984 games,

the torch would begin
a 12-week journey

across the United States.

[music playing]

By day and by night,
by land and by sea,

the torch will pass
through 42 of the 50

United States, a relay of
more than 12,000 runners.

[music playing]

A journey that will cover
more than 15,000 miles

before the flame reaches the
urn at the Olympic Stadium,

where it will burn
throughout the games.

[music playing]

On Thursday, July 18, the
torch arrives in Atlanta.

The next day, it will reach
its final resting place,

the Olympic Stadium.

[music playing]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to the opening
ceremony at the games

of the 26th Olympiad.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: At 8:30 in
the evening of July 19,

as the torch continues
to move through Atlanta,

the celebration inside
the stadium begins.

[music playing]

It is the centennial
celebration,

the 100th anniversary
of the revival

of the modern Olympic Games.

[music playing]

It is a ceremony that
depicts the grandeur

of the Olympic spirit
intertwined with a tribute

to America's South.

[music playing]

Banners representing cities
that held the games of the past

crisscross the stadium.

This is the fourth time
an American city would

host the Summer Olympic Games--

St. Louis in 1994, Los
Angeles in 1932 and 1984.

Atlanta is the first city
in the American South

to be so honored.

[music playing]

Now the parade of nations--

more than 10,000 athletes
from almost 200 countries,

the first time that
every nation invited

has sent teams to compete.

Traditionally, Greece
is the first nation

to enter the stadium,
one of four countries

to compete in every
Summer Olympic Games.

The others-- Australia,
Great Britain, Switzerland.

[music playing]

Unfamiliar countries will
compete for the first time,

joining the better-known
nations of the world.

[music playing]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
People's Republic of China.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Denmark.
MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Denmark.

WOMAN (ON
LOUDSPEAKER): Djibouti.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Djibouti.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Ethiopia.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Fiji.

NARRATOR: The
parade includes 197

countries, 28 more
than competed four

years earlier in Barcelona.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Great Britain.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Georgia.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Germany.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Hungary.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Ireland.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Italy.

[music playing]

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Japan.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Korea.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Kenya.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Mongolia.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[inaudible]..

NARRATOR: For the first
time, all 15 republics

of what was formerly
the Soviet Union

will compete under
their own flag.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[inaudible]

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Turkey.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
The Ukraine.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]..

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[inaudible]..

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): The
United States of America.

NARRATOR: Finally, the host
nation, the flag-bearer,

Bruce Baumgartner, two-time
super heavyweight gold medal

winner in freestyle wrestling.

[music playing]

The United States has competed
in every Olympics except one--

the boycott of the
1980 Moscow Games.

[music playing]

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Ladies and gentlemen,

we are honored to present
the athletes at the games

of the 26th Olympiad.

Tonight, as we--

NARRATOR: The president
and chief executive officer

of the Atlanta
Olympic Organizing

Committee, Billy Payne.

--the centennial celebration
of the Olympic Games,

as we bear witness
to the largest

gatherings of nations ever.

As we applaud the greatest
assembly of athletic talent

the world has ever
known, let us rejoice.

And let us resolve that
these Olympic games

can reflect a hope
for a brighter

future, a better world.

[applause]

On behalf--

NARRATOR: The President of
the International Olympic

Committee, Juan
Antonio Samaranch.

And also, we
welcome all of you

to the Games of the 26th
Olympiad, the Centennial Games.

[applause]

In the Olympic movement,
only weapon is sport.

Because sport is friendship.

Sport is health.

Sport is education.

Sport is life.

Sport brings to world together,
as it is here today in Atlanta.

[applause]

I now have the
honor and privilege

of inviting the President
of the United States

to proclaim open the Games
or the 26th Olympiad,

the Centennial Games.

[applause]

I declare open the
gates of Atlanta,

celebrating the 26th
Olympiad of the modern era.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: The Olympic
flag enters the stadium.

[music playing]

The flag is borne by eight
American Olympians of the past.

[music playing]

Now the final act of
the drama is at hand.

Symbolic doves are released to
spread their message of peace

to the world.

Al Oerter, four-time
discus gold medal winner,

carries the torch
into the stadium.

[music playing]

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]

[music playing]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Ladies
and gentlemen, the Olympic flame

is now approaching the stage.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Boxing
medalist and future

world heavyweight champion
Evander Holyfield.

Honoring the Olympic birthplace,
Paraskevi Patoulidou of Greece,

1992 hurdles champion,
joins Evander Holyfield

as they hand off to
Janet Evans, the winner

of four swimming gold medals.

[music playing]

Finally, Muhammad Ali, 1960
Olympic light heavyweight

boxing gold medal winner.

[music playing]

The opening of the 1996
Centennial Olympic games

of Atlanta.

[cheering]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Ladies
and gentlemen, welcome--

NARRATOR: Monday evening,
the 29th of July,

is perhaps the most memorable
night of the track and field

competition in Atlanta.

The name Johnson highlights
two of the finals.

Allen Johnson of
the United States

wins the 110 meter hurdles.

Then his countryman Michael
Johnson comes roaring

home to win the 400 meters.

The women's 800
meters is expected

to be a duel between
Ana Quirot of Cuba

and Maria Mutola of Mozambique.

But in a thrilling upset,
Svetlana Masterkova of Russia

holds off the two favorites
to win the gold medal.

[music playing]

In the men's 10,000 meters,
Ethiopia's Gebrselassie's

victory gives
credibility to those

who believe him to be one of the
greatest long-distance runners

in history.

But the event that would
captivate the thousands

in the stands and millions
throughout the world

is the men's long jump, a story
more believable as fiction

than fact--

the attempt of
America's Carl Lewis

to win his fourth straight
gold medal in this event.

To many, the appearance of
35-year-old Lewis is a miracle.

After failing to make the
American team in the 100

and 200 meters, Lewis barely
qualified as the third member

of the United States
long jump team

behind Mike Powell
and Joe Greene.

Then yesterday, in
the preliminary round

for tonight's final, Lewis was
on the verge of elimination

after failing to jump the
qualifying distance of 26 feet

5 inches on his
first two attempts.

Lewis, in 15th place,
had one more try.

CARL LEWIS: At first
I said, oh, my god.

What am I gonna do?
What place am I in?

All this stuff.

And then I had to kind
of calm myself down

and say, wait a minute.

Let's just look at the
task as simple as possible.

And that is no matter what place
you're in, if you jump 26' 5",

you qualify.

And then the last thing I
thought about was if this is

your last jump in
competition, make it

at least one that
you gave the effort

and had a good time with.

NARRATOR: 27 feet
2 and 1/2 inches,

his longest jump in two years.

Lewis not only qualifies,
but with this single effort,

moves from 15th place to the
top qualifier for the finals.

At 7:00 PM the
following day, 13 men

have qualified for
the long jump final.

By the rules, eight men with the
longest distances after three

rounds will remain
in the competition

for the final three rounds.

Thus, five men
will be eliminated

after the third round.

Lewis comes to these games
with one of the greatest

records in Olympic history--

the winner of eight gold
and one silver medal

in Los Angeles,
Seoul, and Barcelona.

At the 1984 Los
Angeles games, he

duplicated Jesse Owens's feat
of winning four gold medals--

[cheering]

--the 100 meters, long jump,
200 meters, and as anchor

on the victorious 4
by 100 relay team.

This performance was
particularly memorable

for Lewis, for Jesse
Owens was his idol.

CARL LEWIS: Jesse and I
met when I was 10 years old

and I was at a track
meet in Philadelphia.

And I won a competition,
a long jump competition.

And Jesse Owens didn't know me
from any other kid out there.

But I was a small
kid at the time.

He used me as an example.

So he said, see, kids?

The smallest kid
won the competition,

so anyone can achieve it.

And this little line
that Jesse Owens made

was a great message to the kids.

But Jesse Owens picked me out of
a pack and said I was somebody.

NARRATOR: If Jesse
Owens was his idol,

Carl's father, Bill,
was his inspiration.

Bill Lewis died in 1987, but
saw Carl win four gold medals

at the 1984 Los Angeles games.

The two would remain
together forever.

CARL LEWIS: I wanted
to see some things

of him alive and
vibrant and energetic.

And I went back and looked
at some track meets.

And one of the ones I remember
seeing him was in Los Angeles.

Well, he was standing
there in the stands.

And he was tall and strong.

And our mother was there.

And they were just
clapping and proud.

All these things made me
feel like he was right there.

I could always communicate
because there was

something there connecting us.

NARRATOR: Now here
in Atlanta, he

will try for his
fourth successive gold

medal in the long jump.

If he wins, he will join
American discus thrower Al

Oerter as the only other
track and field athlete

to win four successive gold
medals in the same event.

Lewis's task is formidable.

Four of the other finalists
are capable of winning

the gold medal.

Two are his teammates, world
record holder Mike Powell

on the right, and Joe Greene,
who won the bronze medal four

years ago in Barcelona
and who finished ahead

of Lewis at the Olympic trials.

The other two are
Cuba's Iv n Pedroso,

the 1995 world champion,
who recently returned

to competition
after leg surgery,

and James Beckford of
Jamaica, the 1995 world

championship silver medalist.

The competition gets underway.

Lots are drawn to determine
the starting order.

Lewis will jump second.

On his first attempt, he fouls.

After the first round,
the leader is a surprise--

the little-known Emmanuel
Bangu of France.

He is not expected to
stand on the award podium.

For Lewis, his foul is
a bitter disappointment.

In two of his three
previous Olympic victories,

his first jump was his best of
the competition, which would

hold up through the six rounds.

CARL LEWIS: Walking around
just kind of telling myself,

forget about the outside crowd.

Get your head back into what
you're doing on the runway

because the entire time
of the competition,

I don't think we
went by 30 seconds

without hearing someone
say, way to go, Carl!

You can do it, king!

Or let's do it again.

I mean, it was nonstop.

So I had to kind
of blank that out.

NARRATOR: In the second round,
Mike Powell of the United

States moves into second behind
the Emmanuel Bangu of France.

[cheering]

Lewis gets off a fair leap
for his second attempt

and moves into third place,
still two inches short

of the leading
Frenchman and an inch

and a quarter behind Powell.

For Lewis, there
is much concern.

He is used to having
the lead early,

thus placing the pressure
on his opponents.

Being in first place
after three rounds

has psychological benefits.

The leader will jump last
in the final three rounds.

CARL LEWIS: I was on the
edge of panic inside,

and not panicking in
whether I can jump or not.

But before that
third jump, I wanted

to make sure I had a big one.

So I figured if I
was the last jumper,

it would put so much pressure
on everyone in the competition,

every jump, that
it would give me

a much better chance to win it.

But when I need that last little
oomph in anything in life,

I talk to my father.

I said, Dad, OK.

Lead me in this way.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Next up
in the long jump, [inaudible]

Carl Lewis, USA.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: 27 feet
10 and 3/4 inches--

his longest jump at
sea level since he

won his third gold medal in
Barcelona four years earlier.

Lewis's teammate
Joe Greene becomes

the second man to
go over 27 feet

and moves into second place.

Bangu falls to third
and Powell to fourth.

Pedroso, not in top physical
condition, jumps poorly.

He is eliminated from
the final three rounds.

The standings at
the end of three--

Carl Lewis in first place; Joe
Greene second; Bangu , France,

third; Powell, United States,
fourth; and James Beckford,

Jamaica, fifth.

Lewis is now in the
commanding position

he is most comfortable with.

First place automatically makes
him the last contestant to jump

in the final three rounds.

His plan to place undue pressure
on the seven other finalists

works to perfection.

His main opponents--
Joe Greene, Mike Powell,

and James Beckford--
all foul in both

the fourth and fifth rounds.

Powell aggravates his groin
muscle on his fifth attempt.

With one round left,
Lewis still leads.

He will be the last man to jump.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Our next long-jumper,

James Beckford, Jamaica.

NARRATOR: Of the contenders,
James Beckford of Jamaica

in fifth place goes first.

27 feet 2 and 1/2 inches,
the second longest

jump of the
competition, but still

8 and 1/4 inches behind Lewis.

He moves into second place,
pushing Greene down to third.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Next up on the long jump

runway, Mike Powell, USA.

[cheering]

[scream]

NARRATOR: He fouls for
the third straight time

and is out of medal contention.

CARL LEWIS: Well,
when Mike was injured,

I knew that he was
having problems.

So at that time, I thought it
was appropriate to stay away.

Mike is a great champion.

I mean, nothing can
take that away from him.

I mean, I had a
tremendous opportunity

to win the gold medal.

But he's a world record holder,
and he's a great champion.

[cheering]

[scream]

NARRATOR: There are two men
left who can beat Lewis.

First, Emmanuel
Bangu of France,

the leader after the
first two rounds,

and now in fourth
place behind Lewis,

Beckford, and Joe Greene.

He has been jumping poorly
after his first-round effort.

22 feet 6 and 1/2 inches.

Bangu finishes in fourth.

Now Joe Greene of
the United States,

the only man left
in the competition

who can defeat Lewis.

If Greene jumps one inch
better than his personal best,

he will go into the lead.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Next up in
the long jump, Joe Greene, USA.

NARRATOR: He fouls.

Carl Lewis wins his fourth
straight gold medal.

CARL LEWIS: The first
thing I did was completely

forget that I had a jump left.

And that moment, I jumped up
and I went and I hugged Joe.

I went to the crowd.

I just wanted to
feel a part of all

these people that were there.

[cheering]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Victory
ceremony, long jump, men.

Olympic champion and gold
medalist, representing--

NARRATOR: The award
ceremony takes place.

Carl Lewis wins his
ninth gold medal.

But he has only eight
in his possession.

When his beloved father died in
1987, at the funeral service,

he placed one of his
Los Angeles gold medals

in his father's hands, joining
them together for all time.

CARL LEWIS: And I remember my
mother even making a comment,

like, are you sure
you want to do this?

And I just blurted out,
no thought process,

I'm sure because I'm gonna
get another one next time.

[MUSIC - "THE STAR SPANGLED
BANNER"]

NARRATOR: As the
national anthem is played

for Carl Lewis
for the last time,

there is one final
tribute to his father.

CARL LEWIS: That was
really a kiss to him.

And I really left
there feeling like I

had fulfilled my final goal.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: On the evening
of Sunday, July 28,

at the Georgia
Dome, three events

are scheduled for the men's
individual apparatus finals--

the rings, floor exercise,
and pommel horse.

Before the evening is over,
there would be many surprises.

On the rings, Jury Chechi
of Italy is magnificent.

Four years earlier
in Barcelona, he

was the pre-Olympic
favorite, but injuries

prevented him from competing.

Since Barcelona, Chechi
won four successive world

championships in this event,
and this night in Atlanta,

he is superb.

[cheering]

There is a special
honor for Jury Chechi.

He becomes the first
Italian in 32 years

to win a gymnastic gold medal.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Ladies
and gentlemen, Jury Chechi.

NARRATOR: There is a major
surprise in the floor exercise.

The eight-man final
includes three superstars--

Li Xiaoshuang of
China, who earlier

won the individual all-around
title, Alexei Nemov of Russia,

the silver medalist
in the all-around,

and the legendary Vitaly
Scherbo of Belarus,

who won six gold medals four
years earlier in Barcelona,

but who could garner only four
bronze medals in six events

here in Atlanta.

Incredibly, the winner is
Ioannis Melissanidis of Greece,

who on this night
is spectacular,

giving Greece its
first gymnastic gold

medal in 100 years.

Greece's only other
gymnastic victory

took place in 1896, when
the modern Olympic games

were revived in Athens.

But perhaps the most dramatic
moments of the evening

will take place after the
eight finalists are introduced

for the pommel horse, arguably
the most demanding event

on the men's program.

One of the finalists,
Donghua Li,

born in China and for most
of his competitive life

a member of the
Chinese national team.

Here in Atlanta,
however, Donghua Li will

be competing for Switzerland.

A naturalized Swiss citizen for
the past two years, 29-year-old

Donghua Li is the oldest
gymnast at the games,

yet this is his first Olympic
competition, the climax

to a 12-year odyssey overcoming
career-threatening injuries

and eligibility rules, a
tribute to his great courage

and ability to endure.

In 1984, his spleen
and kidney were removed

after a terrible accident in
the vault. Two years later,

he tore both his Achilles
tendons while tumbling.

Then several months before
the 1988 Seoul Olympics,

still injured, he
had a chance meeting

that changed his life forever.

