Around The World In 17 Days
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BASEBALL
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The best moment: A Japanese reporter interviewing a Soviet player in English on the results of an American game; Mexico's off-beat Manager Jose Luis Garcia saying ``it was an obligation'' to beat the Soviets ``otherwise they will not let me go back to Mexico. My boys know that.''
The worst: The Americans losing to the Japanese in 14 innings. The U.S., although younger with a roster depleted by the professionals and the draft, clearly had the better team.
The unexpected: Soviets' 2-1 lead over Mexico in the second inning. They would lose, however, 14-4; normally talkative Cuban Victor Mesa's shortened postgame comments. As it turned out, one of the interpreters had set up a date for him.
Of special note: Soviets finished their first international tournament with an 0-5 record and were outscored 67-5. But they did pull off a 1-6-3 double play against the Americans
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BASKETBALL, MEN
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The best moment: When Yugoslavia's Toni Kukoc hit a dramatic three-pointer with two minutes to play in the gold-medal game, then capped the next possession with a monster dunk to seal a convincing performance.
The worst: The unscheduled fight between 6-10 Jose Ortiz of Puerto Rico and 6-9 Alonzo Mourning of the U.S., which caused both centers to be kicked out of the opening game. The Americans alleged Ortiz tried to kick Mark Randall of the U.S.. The Puerto Ricans alleged Mourning called them a profane name. Ortiz slapped Mourning in the head and Mourning began swinging with all his might, but was quickly restrained.
The unexpected: The sight of the Soviets lined up to receive their medals from Mayor Norm Rice. The strange part: the Soviets were outfitted like Southern California beach boys. Their newly acquired Western togs consisted of long, black surfer-style shorts with day-glo pink and green stripes, plus floppy sandals.
Of special note: The last time the United States won the gold medal in a major international competition was 1986, when Arizona Coach Lute Olson guided the Americans to first place at the world championships in Madrid.
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BASKETBALL, WOMEN
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The best moment: If it wasn't the fast break, reverse layin shot by Teresa Edwards of the U.S. then it must have been any shot taken (and usually made) by Hortencia Oliva of Brazil.
The worst: Being told that all the tickets were sold for the first U.S.-Soviet Union game and then seeing all those empty seats.
The unexpected: Bulgaria, which was invited to the Goodwill Games only after China withdrew, played well enough to win the bronze medal.
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BOXING
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The best moment: Young Jeremy Williams, 17, knocking out Bulgaria's Ljubomir Agov in the first round. After Williams rendered Agov unconscious for about two minutes, he confessed his father Charles had predicted the first-round KO before the fight. His was the first of the tournament's two knockouts.
The worst: Suggesting the postulate, ``what goes around comes around,'' Williams was himself dropped to the floor in his next fight by Soviet world champion Andrei Kurnyavka. Williams gave the crowd a scare as he remained motionless, face down in the middle of the ring.
The unexpected: Picture this - you're an American tourist walking down a street in Leningrad and you see a Soviet wearing a Seattle Mariners cap. Soviet silver-medalist Dzhambulat Mutayev, who lives in Leningrad, made his way to the athletes' bus wearing one his souvenirs, a royal blue baseball cap with a gold ``S'' on the front.
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CYCLING
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The best moment: The return to the Marymoor Velodrome of Bellevue's up-and-coming Renee Duprel, who earned a bronze in the women's sprint, proving she has the smarts and strength to go for the big one in Barcelona.
The worst: Italy's decision to send its grossly outclassed junior team.
The unexpected: The stellar performance of U.S. riders who took four golds, the highest count for a nation, and made their best international showing since the 1984 Olympics.
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DIVING
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The best moment: Sergei Lomonovsky of the Soviet Union ending China's golden moments, winning the men's 1-meter springboard.
The worst: Kelly McCormack's eighth-place finish on 3-meter springboard, setting the tone for a non-medal Goodwill Games for the U.S. women.
The unexpected: Pixie Fu Mingxia winning the the women's 10-meter platform, 12 days before her 12th birthday.
Of special note: The United States is still 0-for-Goodwill in diving. In the '86 Games, which offered only 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform, the Soviets took three golds and East Germany the other.
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FIGURE SKATING
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The best moment: American ice dancers Joseph Druar and Susan Wynne putting on a stunning long program that earned the event's only standing ovation. It was their final performance as amateurs.
The worst: American Nancy Kerrigan, a last-minute replacement and second after the short program, spent as much time as a Zamboni on the ice in her long program. She hit the deck three times and left the arena sobbing into a towel.
The unexpected: Druar-Wynne's third place in dancing, breaking the Soviet bloc, and Kristi Yamaguchi's upset of world champion Jill Trenary in women's figures, her first victory over Trenary. Another was women's bronze medalist Surya Bonaly of France, a world champion tumbler, doing a back flip on skates as she approached the awards ceremony.
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GYMNASTICS, MEN
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The best moment: When Vitaly Scherbo added an exclamation point to his ascendancy to the top of Soviet gymnastics by scoring a 10 on one of the two vaults that earned him the gold.
The worst: The high bar, with its high degree of risk, knocked East German Sylvio Kroll from medal contention in the overall and eliminated any medal hopes for Trent Dimas, a U.S. high-bar specialist trying to repeat or improve his competition-high 9.9 score in the team finals.
The unexpected: When the U.S. team rebounded from a dismal performance on the floor exercise, in which two of them bounded out of bounds, to score well enough on the pommel horse to secure the team silver.
Of special note: The U.S. team, led by overall bronze medalist Lance Ringnald, improved from an eighth-place finish last autumn at the world championships and secured the silver. Said U.S. champion Chris Waller: ``I'd like to think the Soviets know that we're right on their shoulder.'' The Soviet men, perennial world champions, have won every gold medal in both Goodwill Games.
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GYMNASTICS, WOMEN
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The best moment: When Natalia Kalinina earned a perfect score in the floor exercise to wrap up the all-around title in a surprising victory over teammate Svetlana Boguinskaia, who shed a quiet tear or two before the medal presentation.
The worst: When Kim Zmeskal missed her regrasp on the uneven parallel bars, dropping her out of running for the all-around title in the day's first event.
The unexpected: Boguinskaia failing to qualify for the all-around, but replacing Tatiana Lisenko in a coaches' discretionary substitution.
Of special note: With the American women suffering from various ailments, the United States was unable to challenge the Soviets seriously, but 15-year-old Betty Okino showed that by using her athleticism, power and dance background, she may unseat Zmeskal as the top U.S. hopeful in the 1991 world championships.
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HOCKEY
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Best moment: When Soviet ace Valery Kamensky scored to tie the gold-medal game with just 21 seconds to play, to be followed by a scoreless overtime and the Soviet victory over the U.S. in a shootout.
The worst: Having a Robo-Cop dress-alike bring out the puck for the opening game of the tournament in