[music playing]

This is Donghua Li and
his Swiss wife, Esperanza.

In the summer of 1988, Esperanza
was a tourist in Beijing.

Looking for a park to visit,
she soon realized she was lost.

INTERPRETER: I still
remember the day.

It was the 19th of June, 1988,
a drizzling Sunday afternoon.

I was riding on my
bike through Tiananmen

Square when I saw her.

I guess it was fate
that we would meet.

ESPERANZA LI: He walked
up to me and said, hello.

And then he asked
me where I was from.

I said I'm Swiss.

It turned out that he wanted
to practice his English.

At that time, he
took English lessons.

And so I gave him a
lesson on the street.

I stayed 10 more
days in Beijing.

And we saw each other
five or six times.

And I was really sad to leave.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Esperanza
returned to Switzerland,

and Donghua continued to train.

In December 1988,
they were married.

A few months later, they
moved to Lucerne, Switzerland.

ESPERANZA LI: He told his
coach he met this Swiss girl.

They told him, you can
marry her and stay with her.

But then you have to
leave the national team.

Or you can stay with
us and forget her.

And he said, I want
to get married to her.

And he had to leave the team.

He had to leave Beijing
from one day to the other.

NARRATOR: In Lucerne,
he continued to train,

even though Swiss
law required him

to reside there for five years
before becoming a citizen.

He would miss the 1992
Barcelona Olympic games.

INTERPRETER: The five years from
1989 to 1994 were hard for me.

I had no income, but
I trained every day.

My wife was working
to support us.

1992 was particularly
difficult. It was the year

of the Barcelona Olympics.

I could easily qualify
for the Olympics,

but I had no country
to represent.

I still had two
more years before I

could become a Swiss citizen.

ESPERANZA LI: There were often
moments when he came home

after training and said,
I think it's no use that I

keep on training that hard.

I will never make
it to the team.

And I said to him, look,
you already trained three

years here in Switzerland.

There are only two
more years to go,

and you can become
Swiss citizen.

But let's keep on going.

You train so hard
and so many years.

NARRATOR: It is July 28,
10:30 PM, the Georgia Dome.

Donghua Li will be the
fifth of eight finalists.

The two men he fears
most will precede him.

One is Marius Urzica
of Romania, the 1994

world champion in this event.

The other, Alexei
Nemov of Russia,

full of confidence after
winning the silver medal

in the all-around championship
four days earlier.

One of the major surprises
is the nonappearance

of the magnificent Vitaly
Scherbo of Belarus.

He finished 59th out
of 102 competitors.

Fan Bin of China is
the first competitor.

Fan Bin is a major surprise.

He finished first in the
qualifying round in this event.

He falters on his dismount.

[applause]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Ladies and gentlemen,

Fan Bin on the pommel horse.

NARRATOR: He is followed by
Patrice Casimir of France.

Casimir tied for fifth place
after the qualifying round.

[cheering]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
That's Patrice Casimir.

NARRATOR: Casimir performs well.

He could win a medal, but
his routine doesn't appear

good enough for the gold.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Now, ladies and gentlemen,

please welcome our
next competitor--

NARRATOR: Now Alexei
Nemov of Russia.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
It's Alexei Nemov.

INTERPRETER: Nemov
is very strong.

He is a world-class performer
in all the disciplines.

He won the silver medal in
the individual all-around

and led the Russians to a gold
medal in the team competition.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: The judges
give Nemov off a 9.787,

putting him in first place.

INTERPRETER: Nemov gave
an excellent performance.

Nemov and Urzica of Romania
were the competitors

I feared the most.

NARRATOR: Now the
fourth competitor,

Marius Urzica of Romania.

Urzica is superb and is
given a 9.825 by the judges.

Urzica moves into first
place, followed by Nemov.

Now the fifth competitor,
Donghua Li of Switzerland.

INTERPRETER: I knew that
Esperanza was in the stands

watching the competition.

This is so terribly important
to me that she is there.

I know where she is sitting.

And every so often, we
make contact with our eyes.

Knowing that my pregnant
wife is there, yes, that

is very important.

[cheering]

When I dismounted, I knew I had
performed a perfect routine.

If I outscored
Urzica of Romania,

I knew the gold medal was mine.

NARRATOR: Donghua
Li outscores Urzica

by five hundredths of a point.

He moves into first place.

ESPERANZA LI: When
I saw the score,

I couldn't imagine another
gymnast to get a higher score.

But for me, I wasn't relaxed.

We always say you have to
wait until the last gymnast

has finished his exercise.

NARRATOR: The sixth
and seventh finalists,

Huang Huadong of China and
Yoshiaki Hatakeda of Japan,

cannot match the
scores of the leaders.

They tie for fifth place.

Donghua Li is now a
certain medal winner.

He must wait for the performance
of Eric Poujade of France

as to whether it will be
the gold or the silver.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): --ladies
and gentlemen, is Eric Poujade.

NARRATOR: Poujade is
making no mistakes.

He slips.

[applause]

Donghua Li wins the gold medal.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Ladies and gentlemen,

that concludes competition,
as the scores are verified.

We will now prepare
for the victory

ceremony for the pommel horse.

ESPERANZA LI: I
was just so happy.

All the emotions you keep
back, they burst out.

And beside our wedding, it
was the most beautiful moment.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Now, ladies and gentlemen,

your pommel horse Olympic
champion and gold medalist,

representing Switzerland--

NARRATOR: The victory
platform ceremony takes place.

Donghua Li stands on the
top step of the podium.

[cheering]

Flanked by Marius
Urzica, Romania,

the silver medalist, and
Alexei Nemov of Russia,

the winner of the bronze.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Please
rise for the nation anthem

of Switzerland.

[music playing]

INTERPRETER: Standing
on the victory platform

as the Swiss flag is raised
in my honor, I thought,

what country am I from?

To me, I have two homes.

China is my home.

Switzerland is my home.

How fortunate it is that I can
call both countries my home.

And then I thought of
my wife, Esperanza.

I could not have done
anything without her.

As I stood on the top step of
the podium, she was with me.

For half of my Olympic
gold medal belongs to her.

I could not have achieved
this without her.

[music playing]

[cheering]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Ladies
and gentlemen, your men's

pommel horse Olympic champions.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
[non-english speech]

[music playing]

NARRATOR: So the story
leaves off as it began--

two people from
different societies

whose lives were changed
by a chance meeting,

and because of it,
will forever share

that ultimate moment in sport--

that of an Olympic champion.

This is the story
of two swimmers

from different societies.

One is 24-year-old
Alexander Popov of Russia.

Four years earlier in Barcelona,
he won two individual gold

and two relay silver medals.

He will compete in the same
four events in Atlanta.

The other is 21-year-old Gary
Hall, Jr. of the United States,

who will be competing
in the same four events

at his first Olympics.

He has publicly
proclaimed that he

will take Popov's title of the
fastest swimmer in the world.

It is 8:00 PM the evening of
Monday, July 22, the Georgia

Tech Aquatic Center.

The stadium is filled to
capacity awaiting the final

of the 100-meter freestyle.

The duel between Alexander
Popov off Russia, the defending

Olympic champion and
world record holder,

and Gary Hall, Jr.,
who many believe

to be the only swimmer in the
world who can defeat Popov.

Hall has never defeated
Popov, but his prediction

of victory in both the
100 meters and 50 meters

is not well received by
the Russian champion.

ALEXANDER POPOV: I remember
Gary from '94 when we first met.

And he was saying, I'm going to
win two gold medals in Atlanta.

And he was saying, I'm going
to beat him, and I'm the best.

I'm gonna win.

I was like, yeah, you've got to
be responsible for your words

then.

It was sort of Cold War.

NARRATOR: Gary Hall,
Jr. has been described

as a free spirit,
animated and exuberant,

a personality that
is in contrast

with the conservative
Alexander Popov.

GARY HALL, JR.: Going
into the Olympics,

there was a bit of
animosity between us.

He came across the first
time that I met him

as a very arrogant individual.

And first impressions
tend to last.

But I'd say that it's very
much a love-hate kind of thing.

Alex Popov is a
necessary evil for me.

NARRATOR: Leading to Atlanta,
Gary Hall, Jr.'s success

often has been associated with
the exploits of his father,

Gary Hall, Sr. Two decades
ago, he set 10 world records

and was the winner of two
silver and one bronze medal

in the individual medley
and butterfly events

at three Olympic games
starting in 1968.

It was at the 1976
Montreal Games

that Gary Hall, Sr. introduced
two-year-old Gary Hall,

Jr. to his first Olympics.

GARY HALL, SR.: I only
gave him one bit of advice

before Atlanta.

And I gave it to
him the same thing

every time he's gone
to a major competition.

And that is I just said,
Gary, go and have fun.

GARY HALL, JR.: Once you
walk out on the pool deck,

you're in your own little world.

You have to do whatever
it is that gets you

psyched up the most for a race.

You do it, whether it's shadow
boxing or jumping up and down

or throwing your arms
around real fast.

To hell with what
anybody else thinks.

NARRATOR: The eight
finalists for the 100 meters

await the start.

Alexander Popov, as
the top qualifier,

will swim in lane four.

Below him, in lane five, wearing
the USA cap, Gary Hall, Jr.,

the second fastest qualifier.

Gary Hall, Jr. has a good start.

ALEXANDER POPOV: I was a little
bit slow off the blocks just

to be sure that I'm
not disqualified.

I knew that Gary Hall was gonna
go really fast the first 50.

So I sort of sat on his pace.

NARRATOR: As they
reach the halfway mark,

Hall leads Popov by nine
hundredths of a second.

GARY HALL, JR.: What I
was thinking coming home

is this is gonna hurt.

I mean, this is a painful,
painful experience.

But the pain is temporary.

Glory is a lifetime.

NARRATOR: Popov is
gaining on Hall.

Alexander Popov, first.

Gary Hall, Jr., second.

Popov defeats Hall by seven
hundredths of a second.

ALEXANDER POPOV: We send,
oh, congratulations.

It's been a good race
or something like that.

But he looked happy
for the silver medal.

And he was pretty happy
about it, actually.

And I do respect him.

GARY HALL, JR.: I mean, that
was the best time of my life.

Plus I still had
a couple relays.

I had the 50 to look forward to.

And I knew it was
gonna be a great meet.

NARRATOR: By winning his second
straight Olympic 100-meter

freestyle, Alexander
Popov accomplished a feat

last done in 1928
by one of America's

greatest swimming legends.

ALEXANDER POPOV: I came
into the central office

of the Russian team
in Atlanta, and there

was a telegram for me.

And when I opened it, I
read, we congratulate you.

You are the first
man since our father

won back-to-back Olympic games,
and good luck for the future.

The daughters of Johnny
Weismuller, actually.

I was like, wow.

NARRATOR: The following
evening, the final of the four

by 100-meter freestyle relay.

This time, there will not be
a head-to-head confrontation

between Popov and Hall.

In a strategic move, the
Russians decide to swim Popov

second, hoping that
he can give his team

a big enough lead to offset
Gary Hall's final leg.

Popov starts the second leg and
gives the Russians the lead.

When Popow touches
the wall, the Russians

are ahead of Germany and the
United States by more than a

second.

Bradley Schumacher
of the United States

cuts down the lead
in the third leg.

As Hall gets ready
for the final leg,

the Americans are
still in third,

behind Russia and Germany.

In the history of
the Olympic games,

the United States
men have never lost

a four by 100 freestyle relay.

GARY HALL, JR.: As third leg
was approaching the wall, guys,

we're in third.

This is supposed to be the one
that we've never lost before.

NARRATOR: Russia,
the United States,

and Germany hit the water
almost at the same time.

Hall quickly goes into the lead.

With each stroke, he goes
farther and farther ahead.

At the halfway point,
he is a full-body length

in front of Russia and Germany.

Gary Hall, Jr. just swam
the fastest 100-meter leg

in a freestyle relay ever.

RICHARD QUICK:
Gary's performance

in the 400 relay in the Olympic
Games was just startling.

I've never seen anybody
swim as fast as he

did for the first 20 meters.

It was unbelievable
how fast he swam right

at the beginning of that leg.

And it was a
phenomenal performance.

GARY HALL, SR.: I remember after
we won hugging Mary, my wife.

And we all cried
together in joy for Gary.

And also, I think they
did for me because they

knew that was a little
piece of the gold medal

that I never won.

And I was happy for Gary because
finally he could look at me,

and he used to say, see?

I am better than my old man.

And that was a great
feeling for me.

NARRATOR: Two days
later, the final

of the 50-meter freestyle.

Once again, Alexander Popov
is the fastest qualifier,

14 hundredths of a second
faster than Gary Hall,

Jr. Their lane positions are
the same as in the 100 meters--

Popov in lane four,
Hall in lane five.

Since Hall is a faster
starter than Popov,

he is given a good chance
to upset the Russian,

for the race is only one
length of the 50-meter pool.

GARY HALL, JR.: The 50,
there's no strategy.

It's just an all-out from the
very time you hear the gun

until you touch the wall.

And it's just over so fast.

And when you have
a race where eight

competitors are within 6/10
of a second of each other,

what a race.

NARRATOR: Popov is in lane
four, Gary Hall, Jr., lane 5.

WOMAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Take your mark.

[beep]

[cheering]

NARRATOR: Popov defeats Hall
by 13 hundreths of a second,

even though Hall
swam the fastest

50 meters of his career.

Friday, July 26,
the final evening

of the swimming competition.

The last event-- the
400-meter medley relay

and another head-to-head
confrontation between Alexander

Popov and Gary Hall,
Jr. They will both swim

the anchor leg, the freestyle.

Although the United
States men have never

lost an Olympic medley
relay, the Russian foursome

is capable of beating them.

Swimming the third
leg for the Russians,

Denis Pankratov, who already
won two gold medals in the 100-

and 200-meter butterfly
and is the world

record holder in both events.

The Russian strategy is basic--

stay close to the Americans
on the first two legs,

the backstroke and
breaststroke, then

hope that Pankratov and Popov
can bring home the victory

on the final two legs.

ALEXANDER POPOV: The
Russian Olympic Committee

was expecting us
to win because we

have Denis Pankratov on the
team, really good butterflier.

And all the coaches
were excited.

Do you think we
have a chance to win

the four by one medley relay?

They go, yeah, we have!

We definitely will.

I'm like, hmm.

Who's gonna win?

I'm coming for second place.

NARRATOR: Popov's
predictions are correct.

After the first two legs,
the United States is almost

three seconds ahead of Russia.

On the third leg, Pankratov
cuts down the American lead,

but not enough.

When Gary Hall,
Jr. hits the water,

Popov is more than
two seconds behind.

Hall makes the term
for the last 50 meters.

He has increased
his lead over Popov.

The only question is
whether the United

States will set a world record.

In eight previous medley relays,
the United States created

or tied the world record.

[cheering]

Another world record.

Although he lost twice to Popov
in the individual events, Gary

Hall, Jr. swam faster
than his adversary

in both of the American
relay victories.

Popov and Hall each win two
gold and two silver medals.

But with his victories, Popov
earns for the second time

the title as the fastest
swimmer in the world.

In two Olympics, he has won four
gold and four silver medals.

Both Popov and
Hall have declared

they will compete
again in the year 2000

at the Sydney Olympic games.

No male swimmer has ever won
three successive gold medals

in the same individual event.

Popov will make that attempt
in the 50 and 100 meters.

Hall will try to stop him.

Perhaps Alexander Popov's words
put their next Olympic meeting

in the proper context.

Said Popov, when you win
your first Olympic medal,

you become famous.

When you win your second Olympic
gold medal in the same event,

you are considered great.

If you win your third Olympic
gold medal in the same event,

you are a part of history.

At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic
Games, Valerie Brisco-Hooks.

Of the United States
made Olympic history

when she became the first
athlete male or female

to win both the 400-
and 200-meter events.

12 years later, here at the
Atlanta Centennial Games,

this feat was duplicated by
Marie-Jos P rec of France.

But in the 100-year
history of the games,

no male runner had ever
accomplished this feat.

On the morning of July
29, Michael Johnson,

a Baylor University
graduate, is going

through his daily routine.

But this day is a special one.

Later this evening, he will be
a finalist in the 400 meters,

the first part of the attempt
to become the first man

in Olympic history
to win gold medals

in both the 400 and 200 meters.

Though gifted with
natural speed,

Michael Johnson attributes
much of his success

to his upbringing and the
teachings of his parents.

MICHAEL JOHNSON:
My mom and my dad

both just took responsibility
for their kids,

taking an interest in me as
a kid and my other brothers

and sisters and
what were we doing

and what we were interested
in, and just basically

taking their responsibility and
shaping us and molding us to be

good, productive
individuals as we got older

and preparing us for adult life.

NARRATOR: Michael Johnson is
the youngest of five children

born to Ruby and Paul Johnson.

Ruby, a schoolteacher,
and Paul, a truck driver,

had a simple message for
all of their children--

have a plan for each
stage of your life

and be prepared for
any eventuality.

My husband and I both
wanted to make sure

that they were
prepared, I think,

for what was going to come up.

And questioning them about
what they were going to do,

what they were
going to be, I think

gave them an idea to
where they could think.

PAUL JOHNSON, SR.: He
was brought up that way.

For instance, twice a month on a
Sunday, we would have meetings.

Those were regular meetings.

And those meetings were
to talk with the children

about the problems,
have them plan things

and try to see
how it worked out.

So he was brought up to
plan and follow his plan.

NARRATOR: Perhaps the
greatest influence

in Michael Jackson's
life is the relationship

with his older brother Paul.

MICHAEL JOHNSON: We've been
best friends since we were kids.

Even though he's not an
athlete, he still understands.

He's been with me enough
to know the kind of things

that I go through, the
pressures of celebrity

and being an athlete and
just all of those things.

And so he's someone that I
can talk to and won't judge.

And he'll give me
his honest opinion

and won't say what he
thinks that I want to hear.

PAUL JOHNSON, JR.:
He is my best friend.

It's amazing when I think back
upon the child that he was,

who he grew up to actually be,
and who he turned out to be.

And it's an interesting
relationship

because I confide in him
just as much as he does me.

He's my best friend
and confidant.

And it's mutual
between the two of us.

NARRATOR: Now, on the
evening of July 29, eight

men get ready for
the 400-meter final.

Michael Johnson of the
United States, in lane four,

has won 54 straight
finals, a streak that began

seven years earlier in 1989.

His appearance here in the 400
meters has been a long wait.

Four years earlier, at
the 1992 Barcelona games,

he was the heavy favorite
to win the 200 meters.

Incredibly, he finished
sixth in his semifinal

and did not qualify
for the final.

He did win a gold medal
as a member of the four

by 400 relay team.

But for Johnson, it
was small compensation.

MICHAEL JOHNSON: Two
weeks before the Olympics,

I was in Spain and ran in a
meet and got food poisoning.

And my training suffered from
it and lost a lot of weight.

And so when I got to
Barcelona, I just wasn't 100%

and wasn't able to
perform at the level

that I'm normally used to.

It was the biggest
disappointment

of my career,
probably the biggest

disappointment of my life.

It wasn't something
that I wanted to go

through again on the relay.

But they needed me on the
relay, and I felt like I had

a responsibility to do that.

So I went out there.

We tied the world record.

So if I'd have been able
to run a little faster,

we would have broken
the world record.

So that didn't make me
feel any better, either.

NARRATOR: Now here in
Atlanta, Michael Johnson

is in lane four.

Roger Black of Great Britain
is to his left in lane three.

He is the only one to win
his three qualifying heats.

The lanes are staggered,
so it is usually

difficult to see
who is in the lead

until the turn into
the final straightaway.

At the halfway point, it
is obvious that Michael

Johnson is fastest of all.

[cheering]

Down the stretch, Johnson
is pulling away from Roger

Black of Great Britain.

[cheering]

Michael Johnson,
United States, first.

Roger Black, Great
Britain, second.

Davis Kamoga, Uganda, third.

Johnson's margin of victory
is almost a full second,

the largest of any
400-meter final

since the 1896 games in Athens.

Now that the race is over,
the first ones Michael Johnson

will greet are his parents.

After the final, he gave a
shoe to his mother, and then

a shoe to me.

That was pretty neat
for him to do that.

NARRATOR: Before the race, Roger
Black predicted the outcome.

Said black, Michael has
been undefeated in the 400

meters for seven years.

The final is really
to see who will win

the silver and bronze medals.

ROGER BLACK: It's
a great feeling

to get a silver
medal at the Olympics

behind Michael Johnson.

He's a great athlete.

And whoever comes
second to him has got

to be pretty good themselves.

It's a wonderful
feeling, the Olympics,

to get an Olympic medal.
I haven't received it yet.

I'm gonna go out and
receive it in a minute.

And I'm trying to just
tell myself to really savor

the moment 'cause too many
people don't savor that moment,

you know?

And I'm gonna savor
every second of it.

NARRATOR: Later,
the awards ceremony.

For Michael Johnson, who four
years earlier in Barcelona

won a relay gold
medal, but failed

to qualify for the
200-meter final,

these moments are special.

MICHAEL JOHNSON: That was my
first individual Olympic gold

medal.

I felt like it was
something that had

been missing from my career.

And there had always been this
fear I would finish my career,

and everybody would say, oh,
he was one of the greatest

sprinters ever, one of the
best athletes, best 400-meter

runner, best 200-meter
runner ever in the sport,

but never won an
Olympic gold medal.

And I was always afraid
of that happening.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Please
rise for the national anthem

of the United States of America.

NARRATOR: Michael Johnson
stands on the top step

of the victory podium flanked
by Roger Black and Davis Kamoga.

MICHAEL JOHNSON: They're playing
"The Star-Spangled Banner"

for you as an athlete, and
they're raising the flag.

And there's no other
feeling like it.

[MUSIC - "THE STAR SPANGLED
BANNER"]

The hopes of the entire country
were resting on your shoulders,

and you came through
for everyone.

There's no other
feeling like it.

It's just almost indescribable.

[MUSIC - "THE STAR SPANGLED
BANNER"]

[cheering]

NARRATOR: Three days later,
more than 80,000 spectators

fill the stadium to witness
Michael Johnson's attempt

at winning the 200
meters and completing

the never-accomplished 200-400
double by a male runner.

As the eight runners await the
start of the 200-meter final,

Johnson's words were
on everyone's mind.

Said Johnson, "the 200 meters.

This is what I'm here for."

Johnson's main
opposition-- Frankie

Fredericks of Namibia,
the man many believe

is the only one who can
beat Johnson at 200 meters.

Fredericks always the
bridesmaid, never the bride.

At the 1992 Olympics,
Fredericks was second in both

the 100 and 200 meters.

Five days ago, Fredericks
again won the silver

in the hundreds meters,
finishing second to Donovan

Bailey of Canada.

Perhaps his greatest effort
came in Oslo two weeks

before the Atlanta games.

Then, Fredericks beat
Johnson in the 200 meters,

giving the American
his first defeat

after 21 consecutive
victories in this event.

Now here in Atlanta,
Fredericks and Johnson

are the only two
men to have won all

of their previous
qualifying heats.

Though Johnson and Fredericks
are expected to battle

for the gold medal,
there are two

other runners who are
capable of crossing

the finish line first--

defending Barcelona
Olympic champion Mike Marsh

of the United States and Ato
Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago,

who earlier finished
third in the 100 meters.

Now there is an
interminable delay.

The runners were called
to the track early.

It would be several minutes
before the race would start.

MICHAEL JOHNSON: The sign
of a true professional

is someone who's prepared for
all of the unexpected things

that may happen.

Every athlete's been
through false starts before.

Ever athlete's been
through delays before.

And you have to go out
there and expect that.

NARRATOR: At the
Olympic trials in June,

he broke the world
record set by Italy's

Pietro Mennea 16 years earlier.

Johnson has the
best lane position.

He is in lane three.

To his write, in lane
five, is Fredericks,

with Boldon in lane six.

Defending champion Mike marsh
is in lane one on the inside.

[starting gun]

The start is clean.

[cheering]

At 50 meters, it is close.

Michael Johnson is coming on.

[cheering]

Michael Johnson, first.

Frankie Fredericks, second.

Ato Boldon, third.

[cheering]

Michael Johnson has broken
his own world record

by more than 1/3 of a second.

Michael Johnson becomes the
first man in Olympic history

to win both the
400 and 200 meters.

MICHAEL JOHNSON: There were
a lot of emotions right then.

First and foremost was that
I had completed the double.

And I had finally won
a 200-meter gold medal.

And I felt like
all along I could

break the world record again.

But to have broken
it by that much,

it was a surprise even to me.

It was just a tremendous
feeling of joy at that point.

NARRATOR: As the thousands
in the stands and millions

throughout the world
cheer his great effort,

they are unaware that he has
sustained an injury, one that

would prevent him from winning
a third gold medal as part

of the four by 400 relay team.

So magnificent is Johnson's
record-breaking performance

it is not noticed that twice
he was in potential trouble.

[starting gun]

MICHAEL JOHNSON: The
third step was just

kind of a step that was kind of
misplaced and kind of stumbled.

You have to just overcome it.

You can't worry about it.

You can't think
about it too long.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: As he takes
the lead, Michael Johnson

has one concern.

MICHAEL JOHNSON: There was some
tightness in my hamstring about

10 meters from the finish.

I just kept running
as hard as I could.

And it was sore and kind
of tight after the race.

[cheering]

[music playing]

NARRATOR: So Michael Johnson
takes another victory lap,

completing one of
the most memorable

athletic feats in the
history of the Olympic Games.

Perhaps the legacy of
Michael Johnson cannot

be found on the track alone.

Rather, putting in
proper perspective

how fleeting fame can be and
how from the earliest days,

one must prepare not
just for the games,

but for the game of life.

PAUL JOHNSON, SR.: Academics
were always important.

Athletics will take
away from your education

in many, many instances.

So that's why we
stressed education.

But even being an
athletic person,

you need some education
to go along with it.

Otherwise, you get
yourself into a bind.

RUBY JOHNSON: Getting that
degree was number one.

We are very proud of
the gold medals, yes.

But that degree was the
number one thing for us.

And that always will be.

Because the gold medal,
that is very important.

But that education can
take him, to me, much

further than those gold medals.

MICHAEL JOHNSON: They've
really focused on raising kids.

Most people kind of
think it's automatic.

They wanted to be good at it,
and they wanted good results.

And they made a
lot of sacrifices

in order to make that happen.

To me, he's a
wonderful young man.

And he's my fifth
child and my baby.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: The day after
opening ceremonies,

the swimming competition
begins at the Olympic pool.

Over the next week, several
memorable performances

were turned in by women,
multiple gold-medal winners

who gained Olympic glory.

Penny Heyns of South Africa
was a double gold-medal winner

in the 100- and
200-meter breaststroke.

Then there were the tremendous
victories of Beth Botsford

of the United States,
who won two gold

in the 100-meter
backstroke and another

as part of the
victorious United States

400-meter medley relay team.

And 17-year-old diver
Fu Mingxia of China,

the first woman
in 36 years to win

both diving events, the
springboard and the platform.

[music playing]

The most celebrated
swimmer of the games,

Amy Van Dyken of
the United States,

the winner of four gold medals
in the 50-meter freestyle and

100-meter butterfly,
and two more

as part of the two victorious
United States relay team.

But of all the great moments
by women that took place

in the Olympic
swimming pool, there

is one name, unrecognized
by most before the games,

who would be the main
topic of conversation

during the seven
days of competition.

[music playing]

These are the hills that
surround Rathcoole, a village

with a population
of 5,000 located

a short distance southwest of
Dublin, Ireland's capital city.

[music playing]

Rathcoole is the birthplace of
26-year-old swimmer Michelle

Smith.

Competing in four
events in Atlanta,

she is trained by her
husband, Erik de Bruin,

a former world class
discus thrower and now

a track and field coach.

Atlanta will be the third
Olympics for Michelle Smith.

Her previous performances
were not noteworthy.

In seven events, four in
Seoul and three in Barcelona,

she never placed
higher than 17th.

There was, however, one
bright note for Michelle

during the Barcelona games.

MICHELLE SMITH: I met my
husband in the cafeteria

in the Olympic Village.

One of the Irish girls
was a race walker.

And she asked me if I
wanted to go to lunch

with her and her boyfriend.

And I said I did.

And her boyfriend had
brought along Erik.

We got chatting.

And I asked him
out that evening,

and the rest is history.

NARRATOR: Leading to Atlanta,
Ron Delany's 1,500-meter

victory at the 1956
Melbourne games

was the most famous
of Ireland's five

Olympic gold medals ever won.

To date, no Irish
swimmer has won

an Olympic medal in swimming.

TOM O'RIORDAN:
The Irish swimmers

were the butt of a number
of jokes on occasions.

But there was one famous story
told which went something

like, you know,
the good news today

is that none of the swimmers
drowned in the pool.

NARRATOR: Michelle Smith,
like all Irish swimmers,

was hampered by the lack
of training facilities.

There was not a single
50-meter Olympic-sized swimming

pool in all of Ireland.

Two years after the
Barcelona games,

Michelle Smith began
training in Holland,

guided by her future husband.

It was in Holland that Erik
De Bruin introduced her

to the training regimen he
was familiar with as a track

and field athlete and coach.

ERIK DE BRUIN: When I first
met Michelle and she told me

about her training, I was a bit
surprised that she didn't do

that much in the weight room.

So we went a bit
more serious when

it comes to weight training.

And she got a lot
stronger and a lot faster,

and sprint times improved a lot.

MICHELLE SMITH: Well, Eric often
tells me that I wasted so many

years doing the wrong training.

And he says if I was doing the
same training that I'm doing

now eight or 10 years ago,
that I would be an even better

swimmer now than I actually am.

NARRATOR: It is Saturday
evening, July 20,

the final of the 400-meter
individual medley,

an event that
challenges the swimmer

in four disciplines--
butterfly, backstroke,

breaststroke, and freestyle.

The favorite in the race,
21-year-old Krisztina Egerszegi

of Hungary, the defending
Olympic champion and already

a legend with four gold
and one silver medal

from two previous Olympics.

The third fastest qualifier
is Michelle Smith of Ireland.

Although in Seoul,
Smith finished 25th,

and four years later
in Barcelona, she

was 26th in this event, a
year before the Atlanta games,

she was ranked second fastest
in the world in two events.

Nevertheless, Krisztina
Egerszegi of Hungary

is the heavy favorite
to win and become

the only woman to
win back-to-back gold

medals in this event.

[cheering]

MICHELLE SMITH: After the 1995
European championships, when

I came second to
Krisztina Egerszegi

in the 400-meters
individual medley,

I remember a swimmer coming
up to me and saying, you know,

that girl is just unbeatable.

And my reaction was, no,
she's not unbeatable.

Because I really believed
that she was just human,

and she had two arms and
two legs, just like me.

And if I trained hard, that I
had a chance of beating her.

Maybe I wouldn't.

But I felt that
she was beatable.

NARRATOR: With 100
meters left in the race,

Allison Wagner of
the United States

leads, followed by Egerszegi,
and then Michelle Smith.

Here in the
freestyle, Michelle is

swimming fastest of the three.

She overtakes Egerszegi.

As she reaches the 350-meter
mark, with 50 meters left,

she is more than a second
ahead of Wagner and Egerszegi

and increasing the
lead with each stroke.

[cheering]

As she moves toward the finish,
Michelle Smith is all alone.

Michelle Smith, Ireland, first.

Allison Wagner,
United States, second.

Krisztina Egerszegi,
Hungary, third.

[cheering]

MICHELLE SMITH: I realized
immediately that I had won.

And first there was
a feeling of delight.

And then immediately
after that, I more or less

went into shock because I had
realized that in less than five

minutes, I'd achieved
what I had dreamed

of for the last 17 years.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Representing Ireland,

Michelle Smith.

NARRATOR: The awards
ceremony soon takes place.

Michelle Smith has
made Olympic history,

the first Irish swimmer to stand
on the top step of the podium.

MICHELLE SMITH: I would have
been happy standing up there

seeing the flag go up for
any color of the medal.

But seeing it go up for
gold was really special.

It was also very special, then,
to hear my national anthem.

So I had a great
feeling of pride.

And at that stage, I was
thinking about my parents

standing in the stands, but
also for the people at home

because I knew that this
was going to be something

special for them, as well.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Two days
later, on July 22,

the heats and final of
the 400-meter freestyle

are scheduled.

Michelle Smith is one
of the competitors.

Several nations
protested her entry,

claiming her qualifying
time, the fastest

in the world for two years and
18 seconds faster than her best

previous time, had
taken place a day

after the entries were closed.

The international
swimming federation, FINA,

agrees with the
protesters, but is

overruled by the International
Olympic Committee.

Michelle Smith was
permitted to swim.

MICHELLE SMITH: The
organizing committee

told the Irish Olympic Council
that entries could be made

or changed up until
the 17th of July.

So they thought
that they had plenty

of time to put in my entry.

And it turned out when they
arrived in the Olympic Village

that they were told that
that information was wrong.

But luckily, the
person in question

from the organizing
committee came forward

and said he had made a mistake.

They had issued a booklet
with erroneous information.

And the organizing committee
had to accept that,

and they accepted my entry.

NARRATOR: Five heats
of the 400 freestyle

are scheduled on the
morning of July 22.

The eight fastest will make
it to the final that evening.

The times in the first two
heats are exceptionally slow.

It is now apparent
that the finalists

would emerge from heats
three, four, and five.

In the third heat, Janet
Evans of the United States,

who set the world record
eight years earlier in Seoul

and four years ago won
the silver in Barcelona,

trails throughout the race.

Her parents, Barbara and Paul
Evans, watch from the stands.

Janet Evans finishes second
to Claudia Poll of Costa Rica,

but her time is
10 seconds slower

than her world record time.

Barbara Evans is fearful that
it might not be fast enough

to make it to the final.

I don't know if
she's gonna make it.

NARRATOR: Her fears
become a reality.

In the last two heats, seven
women swim the distance faster

than Janet Evans.

One of them is Michelle Smith.

Incredibly, Janet Evans
doesn't make the final.

That night, Michelle
Smith is again superb.

With 50 meters to
go, Michelle Smith

leads Dagmar Hase of Germany,
the defending champion,

and Kirsten Kielgass of Holland.

As they approach the finish,
Smith leads, but Dagmar Hase

is cutting down the distance.

Hase is swimming fastest
of all, but it is too late.

Michelle Smith wins
her second gold medal.

With this magnificent
victory, even

greater controversy follows.

In a sport where improvement
is measured in fractions

of a second, Michelle Smith
has improved dramatically,

more than 18 seconds in
the 400-meter freestyle

over the past year, linking
her performance with that

of her husband and coach,
whose athletic career was

cut short three years earlier.

Then, Erik de Bruin
tested positive

for the presence of a
performance-enhancing drug.

Equally controversial--
the decision to permit her

to compete in the
400-meter freestyle, which,

in retrospect, was
one of the reasons

Janet Evans did not
make it to the final.

MICHELLE SMITH: It was
only after the heats

of 400-meters freestyle that
things actually became worse.

But I think that that
was because Janet

didn't make the final.

And she was obviously
very disappointed.

And I was disappointed myself
that she didn't make the final

because then we would have
had the Olympic champion

from '88 and the
Olympic champion

from '92 in the
same Olympic final.

And so for me, that
meant that competing

against people at that level, I
still came out on top that day.

And so I could call myself
the best in the world.

RICHARD QUICK: Janet knew the
assignment as far as getting

into the finals were concerned.

She came up ninth.

I don't hold that
against the entry

procedure or anything else.

She just misjudged
getting into the finals.

So I don't think
Janet even holds

any kind of negative
feeling that Michelle Smith

kept her out of the finals.

I think if you were to ask
Janet, that she would say,

I didn't come up with a
good enough performance

to be in the finals,
and that's it.

NARRATOR: Two days
later, Michelle Smith

is one of the eight
finalists in the

200-meter individual medley.

She is the seventh
fastest qualifier.

Also in the race is Lin
Li of China, the defending

Olympic champion from Barcelona,
where she set the world

record that still stands.

[music playing]

Each of the four strokes--

the butterfly, backstroke,
breaststroke, and freestyle--

will be swum for 50 meters.

Michelle Smith will swim
in lane one at the top.

Her strategy is to stay
close with the leaders.

Then, as she did in
the 400-meter medley,

go all out in the
final freestyle leg.

As they turn for home for
the final 50-meter freestyle,

Lin of China is in the lead.

Michelle Smith, at
the top, is coming

on, along with Marianne Limpert
of Canada in the middle.

[cheering]

With 25 meters left, Michelle
Smith takes a slight lead.

Lin of China starts to fade.

Michelle Smith, Ireland, first.

Marianne Limpert,
Canada, second.

Lin Li, China, third.

Michelle Smith's time is
more than two seconds slower

than Lin Li's world record.

The day after winning
her third gold medal,

Michelle Smith is preparing
for the 200-meter butterfly.

MICHELLE SMITH: I was resting
before my final event.

And my husband
came into the room,

and he said, Michelle, there's
somebody who wants to meet you.

And I said, who?

And he said, well, his
first name is Bill.

And I started smiling.

And I said, it's not
Bill Clinton, is it?

And he said, yes.

And so we went down to
the pool, and I met him.

And he was very nice.

He was very gracious.

And he said that he admired me
for what I had done in the pool

during the week,
and he also admired

the way I could
handle the pressure

that the media had dealt me.

NARRATOR: On the
evening of July 26,

Michelle Smith is
the second fastest

qualifier for the 200-meter
butterfly, her last event.

She predicts this would
be her finest race,

but it is not to be.

With 50 meters to go,
Susan O'Neill of Australia,

the fastest qualifier,
is in the lead

and still swimming strongly.

Michelle Smith and
Australia's Petria Thomas

are in second and third
place, on either side of her.

[cheering]

Susan O'Neill first,
Petria Thomas second,

Michelle Smith third.

Michell Smith finishes
her one week of glory

with three gold and
one bronze medal.

[cheering]

[music playing]

Later, she returns home
to a hero's welcome.

MICHELLE SMITH: The
return home was great.

It was raining so hard,
but there were still

hundreds of people who
came out to Dublin Airport

and were standing
for hours in the rain

to see the plane coming
back and landing.

And we went in an open-top bus
through the streets of Dublin

down to the city center.

And people came
out of their work

and came out of their shops and
their offices along the street.

That evening, I
went to my hometown.

And I think that was
the best welcome of all.

There were just thousands of
people who crowded the streets

of my hometown that evening.

And that was very emotional
coming back and realizing how

proud the people were there.

[music playing]

So Michelle Smith returns
to her birthplace,

to the rolling
hills of Rathcoole,

where in the early
hours of July 21,

its 5,000 inhabitants
cheered, cried,

and raised their glasses
high in endless toasts

for one of its daughters.

For Michelle Smith made
Irish Olympic history,

the winner of three gold
and one bronze medal.

[music playing]

On July 28 at the Stone
Mountain Archery Center,

64 men, the finest
archers in the world,

stood 70 meters
from their targets.

They would shoot 72
arrows to determine

rankings for the head-to-head
matches that would follow.

The highest scorer
would face the lowest

score in the opening round.

The second-highest scorer would
meet the second-lowest scorer,

and so on.

With each round,
the field would be

cut in half, for a single
loss meant elimination.

To win the gold
medal, the champion

would have to survive six
straight head-to-head matches.

In the women's
individual competition,

Kim Kyung-Wook of Korea defeated
He Ying of China 113 to 107.

[cheering]

It was the fourth successive
Olympic gold medal

won by a Korean, who
have dominated women's

archery for more than a decade.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Ladies and gentlemen--

NARRATOR: But when the archers
got underway for the men's

competition, it soon
became apparent that there

was a changing of the guard.

New, young, strong,
and nerveless

archers from around
the world are replacing

the champions of the past.

By the beginning of
the quarterfinal round,

with eight archers left, the
new innovative one-loss-and-out

format has already sent many
of the pre-Olympic favorites

to the sidelines,
including the world's two

top-ranking archers, two
past world champions,

and two Olympic champions.

One of the new breed to win
his first three matches--

21-year-old Justin Huish, the
last hope for the United States

after his two teammates were
eliminated in earlier rounds.

Huish is not only competing
before a home crowd,

but his personality
has endeared him

to the spectators, a
combination of immense talent

and boyish enthusiasm that
sets him apart from the rest

of the world's top partners.

Huish became interested in
archery at the age of 14,

when his parents,
Bernie and Ona Huish,

bought an archery store in
Simi Valley, California.

He had a natural
talent as a youngster,

but practicing
became a hardship.

There were no facilities less
than 45 minutes from his home,

so Justin Huish devised
his own practice arena.

JUSTIN HUISH: Well,
basically, one day I woke up.

And I was like, I
don't want to go

45 minutes to the local
archery range and shoot.

So I just started practicing 50
meters from across the street,

from my neighbor's lawn, up the
driveway, through the garage,

out the back door, across the
backyard, onto the target mat.

BERNIE HUISH: As
a matter of fact,

we would have gone even farther
back into the neighbor's yard

if they would open
up their doors

and let us go into
their kitchen area

there to shoot longer distances.

And I think, again, it
might go back to quote,

unquote "the lazy side of
Justin," if you want to call it

that, where rather than drive
35 minutes to Woodley Park,

another range where he could
get that 50-yard distance,

he'd just simply do
it here at the house.

NARRATOR: In his quarterfinal,
Huish would meet 20-year-old

Michele Frangilli of Italy.

Frangilli let it be
known at the outset

that he would be a
contender for the gold medal

when he finished first
in the ranking round,

setting an Olympic record.

JUSTIN HUISH:
Frangilli, the only time

I ever saw him before
the Olympics was

at this tournament in Germany.

And he went there and finished
number one on the ranking round

and won the tournament.

The number one guy going into
the elimination rounds usually

never wins.

And he just went through
the first time I ever saw

him and just spanked everyone.

And I was like, wow.

And then we go into the
Olympics, and he came out,

and he won the
qualification round.

NARRATOR: The format is the
same for the final three rounds.

Each archer will ultimately
shoot three arrows

at a distance of 70 meters.

The arrows are then
pulled from the target.

This procedure takes place four
times for a total of 12 arrows.

Theoretically, a perfect
score of 120 points

can be reached if the
archer shoots all his arrows

in the 10-point center ring.

ONA HUISH: During the
actual match with Frangilli,

people were saying,
well, were you aware

that he was ranked number one?

And he just shot
an Olympic record

this, an Olympic record that.

And then the tension
started mounting even worse.

NARRATOR: At the
end of nine arrows,

Huish leads Frangilli 85 to 84.

Each has three arrows left.

Frangilli shoots first.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Eight points.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: An eight.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Nine.

NARRATOR: Huish leads by
two with two arrows left.

Frangilli.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): 10.

10.

NARRATOR: Huish matches him.

Huish still leads by two.

Each has one arrow left.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): 10.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: A nine or
10 on his last arrow

will give Huish the victory.

An eight.

They are now tied.

They will go into a
sudden-death playoff.

Huish will shoot first.

JUSTIN HUISH: So I just
got up there and pretended

like it was the first
arrow of the tournament,

and everything's on it.

And it just got so quiet.

And I came to full draw.

I mean, you could
just hear everything.

A pin could drop, and you
could hear it a mile away.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): 10.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: Frangilli must shoot
a 10 to keep the match going.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): 10.

NARRATOR: They're tied again.

Frangilli will shoot first
in the second tiebreaker.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Nine.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: Huish needs
a 10 for the victory.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): 10.

[cheering]

JUSTIN HUISH: I was screaming.

I'm just like, I made it!

And my whole family was
waving and screaming.

And everyone was just crazy.

NARRATOR: Now in the semifinal,
Huish is sensational.

He crushes Paul
Vermeiren of Belgium,

winning by nine points--

112 to 103.

Huish makes it to the final,
where he will meet 21-year-old

Magnus Petersson of Sweden, who
had two magnificent victories

over two Korean archers in
the quarterfinal and semifinal

rounds.

Both Korean archers were
pre-Olympic favorites

for championship honors.

The stage is now set
for the 12-arrow final

between seventh-seeded Petersson
and ninth-seeded Huish.

Petersson's most
notable accomplishment

took place one year earlier
when he won the 1995

World Indoor Championship.

JUSTIN HUISH: Shooting
against Magnus,

I knew that he could just come
on fire anytime because he's

the past world indoor champion.

And I knew that he made it
to the gold medal match.

And this could be his chance
right now to come on fire.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Eight points.

NARRATOR: But it is Huish
who has caught fire.

After three rounds,
nine arrows, he

leads Petersson by four points.

Incredibly, in
gaining this lead,

he has shot three
10s and six nines.

Each has three arrows left.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Nine.

[cheering]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): 10.

NARRATOR: Petersson's 10
cuts the deficit to three.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): 10.

[cheering]

Nine.

NARRATOR: Petersson can
only answer with a nine.

Huish's lead is
now back to four.

A seven or better
on his last arrow

will close out the match no
matter what Petersson does.

In the stands, Bernie
Huish, Justin's father,

is videotaping the
last act of the drama.

Come on, Justin.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Huish clinches the gold.

NARRATOR: Justin Huish
wins the gold medal.

Justin's father was ecstatic.

This is how he recorded
the last arrow.

ONA HUISH: When it gets to
that final arrow, when Justin

finally clinches the match
and win the gold medal,

all you basically see is the
camera, it goes up to the sky,

and then down to the ground.

And all you see is
it flailing around.

And you just hear him screaming.

Yes!

Yes!

[cheering]

NARRATOR: Justin Huish
stands on the top step

of the award podium
as the national anthem

is played in his honor.

The following day,
he will again make it

to the top step, this time
joining two teammates, Rod

White and Butch
Johnson, in winning

the team championship over
the heavily-favored Koreans.

JUSTIN HUISH: I have
the unique opportunity

to be able to
compete individually

and team, which is-- more
sports don't have that.

It's either a team sport or
it's an individual sport.

But I was just glad to see
that Rod and Butch got a chance

to experience victory, too.

It was nice to have my teammates
up there on the podium then up

there, and look at the
flagging, and the crowd cheering

for you and everything.

That was really neat.

BERNIE HUISH: He's
the kid next door.

He's the kid you could
know from anywhere.

We hoped he would do good.

He didn't just do good.

He did spectacular.

[MUSIC - "THE STAR SPANGLED
BANNER"]

[cheering]

NARRATOR: These are
the French Alps.

Nestled in these
mountains is the village

of Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux, home
to 37-year-old Jeannie Longo.

Longo, once a ski racer,
lives a simple life,

tending her garden,
raising chickens,

and skiing in the nearby
mountains whenever possible.

But she did not receive
international acclaim

for skiing.

Rather, she is considered
by most the greatest

female cyclist in history.

At 5 feet 4 inches and
just over 100 pounds,

Jeannie Longo's success
is unparalleled.

Her 10 world championships and
three women's Tour de France

successes are a testament
to her incredible talent

and determination.

Yet with her great
achievements, she

remains one of the most
controversial athletes

to compete at the Atlanta games.

SAMUEL ABT: Jeannie
Longo is what

the French call
a [french],, which

is literally a sacred monster.

And it means somebody who's
larger than life, somebody who

you don't want to
get in their way,

but somebody who's
very talented.

You don't apply this
just to some guy

who's got a bad temper.

This would be a phrase
you'd use for a Picasso.

She seems not to care what
effect she has on people.

I don't think she particularly
cares about, as I say,

popularity.

What she cares about is winning.

INTERPRETER: Many
people say that all I

care about is winning.

Winning is great, yes.

But I look at each
race as setting a goal

and trying to attain it.

There's a bit of jealousy
behind this talk, I think.

Away from cycling, I'm
not aggressive at all.

At home, I lead a very simple,
healthy, and peaceful life.

NARRATOR: At the 1984
Los Angeles Olympics,

25-year-old Jeannie Longo
is one of the favorites

to win the first road
race ever held for women.

Another is Connie
Carpenter-Phinney

of the United States.

It is Jeannie Longo who Connie
Carpenter-Phinney fears most.

CONNIE CARPENTER-PHINNEY:
In cycling history,

the greatest cyclists
have always had names

that kind of invoke terror.

Eddy Merckx was
called the Cannibal.

Bernard Hinault, her fellow
Frenchman who I would liken her

to, is called the
Badger because he

was tenacious, because once
he got a bite out of you,

he didn't let you go.

And Jeannie has the
exact same traits.

But because she's a
woman, they're not

highly regarded, those traits.

In fact, they're questioned.

NARRATOR: With the
race halfway over,

six women, including Longo,
break from the pack of 45.

CONNIE CARPENTER-PHINNEY: There
were six of us that had broken

away from the main group in LA.

And Jeannie dropped behind me.

We were coming in
toward the finish.

And I'm wondering,
where is Jeannie?

And she just plainly
disappeared out of sight.

And the sprint
starts, and I'm still

wondering, where's Jeannie?

And I really literally started
my sprint too late because I'm

wondering, where's Jeannie?

NARRATOR: With 100 meters to
go, America's Rebecca Twigg,

on the right, makes her move.

Connie Carpenter-Phinney,
on the left, moves with her.

[cheering]

By one inch, Connie
Carpenter-Phinney

is Olympic champion.

Jeannie Longo finishes sixth.

She is forced to walk her
bicycle across the finish line

after Italy's Maria Canins
collides with her this

before the finish.

INTERPRETER: This was one of
the worst moments in my life.

I was preparing for
my final sprint,

and the Italian girl hit my
bicycle and broke the chain.

Just terrible.

I had to finish on foot.

NARRATOR: At the
1988 Seoul Olympics,

Jeannie Longo, number
18, seeks to atone

for her disastrous finish
at the Los Angeles Games.

Longo was a heavy favorite.

But one month before these
games, she fractures her hip.

Though not fully recovered,
and against the advice of many,

she decides to compete.

INTERPRETER: I broke my hip
exactly 30 days before Seoul.

It was a challenge for me.

The clock was ticking, and I
had only one month to recover

and train for the Olympics.

One day, I thought I could win.

Then the next day,
I wasn't so sure.

NARRATOR: Nearing
the finish line,

45 riders have a chance
at the gold medal.

Monique Knol of Holland
sprints out ahead.

She wins.

Jeannie Longo finishes 21st.

The next year, Jeannie
Longo announces

her retirement from cycling.

It is temporary.

At the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics, she

is riding again, her reason--

to win an Olympic gold medal.

Approaching the finish,
Longo pulls away.

She sees no one in front of her.

Jeannie Longo crosses
the finish line.

She believes she has won her
first Olympic gold medal.

It is a tragic miscalculation.

Unknown to Longo,
Katherine Watt of Australia

crossed the finish line
20 seconds ahead of her.

Katherine Watt is
the Olympic champion.

INTERPRETER: When I crossed the
finish line, I was exhausted,

and my husband came
to me and said,

didn't you know that Katherine
Watt was in front of you?

And I said, what do you mean?

What are you talking about?

Then I realized, oh, god.

Somebody had crossed
the line before me.

NARRATOR: At the
awards ceremony,

Watt receives the gold
medal, Longo the silver.

Once again, Jeannie Longo
has failed in her quest

for Olympic immortality.

It is 11:00 AM
Sunday, July 21, 1996.

58 women prepare for the
road race in Atlanta.

One of the favorites,
Jeannie Longo.

This will be her
fourth Olympics.

Others favored in this race--

number 23, Katherine
Watt of Australia,

the defending Olympic champion;
number 11, Imelda Chiappa,

and number 12, Alessandra
Cappellotto, both of Italy;

and the Canadians,
number 17, Linda Jackson,

and number 16, Clara Hughes.

At age 37, Jeannie Longo is
the oldest rider in the race.

Most believe this will
be her last Olympics.

INTERPRETER: Some
people in the press

said I was too old to win.

But I felt confident.

For several weeks, I had trained
in the Colorado mountains

while others
trained in the heat.

I was in very good
shape for Atlanta.

NARRATOR: The race begins.

[music playing]

The riders will make eight laps
around the streets of Atlanta,

64 miles in all.

The race features two
types of cyclists--

those with endurance,
at push the pace

from the front, and sprinters,
who with a burst of speed

can move into the lead
at the proper moment.

Early on, there is an accident.

Canada's Linda Jackson,
one of the favorites,

falls and severely
injures her arm.

She is out of the race.

[music playing]

Through two laps, the
50 riders stay together.

There are no breakaways.

[music playing]

There is concern
amongst the riders about

the hot and humid conditions.

There are several attempts
to break away from the pack.

None are successful.

But on lap three, Italy's
Alessandra Cappellotto attacks.

She takes the lead.

It starts to rain.

The course becomes treacherous.

[music playing]

Alessandra
Cappellotto is tiring.

The other riders
cut into her lead.

Just past the halfway
point in the race,

the main pack hunts
down Cappellotto.

France's Jeannie Longo,
Australia's Anna Wilson, and

Italy's Imelda Chiappa attack.

They move into the lead.

Canada's Clara Hughes,
in fourth place,

tries to catch the
front-riding threesome.

CLARA HUGHES: I looked up the
road, and I saw an Australian,

and I saw Longo and an Italian.

I knew that was it.

And I knew at that time I had
a window of a little bit more

or a little bit less
than a kilometer

to get up to that group.

And after that, it was gone.

NARRATOR: Anna Wilson of
Australia falls off the lead.

The race is now down to three--

Jeannie Longo, Imelda
Chiappa, and Clara Hughes.

It is common practice
for the breakaway riders

to share the lead.

By sharing, they conserve
energy and hope to increase

their lead over the main pack.

[music playing]

Jeannie Longo is upset that
she is doing most of the work

up front.

CLARA HUGHES: Yeah.

She's like, come on, girls.

You have to work.

Ole, ole.

And I said, Jeannie,
I'm trying to.

I was giving as much as I could,
but I wasn't gonna waste energy

fighting her to pull through.

NARRATOR: There are
six miles to go.

Longo now makes a break.

Chiappa and Hughes
try to respond.

[music playing]

Meanwhile, the rest of the
pack slips more than 30

seconds behind the leaders.

Jeannie Longo's lead increases.

[music playing]

Chiappa and Hughes
mount one last charge.

[music playing]

With less than 200 meters to
go, Jeannie Longo is all alone.

This time, there is no
one in front of her.

[music playing]

Jeannie Longo, first.

Imelda Chiappa, second,
25 seconds behind.

Clara Hughes, third.

At the age of 37,
Jeannie Longo gains what

has eluded her for 12 years--

an Olympic gold medal.

CLARA HUGHES: I saw
Jeannie after the race,

and I said, congratulations.

And she said her
usual, thank you.

And I have to say that I
really respect the race

that she rode that day.

And I learned a lot from her.

I looked back, and
I saw what it takes

to be the Olympic champion.

INTERPRETER: In spite
of all my victories,

my career would have been
considered incomplete if I had

not won the gold medal here.

After so many disappointments
over the past three Olympics,

to finally be called an Olympic
champion, what a lovely moment

this was.

CONNIE CARPENTER-PHINNEY:
Jeannie Longo

is the greatest female
cyclist in the modern era.

No matter who you
throw at her, whatever

youth comes along the way, she's
still better than they are.

And she's got all this
personality and all this drive.

And somewhere in our society,
we suppress that in women.

But that's what
makes her so great.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: At 9 o'clock on
the evening of July 27, more

than 80,000 spectators
gather for one of the games

marquee events--

the men's 100-meter final.

[starting gun]

[cheering]

Donovan Bailey, Canada,
first, a time of 9.4 seconds,

a world record.

Frankie Fredericks,
Namibia, second.

Ato Boldon, Trinidad
and Tobago, third.

This would be Donovan Bailey's
first of two gold medals.

Later, he would anchor
Canada's victorious four

by 100-meter relay team.

[cheering]

55 miles north of Atlanta,
on the waters of Lake Lanier,

the rowing competition
was held earlier that day.

Seven finals would be contested,
one of those the men's pair

final.

Among the favorites, Steven
Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent,

the British crew who
will be rowing together

in their second Olympics.

This is the River
Thames, which runs

through the village of
Henley-on-Thames, 30 miles west

of London.

It is the most famous
stretch of water in rowing.

Rowing in England is steeped
in more than two centuries

of gentlemanly tradition,
considered an activity

of the well-to-do from
elite universities

like Cambridge and Oxford.

Steven Redgrave, sitting in
front, and Matthew Pinsent

train here as members
of the Leander

Club, the most prestigious
rowing club in Britain.

While Matthew Pinsent
was educated at Oxford,

Steven Redgrave was not.

Redgrave, the son
of a builder, quit

school to row full-time, working
construction to pay the bills.

CHRISTOPHER DODD: The
image of the sport today

is personified by Steven,
who came from a state school,

left school at 16 or 17,
has no qualifications

for any other
profession, and has been

a full-time rower ever since.

NARRATOR: At the 1984
Los Angeles Olympics,

Redgrave, on the
extreme left, at age 22

is the youngest member
of the British four.

ANNOUNCER: They've now
got 20 meters to go.

And Britain are going
to win the gold.

Britain first, the
United States second.

They cross the line now.

And there is gold
for Great Britain.

NARRATOR: Four years later,
at the Seoul Olympics,

Redgrave wins his
second gold medal,

rowing with Andy Holmes in
the pair without coxswain.

But for Redgrave
and Holmes, the joy

turns to despair the
following day in the pair

with coxswain final.

No team has ever won these
two events at one Olympics.

Redgrave and Holmes win a
medal, but it is not the gold.

They finish third behind
Italy and East Germany.

STEVEN REDGRAVE:
We expected to win.

We thought we could win.

We thought we were
good enough to win.

The whole of our
training was geared

up to try and win two events.

And we didn't achieve that.

So if you don't achieve
something that you've set out,

it's got to be failure.

There's only one winners medal.

NARRATOR: Following the 1988
Olympics, Andy Holmes retires.

But Steven Redgrave
decides to go on.

To the surprise of many,
19-year-old Matthew Pinsent

is chosen to row with Redgrave.

MATTHEW PINSENT: I was certainly
on edge about rowing with him.

I was certainly
feeling that it was

going to be a difficult unit
to put together, I thought.

His aggression and
his determination,

when they're turned against
someone, can be tough.

But that doesn't
happen very often.

And the bottom line was
this is one of the best

guys in the world to row with.

NARRATOR: At the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics, the partner is new,

but the result is the same.

Pinsent and Redgrave
win the gold medal.

For Redgrave, this is
his third gold medal

in three successive Olympics,
the first British athlete in 72

years to accomplish this feat.

Matthew Pinsent and Steven
Redgrave make their decision--

to defend their title
in four years' time

at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

If successful,
Redgrave would be only

the fifth athlete
to win a gold medal

in four consecutive Olympics.

After Barcelona, they
return home to England.

In the years and months
leading to Atlanta,

Redgrave and Pinsent encounter
almost nonstop media attention.

The pressure to win
becomes unbearable.

STEVEN REDGRAVE: Every day
of training that we came down

here, we had two or
three journalists, daily,

coming down and doing interviews
and TV crews coming down

and things like that.

And that pays its
toll after awhile

because it's been a sport that
hasn't had that media coverage.

And the expectation of everybody
expecting you to do well,

the media expecting
you to do well,

in some respects,
your opposition

expecting you to win,
as well, that's quite

tough in some respects.

NARRATOR: It is Friday, July
19, the opening day ceremonies

of the Atlanta Olympic Games.

Almost 200 nations
pass in review.

This day brings another
honor for 34-year-old Steven

Redgrave.

For the second time, he is
selected by his teammates

to carry the British flag.

Six days later, the
pairs semifinal.

The favorites-- New Zealand
in lane one at the top,

the United States in line
two, Italy in lane three,

Great Britain in the
white boat in lane four.

Three teams in each semifinal
will qualify for the final.

The race is 2,000 meters,
a little less than a mile

and a quarter.

With 1,000 meters to go, the
British, closest to the camera,

are in second.

They trail the Americans on
the extreme left in lane two

by more than two seconds.

The Americans are
taking a huge gamble.

Their concern about rowing
against Redgrave and Pinsent

has forced them to go
all out from the start,

hoping they will not
self-destruct later.

STEVEN REDGRAVE: The Americans
are mad, absolutely mad.

If you're in a race and
you're a length and a half up

on the second crew that
happens to be the reigning

Olympic champions, reigning
world champions, reigning world

record holders, reigning
Olympic record holders,

and you're a length
and a half in front,

don't you think, well, are we
doing something wrong here?

Are we this much
faster than this crew?

Or have we paced it very badly?

NARRATOR: With 500 meters
to go, Great Britain

overtakes the United States.

The Americans are struggling.

They now battle to hold
on to a qualifying spot.

They approach the finish.

[cheering]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
At the line,

it's Great Britain
first, New Zealand

second, and Italy third.

The United States finishes
fourth and just out of the--

NARRATOR: The
United States fails

to qualify for the finals.

STEVEN REDGRAVE: They
paced it very, very badly.

They were capable of
being in that final.

They could have won a medal.

But they blew it away.

NARRATOR: After eight
days, British athletes

have failed to win a
gold medal in any sport.

It is becoming more
evident that Redgrave

and Pinsent might
be their country's

lone hope for a gold medal.

STEVEN REDGRAVE: The build-up
of the last two weeks,

in some respects, was a
very nerve-racking time.

And the closer it gets,
the thing you think,

well, we've been
telling everybody

we're going to win on this day.

We've got now to try and do it.

ANN REDGRAVE: Steve's a man who
on the surface is very cool.

But underneath, he's
all bubbling away.

And probably in Atlanta, that's
the worst I've ever seen him.

I mean, he actually
was in tears three days

into the regatta with the
pressure and saying he

had to pull himself together
in order to be able to achieve

what he set out to do.

And that's the first time I've
ever seen Steve in that state.

NARRATOR: It is Saturday
morning, July 27,

the final of the men's pair.

Leading to the final, the
team of Redgrave and Pinsent

has won 58 major races.

They have not lost in
more than four years.

But on this morning,
there are other thoughts

on the minds of the rowers.

STEVEN REDGRAVE: We had
to get up very early.

We were getting up at 5
o'clock in the morning.

We woke up, turned the TV
on, and it was announced

that this bomb had gone
off during the night

and people had lost their lives.

They weren't quite
sure of how many.

Hello, everyone.

I'm Andrea Zinga at the
CNN Center in Atlanta.

We have had word now of an
explosion at the Centennial

Olympic Park, which is--

STEVEN REDGRAVE: And
you start thinking,

well, is it worth actually
going out and doing this?

And then you think,
well, the games

are gonna go on, that even
if we don't go out there,

somebody will.

Somebody will win the
coxless pairs final.

So why shouldn't it be us?

NARRATOR: This final
has added significance.

These will be the
first medals awarded

since the bombing at Olympic
Park nine hours earlier.

Amongst the thousands
of spectators watching,

Steven Redgrave's
family and coach.

STEVEN REDGRAVE: I felt very
emotional at that point.

And as the noise
started quieting down,

I heard my eldest daughter
Natalie say, go on, Dad!

And that really did sort
of choke me up at the time.

I thought, wow, yea,
this is the day.

This is the time
it's got to be done.

NARRATOR: There are six lanes.

Lane one is at the top.

The favorites-- France in lane
two, Australia in lane three,

and Great Britain in lane four.

The British in the white
boat are out fastest of all.

Early in the race, they
lead by one second.

STEVEN REDGRAVE: We
had a dream start.

And by 250 meters gone,
we had clear water.

And the things that go
through your mind immediately

is that what are
we doing out here?

Why are we length and a half
faster than anybody else?

Have we put in a lot
of effort to do that?

And if we have, that's gonna
pay a toll later in the race.

NARRATOR: As they
approach 750 meters,

the British increase their
lead to more than two seconds.

By capitalizing on
a fast start, they

hope to demoralize the
opposition by building

a large lead, then
have enough strength

to hold off any challenge.

It is not forgotten
that two days

earlier, the Americans,
using these tactics,

failed to qualify.

As they near 1,000 meters,
the halfway point in the race,

Great Britain,
closest to the camera,

still maintains its lead.

France, in lane two,
is second; Australia,

in lane three, third;
Italy, in lane one, fourth.

Approaching 1,500 meters,
the British lead narrows.

The Australians close the gap.

As tactician for the
team, Redgrave continually

assesses what they should do.

MATTHEW PINSENT: Because
he sits behind me,

he can speak at very low
volume so that another crew

can't hear what's going on.

And that's the way
we've always operated.

NARRATOR: With less
than 400 meters to go,

Britain still leads, but
Australia is coming on.

France remains in third.

MATTHEW PINSENT: And
it was only really

when the race started
closing up on us,

right in the last
200, 250 meters,

that we did anything about it.

And that was pretty tough.

With them coming back, I was
pretty keen to finish it off.

STEVEN REDGRAVE: Matthew started
getting a little bit excited

and started putting
some big strokes in.

And my answer to
that was, just wait.

Wait.

Wait for the call.

We always knew that we
could row away from them

at any stage we wanted to.

And we just let them come back
and come back and come back.

And then we made our move.

NARRATOR: Great Britain,
closest to the camera,

still leads as they
approach the finish.

Great Britain first, Australia
second, France third.

Matthew Pinsent wins
his second gold medal,

Steven Redgrave his fourth.

STEVEN REDGRAVE:
Thank god it was over.

The stress and strain
of the build-up to it,

that finally this race was
over, and we had achieved

what we'd set out to achieve.

NARRATOR: Minutes later,
Steven Redgrave announces

to the press his retirement.

STEVEN REDGRAVE: There were
TV cameras waiting and radio.

And they heard some
things that they didn't

want to hear in some respects.

But also, they got a
quote that stuck with me.

And the quote goes
something like

"if you ever see me anywhere
near a boat, shoot me."

NARRATOR: Steven Redgrave
receives the gold medal.

The British anthem is played
for the first and only time

here in Atlanta,
for Steven Redgrave

and Matthew Pinsent are
the only British athletes

to be crowned Olympic
champions at these games.

Most believe this will
be Steven Redgrave's

last awards ceremony.

But three months later,
he would decide to go on.

His goal-- to win
a fifth gold medal

at the 2000 games in Sydney,
Australia at the age of 38.

MATTHEW PINSENT:
There is nothing

that Steve can do
that will make him

feel like the Olympics does.

And while he has the chance to
live the life of the Olympian,

you can't expect him not to.

[cheering]

[music playing]

NARRATOR: On the rainy
morning of Saturday, July 27,

the flags fly at half mast
at the Olympic Stadium,

and those who brave
the foul weather

stand in silent
prayer in tribute

to those who were
killed and wounded

eight hours earlier
when a bomb exploded

at nearby Olympic Park.

Olympic officials quickly made
their decision, the same one

that was made 24 years
earlier in Munich when

11 Israeli athletes
and coaches were

killed by terrorists who had
invaded the athletes' village.

The rallying cry by the then
IOC president Avery Brundage

was the same as it
would be this day.

The games must go.

NARRATOR: The games must go on.

And so the games went on.

The first event to be contested
this day at the Olympic stadium

is the heptathlon, the
most grueling competition

on the women's program, seven
events contested over two days,

one that tests the strength,
speed, and, perhaps

most of all, the
courage of the athlete,

their ability to endure.

Two women are expected to battle
it out for the gold medal.

One is Jackie Joyner-Kersee of
the United States, who in three

previous Olympics, under
the guidance of her husband

and coach, Bob
Kersee, had all but

totally dominated the event.

Since winning the silver medal
at the 1984 Los Angeles Games,

she was unbeatable
for nearly 12 years,

winning the gold
medal at both the 1988

and 1992 Olympic games.

Six times, she surpassed the
magical 7,000-point total

during her victory history.

Her world record set
at the 1988 Seoul games

stands today as the
Atlanta games get underway.

But now, at the age of
34, she is in the twilight

of her career, one
that in recent years

has been beset with injuries.

Age and injury notwithstanding,
a new star, Ghada Shouaa,

has emerged to challenge her
for world supremacy, a superb

athlete who comes
from a country that

has never won an Olympic
gold medal in any sport.

This is Damascus,
Syria, the home

of 24-year-old Ghada Shouaa.

Her hero and inspiration--

Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

The two have much in common.

They are both deeply
religious and outstanding

basketball players.

Before turning to track,
Shouaa was a member of Syria's

national basketball team.

At the 1992 Barcelona
games, though injured,

she finished 24th behind
Jackie Joyner-Kersee's

second gold medal victory.

Since then, she rapidly
moved to the top,

winning the heptathlon at
the 1995 world championships,

when injury prevented Jackie
Joyner-Kersee from competing.

Her victory made
her a national hero,

and she was given the honor
of carrying the Syrian flag

in the opening day parade.

INTERPRETER: Before
I even started

competing in the heptathlon, my
idol was Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

When I began to
improve my scores,

I considered it a great honor
to compete against Jackie

in the same event and stadium.

I am proud of her as
an athlete, and she

deserves all the recognition
and admiration she has received.

NARRATOR: Now, here in
Atlanta, they would meet.

Again, Jackie Joyner-Kersee's
physical condition

is suspect ever
since she finished

second in the heptathlon
in the Olympic trials.

JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE: I
kept feeling something

was happening in the leg.

Even at the trials, I knew
it was something there.

But they really couldn't
find what it was.

And we were training.

And I was doing
some hurdle drills.

And as I got ready to
push into the hurdle,

the muscle just grabbed.

It snapped.

And it actually threw
me to the ground.

NARRATOR: There are 29 women
entered in the heptathlon.

The first event-- the
100-meter hurdles.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee
is in the third heat.

She is a world-class hurdler,
and along with the long jump,

this is her best event.

JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE:
Bobby was saying,

if you cannot go, let me know.

And all I wanted to do was to
be able to get in those blocks

and run as fast as I could
because I honestly felt

like the leg was gonna be OK.

BOB KERSEE: And I felt
that this was going

to be one of the races
that's going to determine

whether or not she is going to
have the opportunity of winning

her third gold medal in the
heptathlon in the Olympic

Games.

Because I know that Jackie
was not 100% healthy.

So when the starter put
them on their marks,

I just said a little prayer,
asking the Lord to let

her give her best effort.

NARRATOR: Jackie
Joyner-Kersee is in lane six.

She already knows
that Ghada Shouaa

turned in a comparatively
slow time in the second heat.

BOB KERSEE: So when the gun
went off, she got out very well.

She accelerated nicely.

But I knew around hurdle number
nine and 10 that she aggravated

her hamstring and how serious
the leg was and whether or not

she could continue competing
in the other six events

that was left.

NARRATOR: She finishes in the
second fastest time of the 29

competitors, but more
than a half second

slower than her personal best.

The next event,
the high jump, is

scheduled to begin in one hour.

She decides to test her leg.

JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE:
And so I just one jump.

Then I went over to Bobby.

And I said, well, I was
asking him about my approach.

And he was asking me
how did my leg feel?

And I said, well, it's there.

BOB KERSEE: And so I
sat there as the coach,

just thinking, OK, what
adjustments do I need to make

to get her over this bar?

And then all of a
sudden, Jackie's

husband showed up and
said, hey, listen,

this is not fair to her.

I've sat here all these years
watching you push this athlete,

watching this athlete push
herself, trying to get

the best performance
of your careers.

But you know in your heart that
this lady out there is gonna

do everything that she can.

She's gonna pull every muscle
in her body to try to win.

And for her to go out
there and injure herself

more for a sake of
one more meet is

just not fair to this champion.

JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE: And
that's what he said to me,

I'm not gonna allow
you to do this, Jackie.

I think that--

I'm just not gonna
allow you to do that.

And I said, no.

I want to try.

I really wanted to try because
I didn't really want to give up.

And it was really tough for me
because I knew this would be--

for me, this would
be my last Olympics.

And I had come to realize
that my shot of trying

to go after another gold
medal or to medal at all

had been lost.

It was really great when Shouaa
came came over and hugged me.

And I felt really bad for
Bobby because I really think

that Bobby blamed himself.

And that wasn't the case because
when we win, we win together.

And when we lose,
we lose together.

NARRATOR: Jackie and Bob
Kersee leave the arena.

If her condition
improves, she will compete

in the long jump in five days.

After the 100-meter hurdles,
Ghada Shouaa is in 17th place,

73 points behind Mona
Steigauf of Germany.

The heptathlon goes on.

[music playing]

Winning an individual event in
the heptathlon is misleading.

Like the men's
decathlon, consistency

in each of the events is
the aim of an athlete.

Many champions have been
crowned without ever

winning an individual event.

INTERPRETER: I had no problems,
no fear of being in 17th place.

My best events
were still to come.

Last year, when I won
the world championship,

I did not win a single event.

In fact, I was in 24th
place after the hurdles

were completed.

NARRATOR: In the second event,
she high jumps 6 feet 1 and 1/4

inches, which ties her with
two others for the best jump.

This effort immediately
moves her into contention.

She is in second place, trailing
Urszula Wlodarczyk of Poland

by 35 points.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
The leader,

Urszula Wlodarczyk of Poland.

NARRATOR: In the third
event, the shot put,

Shouaa is by far the best.

Throwing more than 4 feet
farther than the others,

she goes into first place.

Wlodarczyk of Poland
is behind by 72 points.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Urszula Wlodarczyk's

distance in the shot put--

14 meters 36.

[starting gun]

NARRATOR: The final event of
the first day, the 200 meters.

Shouaa wins her heat in the
second fastest time of all.

At the end of the first day,
Shouaa leads by 112 points.

The first event of the
second day, the long jump.

Natasha Sazanovich of
Belarus, in third place,

gets off a tremendous leap
of 21 feet 11 and 3/4 inches.

The best that Shouaa can do is
almost a foot and a half less.

There is a swing of 142 points
in favor of the Belarusian.

Sazanovich moves
into first place,

six points ahead of Shouaa.

INTERPRETER: I could not
explain what happened

to me in the long jump.

Every athlete must
expect failure.

I can only say that it
was my fate to do poorly

and that with God's help, I
could make up for my mistake.

NARRATOR: The sixth and next
to last event, the javelin.

Natasha Sazanovich's best
throw is 150 feet 11 inches.

Shouaa immediately recovers from
her setback in the long jump.

She throws almost 32 feet
farther than Sazanovich.

After the javelin, Shouaa has
turned the competition into

a rout, a swing of 188 points.

Trailing by six at the
end of the long jump,

she now leads Sazanovich by 182.

Moving into third place
after the javelin,

Denise Lewis of Great Britain.

INTERPRETER: The final
event was the 800 meters.

My lead over Natasha
Sazanovich was 182 points.

[starting gun]

This meant that Sazanovich
would have to defeat me by 14

seconds, more than 100 meters.

NARRATOR: Shouaa crosses the
finish line behind Urszula

Wlodarczyk of Poland.

Sazanovich finishes
in sixth place.

The final scores--

Ghada Shouaa, the winner
with 6,780 points.

In second place,
217 points behind,

Natasha Sazanovich of Belarus.

In third place, Denise
Lewis, Great Britain,

291 points behind Shouaa.

With this victory,
history is made.

Ghada Shouaa wins
the first gold medal

ever won by a Syrian athlete.

INTERPRETER: It was thrilling
for me to take a victory lap

and hear the cheering
of the crowd.

Although I had won, the feeling
of victory was not complete.

I felt that something
was missing.

The victory would not be
complete until I climbed

to the top of the podium.

This took place
the next day when

I was awarded the gold medal.

I heard the announcer say
"Ghada Shouaa of Syria,

the winner of the gold medal."

It was then I felt that
the entire Arab world

and the Syrian people were all
being congratulated with me.

[cheering]

And the Syrian
national anthem was

being played not just for me,
but for everybody, all of us.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: At 7:15 in the
early evening of Friday,

August 2, the finals for the
men's pole vault and women's

shot put are already underway.

As the competitions
continued, cheering

that began as a low rumble now
reaches a resounding crescendo.

The finalists for the women's
long jump move on to the field

where they will be introduced.

The cheers are for
Jackie Joyner-Kersee,

who the day before
took one attempt

that was good enough to qualify
her as one of 12 finalists.

It was six days ago when
the pain from her leg injury

forced her to retire
from the heptathlon.

Now tonight, still injured, she
will have to endure the pain

on each of her six jumps.

JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE:
Only thing I

cared about was giving
a great performance

and performing to the
best of my ability

and not really be
concerned about how

much pain I was going to be in.

NARRATOR: In effect, tonight's
final is two competitions.

At the end of three
rounds, only the top eight

will remain in the
battle for the medals.

Jackie's plan for
the evening is basic.

She and her husband, Bob Kersee,
hope that she will get off

a great jump early
and perhaps not

have to take all six attempts.

But it is not to be.

The first round gives
strong indication

that the evening would be
one of struggle and pain

for Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

24-year-old Chioma Ajunwa
of Nigeria gets off a superb

leap in the first round--

23 feet 4 and 1/2 inches.

Just one month earlier, Ajunwa
regained her eligibility after

a four-year drug suspension.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee's
first effort

is almost 2 feet
shorter than Ajunwa

and leaves her in seventh place.

In the second round,
Fiona May of Italy,

who won the 1995
world championship,

moves into second place,
4 inches behind Ajunwa.

Joyner improves on
her first effort

and moves from seventh to
sixth in the standings.

The third round is coming
up, the critical round

to determine which four
athletes will be eliminated.

JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE: Each
jump, it was so painful.

The leg was--

I couldn't believe that I
didn't get a good jump off.

I remember looking
up at the monitor,

and I'm like, oh, my god.

I might even make the finals.

And I'm like, OK, I got to
try to execute another jump.

NARRATOR: In the third
round, Jackie Joyner-Kersee

gets off her best
leap of the day,

but does not move
up in the standings.

She is still in sixth place.

But this effort ensures that
she will be one of the eight

remaining in the competition.

Though she got
off her best leap,

it is still more than 2 feet
below her all-time personal

best.

The competition goes on.

[music playing]

Chioma Ajunwa is
still in first place.

After fouling in
the fourth round,

Jackie Joyner-Kersee,
tired and in great pain,

gets off her worst jump of
the day in her fifth attempt.

She remains in sixth place
with one round to go.

JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE:
I wasn't going to quit.

I was not going to use
this leg as an excuse.

I don't care how
much pain I was in.

You walk away from here
saying you gave your best.

BOB KERSEE: Jackie
was struggling.

And when it came down to
the sixth and final jump,

I watched the determination
on Jackie's face.

I said, she is going to do
everything that she can to get

on that podium one more time.

And I said whatever
happens I would accept.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Next
up on the long jump runway,

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, USA.

NARRATOR: 22 feet
11 and 3/4 inches,

her best leap of the evening.

For the moment,
Jackie Joyner-Kersee

has moved into third place.

The next two jumpers
fail to replace her.

Only Niki Xanthou of Greece,
currently in fourth place,

can challenge her
for the bronze medal.

Xanthou's leap--
22 feet 5 and 3/4

inches, almost 6
inches less than Jackie

Joyner-Kersee's final leap.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee
wins the bronze medal.

Niki Xanthou of Greece is
the first one to greet her.

Fiona May of Italy
finished second.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee
now greets the winner,

Chioma Ajunwa of Nigeria.

The award ceremony takes place.

[music playing]

Chioma Ajunwa of Nigeria stands
on the top step of the podium.

Alongside her, Fiona
May of Italy, the winner

of the silver, and
Jackie Joyner-Kersee,

the winner of the bronze.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee
ends her Olympic career

with three gold, one silver,
and two bronze medals.

JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE:
The awards ceremony

was very special because I
was able to get on the podium,

say my goodbye.

I savored that moment.

I was just happy.

To take the long jump
down to the sixth attempt

and to come away with
the bronze medal,

to me, was more gratifying
than any gold medal

I have won because that
tested my character,

my strength, what I believe
athletics is all about.

NARRATOR: And so Jackie
Joyner-Kersee says her final

farewell to the
Olympic arena, leaving

a legacy for this generation
and generations not yet born--

one of courage, one of
nobility, symbolizing

the best that is in us.

Perhaps the career of
Jackie Joyner-Kersee

can best be described in
the words of one columnist.

"I was in Seoul and Barcelona
when Jackie Joyner-Kersee

won her three gold medals.

But in decades to
come, I will remember

most that I was there in Atlanta
when Jackie won the bronze."

[music playing]

It has been more than 2,000
years since a Greek warrior ran

through the plains of Marathon.

Since that time, the marathon
has stood as the ultimate test

of one's courage.

[music playing]

In the 100-year history
of the Olympic marathon,

a special few have
withstood the challenges

of the course and the
challenges from within

to cross the finish line first.

One was Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila.

At the 1960 Olympics, Bikila
ran barefoot through the streets

of Rome to win the gold medal.

Four years later, at
the 1964 Tokyo games,

he raced to victory once more
and became the first to win

two marathon gold medals.

Since then, many Africans
have followed his path.

In Atlanta, Fatuma
Roba of Ethiopia

outran her opponents to
win the Olympic gold medal.

She became the first African
woman to stand victorious

as marathon champion.

But her victory was a
prelude to the drama

yet to take place
on the final day

in Atlanta, the closest marathon
race in Olympic history.

It is 7:05 AM, Sunday,
August 4, the start

of the men's marathon.

Traditionally,
the men's marathon

is the last event on
the Olympic program,

taking place just
before the start

of the closing ceremonies.

But because of the intense heat
and humidity of the Atlanta

summer, the start
of the marathon

is moved to the early morning.

124 runners circle the
track three and a half times

before leaving the
stadium, the beginning of

their 26-mile 385 yard journey.

[music playing]

More than any other
event, the marathon

is the most difficult to
predict, with the terrain,

the weather, and one's
own mental as well

as physical preparation
determining who will

cross the finish line first.

Through the first few miles,
the lead pack winds its way

through downtown Atlanta.

[music playing]

Miles five, six, and seven--

more than 65 men, half
the starting field,

are in contention for a medal.

Through miles eight, nine, and
10, a few try to surge ahead.

[music playing]

But they are quickly
encircled by the lead group,

still more than 50 strong.

By 13 miles, the halfway point
in the race, more than half

the lead back of
50 still believe

they can win the gold medal.

For the others, a
different goal--

to finish.

Now, more than 14
miles into the race,

several move for the lead.

Two of those--

Brazilian Luiz dos
Santos, in blue,

and Josia Thugwane of
South Africa in green,

wearing glasses.

While dos Santos is
one of the favorites,

Thugwane is given little
chance of winning.

His journey to Atlanta
is considered miraculous.

[music playing]

This is the town
of Mzinoni, located

120 miles east of Johannesburg.

Mzinoni was one of
many segregated areas

in South Africa mandated
by racial apartheid.

Apartheid-- the Afrikaner
word for separateness--

was the policy of
segregation set up

by the white-led
government in 1950.

It is among these shacks of
cement and corrugated tin

that Josia Thugwane lived with
his wife and two daughters

in the years and months leading
up to the Atlanta Olympics,

except when he was living at
the coal mine 30 miles away.

Josia Thugwane earned less than
$350 a month as a mine worker,

one of the few jobs open to
black men in South Africa.

His salary helped support
an extended family of 10.

And it is here
that Josia Thugwane

trained in the years leading
to the Atlanta Olympics.

INTERPRETER: Living
in these conditions

and trying to support
my wife and kids

was hard because I earned
very little money at the mine.

The only thing
that kept me going

was being able to run,
hoping that I could

win races and change my life.

NARRATOR: When South Africa was
barred from Olympic competition

for its racial segregation
after the 1960 games in Rome,

all of their athletes suffered.

BANELE SINDANI: It was bad for
all South African athletes,

I think, not to be part of
the international community.

But it couldn't have been
worse for the black athletes

because apartheid
itself was bad enough.

So I think if you
lived under apartheid,

nothing could be worse off
than apartheid for you.

NARRATOR: By 1990,
political and social change

swept through South Africa.

Nelson Mandela, who had
spent 27 years in prison

for his opposition to
apartheid, was released.

Formal discussions with
the white-led government

signaled the end of apartheid.

Four years later, Mandela
was elected president.

And in 1992, South
Africa was welcomed

once again into the
world athletic community

at the Barcelona Olympics.

Now, at 15 miles
here in Atlanta,

Josia Thugwane is
joined at the front

by two other South Africans,
Gert Thys, number 2123,

considered the South
African with the best

chance of winning, and
Lawrence Peu, number 2481.

Three South Africans,
who just five years

earlier were unable to
compete internationally,

are now in the lead.

Well, it was a very proud
moment for South Africa

because until then, since
South Africa was readmitted

to international
sport, we've always

expected a lot of
marathon runners,

and they've never really
produced anything.

So to see all three
of them running

at the front of the field
was really something great

for South Africans.

NARRATOR: Josia Thugwane was not
among the fastest South African

marathoners leading to Atlanta.

So only a victory
at the South African

championships in February
would allow him to run here.

He won, but his joy
was short-lived.

One month later, a carjacker's
bullet pierced his chin,

leaving a 1-inch scar, the
only visible reminder today

of a harrowing ordeal which
nearly cost him his life

and causes nightmares
to this day.

INTERPRETER: I picked up some
hitchhikers, one who I knew.

One of them pulled a gun
and told me they were taking

my car, to hand over my keys.

I tried to scare them by
turning the steering wheel hard,

but that's when I
heard the gunshot.

I felt no pain, but I
saw blood everywhere.

I then decided to jump.

NARRATOR: Thugwane survived
his leap from the pickup truck,

but suffered a back injury as
well as a shattered spirit.

With the Olympics less
than five months away,

many questioned whether he
would be able to compete.

INTERPRETER: I
was hurt so badly.

I lost all hope.

I did not think I would
be in the Olympics.

I did not even think
I would recover.

Usually when you get
hijacked, the carjackers

don't leave you alive.

I am thankful he
was not a good shot.

NARRATOR: Past 16 miles,
Lee Bong-Ju of South Korea,

number 1832 in the white shirt,
joins the front-running South

Africans.

It has been said of the Korean
marathoners when they are given

the honor of competing
for their country,

they are expected to win.

Lee's presence at
the front brings back

memories of other
great Koreans who

have competed with
distinction in the marathon.

At the 1936 Berlin
Olympics, Sohn Kee-chung,

a Korean whose country was
occupied by the Japanese,

won the gold medal for Japan.

And 56 years later
on the same date,

Korea's Hwang Young-cho defeated
Japan's Koichi Morishita

at the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics, collapsing

just after the finish.

Here in Atlanta, the lead
pack of 25 closes the gap.

Included are most of
the pre-race favorites--

Antonio Pinto of Portugal,
third from the front

in green and red; and
Spain's Martin Fiz, on the

left just behind Lee Bong-Ju.

One relative surprise
is Erick Wainaina

of Kenya, number 1819 on the
extreme right wearing red.

Wainaina, who trains
in Japan, is running

in only his fifth marathon.

[music playing]

At 19 miles, Josia
Thugwane moves ahead.

Lee Bong-Ju is the
only one to respond.

[music playing]

Erick Wainaina, in third place,
tries to answer his challenge.

But Josia Thugwane
lengthens his lead.

Wainaina catches, then
passes the Korean.

He then closes in on Thugwane.

[music playing]

With 5 miles to go,
Wainaina overtakes Thugwane.

[music playing]

But Thugwane remains just
a step behind the Kenyan.

INTERPRETER: I was not worried
about the Kenyan that much.

I saw how hard he had to
work to remain at the front.

Lee Bong-Ju was
the one I feared.

I had lost to him in a
marathon a few years ago

and saw how strong
and determined he is.

NARRATOR: Lee Bong-Ju
regains contact

with Thugwane and Wainaina.

The lead changes again.

[music playing]

Thugwane tries to break
away, only to be caught.

[music playing]

They move through downtown
Atlanta for the last time.

Three men-- one Korean, one
South African, one Kenyan--

all have less than
3 miles to run,

all that is left of their
26-mile journey, all that

remains before
determining who will

be Olympic marathon champion.

[music playing]

At the water station just
outside Olympic Stadium,

with less than 1 mile
to run, Josia Thugwane

moves into the lead.

[music playing]

Erick Wainana passes
Lee Bong-Ju only to be

overtaken by Lee in the tunnel.

[music playing]

Josia Thugwane enters
Olympic Stadium.

There are less than
500 meters to go.

INTERPRETER: I was
so happy when I heard

the cheering in the stadium.

But I knew they were
very close behind me.

NARRATOR: Lee Bong-Ju
and Erick Wainaina

are less than 10
seconds behind Thugwane.

It is the closest marathon
finish in Olympic history.

INTERPRETER: I looked back
to see what was happening.

When I saw the gap I
had, I knew that Lee

Bong-Ju could never catch me.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Josia Thugwane,
South Africa, first.

Lee Bong-Ju, South Korea,
second, three seconds behind.

Erick Wainaina, Kenya, third,
eight seconds behind Thugwane.

12 hours later, at 9:00 PM,
during the closing ceremony

for the centennial
games of Atlanta,

the marathon award
presentation begins.

Josia Thugwane
receives the gold medal

as thousands of spectators and
millions of television viewers

look on.

It is a fitting tribute
to the first black

South African to stand on the
podium as Olympic champion,

a fitting tribute to a man
and a nation who have overcome

so much in sports and in life.

INTERPRETER: I am happy
for what I accomplished

here because I
succeeded after losing

all hope just months before.

I won this gold medal for
the people of South Africa.

I also won this gold medal
for President Nelson Mandela.

His efforts to end apartheid
have made us free, free to run,

free to be part of the
international community.

Without him, I would
not be standing

here today as Olympic champion.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: Three days later,
Josia Thugwane returned home

to South Africa, to this land
blessed with natural wealth,

the land where he
worked, where he ran,

where he raised his children.

It was left for
one South African

to write, "for a nation that
has been through such turmoil,

one gold medal does not make
decades of apartheid melt away,

does not put a clamp on racism.

But the victory
of Josia Thugwane

does give all South
Africans a common cause.

It does give South Africans
of every color hope.

We can now have heroes who
don't have to be black or white.

We can now have heroes who
are just South African."

[music playing]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Ladies and gentlemen,

introducing the athletes
who will be competing--

NARRATOR: In the late
afternoon of Monday, July 22,

more than 5,000 spectators
fill the weightlifting hall

at the Georgia World Congress
Center to witness a classic

confrontation between two of
the strongest men in the world,

the meeting between Naim
S leymanoglu of Turkey

and Valerios Leonidis of
Greece in the 64-kilogram

featherweight division.

The hall is evenly divided with
partisan spectators, hundreds

of Turks on one side, equally as
many Greeks on the other side.

In weightlifting,
the competition is

divided into two disciplines--

the snatch, in which the
bar is lifted overhead

in one motion, and
the clean and jerk,

where the bar is lifted to
the chest, then overhead.

Each lifter has three
attempts in each discipline,

increasing the weight
with each successful lift.

The highest total score
of both disciplines

is the winner of the gold medal.

If there is a tie,
the winner is the man

with the lowest body weight.

The Turkish
spectators anticipate

a history-making performance
by Naim S leymanoglu.

Since 1983, he is undefeated in
world and Olympic competition.

S leymanoglu is
the winner of gold

medals at both the 1988 Seoul
and 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

If he wins here, he will become
the only lifter in history

to win three successive
Olympic gold medals.

Blocking his path is
Valerios Leonidis of Greece,

who finished fifth
behind S leymanoglu

four years ago in Barcelona.

But at the 1995
world championships,

Leonidis tied S leymanoglu
in total poundage,

only to lose because he
weighed slightly more.

Now here in Atlanta,
Leonidis has the advantage

if there is a tie.

He weighed in at 139
pounds, more than

a pound less than S leymanoglu.

There is additional
drama this night--

the political aspects
of the contest.

There is a history of strife
between Turkey and Greece

leading to the latest
crisis six months earlier,

when Turkey laid claim
to an uninhabited island

in the Aegean Sea,
an island that Athens

claimed belonged to Greece.

INTERPRETER: In my
relationship with Naim,

it is not a contest
of countries.

It is a contest of
pride and sportsmanship.

I believe the people of
Greece honestly love Naim.

He's a man of phenomenal talent.

For me, just to be at
the point in which I'm

able to compete against
him with a chance to win

is an achievement.

This is what the competition is
about, pride and sportsmanship.

INTERPRETER: For many years
in my career, especially

the last eight
years, I didn't have

rivals or real competition.

Not until Leonidis
came along did

I have any difficult contests.

Once we tied in a competition,
but I was victorious because I

weighed less than him.

After the event, we
would sit down and talk.

He is very down to earth
and has the true qualities

of a magnificent sportsman.

NARRATOR: S leymanoglu's rise to
legendary fame is a combination

of superhuman strength
and political intrigue,

of cloak-and-dagger
scenario that has

no equal in Olympic history.

He was born in a Bulgarian
mountain village inhabited

mostly by ethnic
Turks, and at the age

of 15 set his first world
record competing for Bulgaria.

The following year, he
received worldwide acclaim

when, weighing 123
and 1/2 pounds,

he lifted more than three
times his body weight.

S leymanoglu was expected
to win a gold medal

at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

But the Soviet-led boycott
prevented him from competing.

He continued training as a
member of the national team,

but soon Bulgaria changed its
policy toward ethnic Turks.

His people, oppressed
and persecuted,

were forced to change their
Turkish names to Bulgarian.

In 1986, while
competing in Australia,

he escaped from
the Bulgarian team

and applied for
Turkish citizenship.

This serious diplomatic
problem was finally

resolved when Turkey
paid Bulgaria $1 million

for his release.

Now he would compete
as a Turkish citizen.

After winning his first gold
medal at the 1988 Seoul Games,

S leymanoglu returned to Ankara.

A national holiday was declared,
and thousands lined the parade

route in what was
called the largest

celebration in Turkish history.

Four years later, in Barcelona,
he again stood on the top step

of the award podium.

Now, here in Atlanta,
he faces the greatest

challenge of his career.

For the first time, S leymanoglu
is not separate and apart

from the other lifters.

Though he still holds the
world record for total weight,

he has lost the individual
world records he used to hold.

Wang Guohua of China holds
the snatch world record,

and Valerios Leonidis
is the world record

holder in the clean and jerk.

36 men are entered
in the competition.

But the majority will have
completed their three lifts

in the snatch
before S leymanoglu,

Leonidis, and Wang step onto
the platform for the first time.

[music playing]

Finally, Leonidis makes
his first lift, when

the weight reaches 140 kilos--

308 pounds.

[music playing]

[cheering]

Leonidis is greeted by his
coach, Christos Iakovou.

Now, the psychological
games begin.

S leymanoglu asks for 2 and
1/2 kilos more than Leonidis.

Then he and his coaches
decide to raise the weight

to 145 kilos, the
equivalent of 11 pounds more

than his Greek adversary.

[cheering]

After one lift, S leymanoglu
leads Leonidis by 5 kilos.

His brother Muharrem,
who trains him,

watches from the
side of the stage.

[cheering]

Wang, the world record holder
in the snatch, tries 145 kilos.

He fails.

Leonidis now attempts the
same weight, 145 kilos.

[cheering]

He and S leymanoglu are now
tied, but Naim has two attempts

remaining and Leonidis one.

Wang misses his second
and third attempts

and is out of the competition.

Leonidis and
S leymanoglu are the only

ones left in the snatch.

On his second attempt,
S leymanoglu raises the stakes

another 2 and 1/2 kilos to
147 and 1/2, 5 and 1/2 pounds

more than his last attempt.

They remain tied.

Each has one lift remaining.

Leonidis's last attempt
will be 147 and 1/2 kilos.

If he is successful,
he will take the lead.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): No lift.

[inaudible] Leonidis, Greece.

Third attempt, [inaudible]
Naim S leymanoglu.

If S leymanoglu succeeds,
he will be in the lead.

Leonidis is in first place
with his lighter body weight.

NARRATOR: Now, S leymanoglu's
third and final attempt

at the 147 and 1/2 kilos.

[cheering]

With the snatch completed
and the event half over,

S leymanoglu will take his 2
and 1/2 kilo lead into the clean

and jerk competition.

Leonidis is in a three-way
tie for second place

with his teammate
Georgios Tzelilis

and Xiao Jiangang of China.

But the weightlifting
world knows

that the battle for the gold
medal will be between two--

Naim S leymanoglu of Turkey and
Valerios Leonidis of Greece.

As S leymanoglu and Leonidis
wait backstage for the start

of their confrontation
in the clean and jerk,

another battle is taking
place, one of strategy.

What will be their
starting weight?

What will their opponent choose?

If they start too high,
they risk an early miss.

Starting too low could
result in a wasted attempt.

With only 2 and 1/2 kilos
separating them and just three

attempts remaining, one
mistake can cost either of them

the gold medal.

The final confrontation is
just a few minutes away.

On stage, Xiao
Jiangang of China lifts

177 and 1/2 kilos, good
enough for the bronze medal.

Backstage, Leonidis's
coach, Christos Iakovou

is nervous but confident.

INTERPRETER: We
knew how difficult

it would be to defeat him.

From time to time, I would
tell him, you can do it.

You can beat Naim.

I am no different with him
than any of my athletes.

That is my job,
to encourage them.

And I really impressed
on him his technique.

Always be careful of your
technique, and beat Naim.

NARRATOR: Finally,
the decision is made.

S leymanoglu will start the
clean and jerk at 180 kilos,

396 and 3/4 pounds, only 3 kilos
below Leonidis's world record.

[cheering]

Leonidis declares
the same weight.

[non-english speech]

[cheering]

NARRATOR: S leymanoglu still
leads by 2 and 1/2 kilos.

Now the most critical
part of the competition.

Each has two attempts left.

S leymanoglu decides
he wants to break

open the competition and place
the pressure on Leonidis.

He asks for 185
kilos, 2 kilos greater

than Leonidis's world record.

[cheering]

S leymanoglu fleshes
the number-one sign.

With this one effort,
he has created two world

records, one in the
clean and jerk and one

for combined total weight.

He now leads Leonidis
by 7 and 1/2 kilos.

INTERPRETER: I was not
happy, but I did not show it.

We decided that we must
try a superhuman effort.

I told him we must
try 187 and 1/2 kilos,

2 and 1/2 kilos more than
what Naim just accomplished

and also a world record.

[non-english speech]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): A new
world and Olympic record

for Valerios Leonidis, Greece.

NARRATOR: They are now
tied in total poundage.

But Leonidis leads because
of his lower body weight.

INTERPRETER: I knew
the competition does

not end until Naim finishes.

If it was anyone else, I
would have been more secure,

but not with Naim.

I knew that in the past, he
has always found a way to win.

NARRATOR: Three world
records have been created

in little more than a minute.

Now, the final lift for
S leymanoglu and Leonidis.

INTERPRETER: I must
confess, after the last lift

of 185 kilos, I thought I
had won the competition.

Then Leonidis lifted what
I thought he could not do.

But he did it.

In weightlifting, you must
do what it takes to win,

and he did it.

Now, on my last lift, I must
do what is necessary to win.

NARRATOR: Naim will attempt
187 and 1/2 kilos, the weight

that Leonidis lifted.

If he succeeds, he will
again go into the lead

by 2 and 1/2 kilos.

[cheering]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Another world

record for Naim S leymanoglu.

S leymanoglu is in the lead
with one lift remaining.

NARRATOR: Another world
record in total weight,

the fourth world record.

His brother Muharrem
already has claimed victory.

But Naim S leymanoglu
is not certain.

Once before in this
competition, he thought

he had clinched the title.

INTERPRETER: I
originally thought

I might watch his final lift.

But my people told me not to.

So I went backstage
to await the outcome.

Even though you don't watch,
you know what's happening.

Earlier, whenever
Leonidis was successful,

I could hear the screaming of
the Greeks in the audience.

Whether I watched or not,
I would know who won.

INTERPRETER: Deep
inside me, I believed

I still had a chance to win.

I would have to
lift 190 kilos, 7

kilos higher than
my world record

before the competition began.

But I thought I had a chance.

That is why this was such
a beautiful competition.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Third attempt [inaudible]

for Valerios Leonidis.

NARRATOR: Leonidis takes the
long walk to the platform.

If he makes it, he will again
tie S leymanoglu for total

weight, but the gold medal will
be his because he weighs less.

Backstage, S leymanoglu realizes
that for the first time,

he will not be in
control of the outcome.

[non-english speech]

[cheering]

[banging]

[cheering]

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): No lift.

Naim S leymanoglu of
Turkey is the winner

of the gold medal with a new
world and Olympic record.

Valerios Leonidis of Greece
will take the silver medal,

and Xiao Jiangang
of China the bronze.

[cheering]

Ladies and gentlemen,
this concludes

the weightlifting competition.

In just a few
minutes, we will have

the victory ceremony for
the medalists in this event.

NARRATOR: Naim S leymanoglu
becomes the first weightlifter

to win three gold medals.

But for Valerios Leonidis,
there is also glory.

For in a contest where world
records were broken four times

in less than five minutes, in
a contest that many consider

the greatest in
Olympic history, there

is as much honor in defeat
as there is in victory.

INTERPRETER: There will be
many nights in the future

when I will dream
of this competition.

I came to win the gold
medal, not the silver.

But I'm a person
who acknowledges

and admires superb performances,
and that is what Naim did.

That is why he's so great.

You push yourself hard, and
he pushes himself harder.

And that is why when we met
before the awards, I said,

Naim, you are the best.

And he said, no, Valerios,
we are both the best.

NARRATOR: This is Dr. Lennox
Miller and Don Quarrie,

lifelong friends
and two of Jamaica's

great Olympic legends,
both among the finest

sprinters in the world
when they were competing.

At the 1968 Mexico
City Olympics,

Lennox Miller finished
second behind Jim Hines

of the United States
in what was then

the fastest 100-meter final.

Four years later, at
the 1972 Munich games,

he won the bronze medal
in the 100 meters.

Valeriy Borzov of the
Soviet Union was the winner.

Lennox Miller was the first
man to congratulate him.

Today, Miller, a naturalized
American citizen,

is a dentist in
Pasadena, California.

Don Quarrie reached the heights
at the 1976 Montreal games

when he won the
200 meters two days

after winning the silver
medal in the 100 meters.

Today, he is a respected track
and field official and coach.

As the 1996 Atlanta
Olympic Games approached,

and many years after they
ran their last races,

Lennox Miller and Don
Quarrie were again back

in the Olympic arena.

This is 24-year-old
Inger Miller,

Lennox Miller's daughter.

At the United States
Olympic trials,

she qualified in the 200 meters
and was expected to be named

to the four by 100 relay team.

Many believe it is remarkable
she made the team, for she's

been beset with
injuries, one of which

required permanent screws
implanted in her left foot.

A month before
the Atlanta games,

she survived a
frightening automobile

accident that left
her unconscious,

but miraculously injury-free.

Perhaps the most unique part
of Inger Miller's journey

to Atlanta are her
coaches, the two men

who most influenced her career.

INGER MILLER: The only
ones are my father,

Lennox Miller, and Donald
Quarrie, who is my godfather.

They're the ones that I thought,
that's the way I want to be.

I mean, that's my support group.

They understand.

But they're really
tough on me, too.

So they're not very
sympathetic The thing is,

my dad's nervous, too, for me.

I mean, I think he's a
lot more nervous for me

than he was for himself
when he was running.

Sometimes, I don't want to see
him being nervous because that

makes nervous.

But with Donald,
Donald's relaxed.

And he and my father, they're
kind of like opposites.

Donald talks a lot.

My dad doesn't.

And both of them have taught
me a lot about hard work.

He's been there through
the ups and downs, too.

Without him, it wouldn't work.

It would be like a missing
piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

NARRATOR: In the days
preceding the 200 meters,

Inger Miller's daily
routine is the same.

She would have breakfast
in the Olympic Village,

take the bus to the training
track four miles away,

then meet with her
father and Don Quarrie,

where the three would go
through her daily regimen

of practice and strategy.

Never spoken, Inger
Miller's dream--

to win a gold medal,
the only medal

her father Lennox never won.

LENNOX MILLER: I think she
was very fortunate because she

had people who had been there.

And the interchange
between Donald and myself

was very good.

I mean, we never
argued over anything.

We certainly didn't
agree on everything.

But we were able to
compromise and say, OK, let's

do this and see if it works.

If it doesn't, then
we go to plan B.

All right.

Just cover the curve well, and
then you see where you are.

Keep track.

So she had a team that
was totally on her side,

wasn't doing it for
the money, wasn't

doing it for the recognition.

But just we were there
just to help her.

And I think she felt that.

DON QUARRIE: It's
unique, but we're

happy that that's the
situation because what we are

able to pass on to Inger
is that competitive drive,

the inside part
of track and field

that is not seen by
the average person--

the concentration,
the determination,

how do you prepare to
deal with your competitors

at different levels?

Because when you are
competing in the Olympics,

it's like a big race each time.

You are not effective
unless you make the finals.

NARRATOR: The preliminary and
quarterfinal rounds for the 200

meters are scheduled
for July 31,

with the semifinal and final to
take place the following day.

Inger Miller, third
from the left,

methodically passes her first
test, finishing in the top four

in each of her qualifying heats.

In both races, the winner is
Marie-Jos P rec of France,

who is the near-unanimous
favorite to win the gold medal.

After each race, she would
return to the practice track

for massages, ice
baths, and then, again,

the endless wind sprints.

Then she would relax
and watch the events

at the nearby Olympic Stadium.

Tonight, it's Deon
Hemmings of Jamaica winning

the women's 400-meter hurdles.

[cheering]

MAN (ON TELEVISION):
Miss Hemmings

of Jamaica the winner, the time
52.82, a new Olympic record.

[starting gun]

NARRATOR: The next
day, the semifinals.

Inger Miller, in lane
seven on the extreme left,

qualifies for the final
by finishing fourth.

Again, the winner is
Mary-Jos P rec of France.

Breaking her routine, she
remains at the stadium

with the other
finalists and makes

her final preparations
on the warm-up track

inside the Olympic Stadium.

LENNOX MILLER: You
could feel the tension

in the warm-up area.

And that's what
we do back there.

The warm-up is the same,
just as if it was a small

meet anywhere else.

You're gonna do all of the same
thing, just that mentality,

you have to keep
yourself together

so that you don't tie up.

That was my role over there,
is to try to de-emphasize it

a little bit and
to have her relax

and realize that
Mom's still gonna love

her no matter what she does.

Dad's still gonna love her.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
Final 200 meters, women.

NARRATOR: Eight women
prepare for the start

of the 200-meter final.

The favorites in the race--

Marie-Jos P rec of France
and Merlene Ottey of Jamaica.

Both have won all three of
their preliminary races.

Another finalist-- Inger
Miller of the United States.

Sitting in the stands
between her husband

and Don Quarrie, Avril
Miller, Inger's mother.

Avril Miller rarely misses
any of her daughter's races.

She has lived through
the many years

of injury and frustration.

To Avril Miller, her daughter
has gained a victory even

before the race has been run.

AVRIL MILLER: I was just
very proud of her-- very,

very proud.

I said, you know,
she's done well.

And I said to my husband,
God, can you believe that she

is actually in the finals?

INGER MILLER: I remember
standing there thinking,

OK, relax.

This is what you came here for.

You're in the finals.

And this is the 200 meters.

And your hands are shaking.

And you're like,
OK, let's do it.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Set.

[starting gun]

NARRATOR: Inger Miller, again in
lane seven, gets a good start.

Come on, Inger!

Come on!

NARRATOR: Inger Miller
is second from the left.

Ottey, in the middle,
is in the lead.

But P rec of France, in
lane three, is coming on.

[cheering]

From the stands,
Inger Miller's team

is not sure where she finished.

The only certainty is
that Marie-Jos P rec

of France is the
winner and Merlene

Ottey of Jamaica is second.

Third place is still
in doubt as the Miller

team waits for the
replay on the scoreboard.

MAN: Did she get it?

I don't know.

We don't know.

NARRATOR: Inger Miller,
too, is uncertain

whether she won the bronze,
as is Mary Onyali of Nigeria.

Just a few inches separates
them at the finish line.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
We are awaiting

the official results of the
final, women's 200 meters.

And now on the scoreboard,
the official results

of the women's 200-meter final.

NARRATOR: Onyali now
knows she finished third,

defeating Inger Miller by
three hundredths of a second

for the bronze medal.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER):
--of Nigeria.

In fourth place, Inger
Miller of the USA.

Oh, we lost.

I know.
Any closer.

Look at that.

Look at that.

Look at that.

At the finish, here's Onyali
leaning and falling over.

I'm thinking to myself,
oh, my goodness me.

If she had a little more
breast, she would make it.

And I started to
say to my husband,

oh, anyway, she's
fourth and fourth

is very good because, I mean,
I wish she'd gotten the medal.

But I think for Inger and where
she was coming from five--

four, five years ago,
she did very well.

NARRATOR: For Marie-Jos P rec
of France, a familiar scene--

her third Olympic victory lap.

Four years ago in Barcelona,
she won the 400 meters.

And now here in Atlanta,
she has won the 200 meters

to go with the 400-meter title
she defended successfully

three days earlier.

Afterward, Inger Miller met with
her parents, who said to her,

you were magnificent.

Just remember you were the
fourth best in the world.

I know.
I know.

OK now, just relax.
Relax.

- It's about time.
- I know.

You'll be all right.

[inaudible]

- You all right?
- Yeah.

It's about time.

I know.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Our first
running event of the evening--

NARRATOR: Two days later, the
final of the four by 100 relay.

The United States has
qualified in the fastest time.

Chryste Gaines will run the
first leg for the United

States, Gail Devers, the
100-meter champion, the second,

Inger Miller the third
leg around the turn,

and Gwen Torrence
the anchor leg.

Their main opposition
is expected

to come from the Bahamas in lane
two and Jamaica in lane six.

The United States
team is in lane five

wearing the white
and blue shirts.

[starting gun]

Chryste Gaines passes
off to Gail Devers.

The Americans are slightly
behind the Bahamians.

Come on, Gail!

Go, Gail!

NARRATOR: They're
almost tied as Devers

passes off to Inger Miller.

AVRIL MILLER: Come on, Inger!

Get it and go!

Go, Inger!

Go!

NARRATOR: Miller runs a
superb race around the curve

and gives a slight
lead to Gwen Torrence.

AVRIL MILLER: OK, come on, Gwen!

Come on!

Come on, Gwen!

Come on!

Yes!

LENNOX MILLER: Yeah!

United States first, Bahamas
second, Jamaica third.

Lennox Miller remains
fearful until the race

is declared official.

I'm looking for the flags.

I don't want to
see any red flags.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): The
official result in women's four

by 100--

INGER MILLER: I remember
hearing my mom's voice.

I heard her say, come on.

Move it, Inger.
Move it.

And Mom always says
move it, Inger.

Move it.

And it was in my mind.

Move it, move it.

And so the last 50,
I was moving it.

AVRIL MILLER: Come on, Inger!

Come on!

Get in there!

Get in there!

Get in there, Inger!

[cheering]

Inger!

INGER MILLER: We
had the best time.

It was a lot of fun.

I was more excited about
it than anything else.

I mean, I was like, wow,
I can't believe this.

And I still-- it took a while
before we realized that, wow,

we won the gold medal.

And I was a part of that.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Olympic
champions and gold medalists

representing the USA, Chryste
Gaines, Gail Devers, Inger

Miller, and Gwen Torrence.

[cheering]

They came through.

MAN (ON LOUDSPEAKER): Please
rise for the national anthem

of the United States of America.

[MUSIC - "THE STAR SPANGLED
BANNER"]

(SINGING) The
rockets' red glare.

The bombs bursting in air--

NARRATOR: For Lennox
Miller, these moments

are doubly significant.

The year before the
games, he was sworn

in as a United States citizen.

And now here at the
Olympic Stadium,

he has seen his daughter
complete the circle--

winning the gold to go
with the silver and bronze

he won those many years ago.

[MUSIC - "THE STAR SPANGLED
BANNER"]

[cheering]

[music playing]

And so it was done.

The 17 days of the
Atlanta Centennial Games

were drawing to a close.

Representing the
10,000 athletes,

flag bearers from 197 nations.

[music playing]

But with this ending,
there is a new beginning.

By tradition, the
Olympic flag is

passed to the mayor of
Sydney, Australia, the host

city in the year 2000, beckoning
the youth of the world to meet

again in four years' time.

[music playing]

And for Atlanta and
its people, this heart

of America's Southland did
honor to this celebration

that the ancient Greeks
called the truce of gods.

[music playing]

And for millions
throughout the world,

there are memories
that will remain

throughout their lifetime.

[music playing]

There is much glory to those
who made it to the award podium.

[music playing]

There is much glory to
those who made the attempt.

[music playing]

But win or lose,
they have experienced

the joy of the
competition rather than

a lifetime not knowing
either victory or defeat.

[music playing]

And because of them, all of
us are the better for it.

[music playing]

And now, the moment many
hoped would never come.

[music playing]

[cheering]

[music playing]

MAN: I call upon the
youth of the world

to assemble four years from
now at Sydney, Australia

to celebrate with us the
games of the 27th Olympiad.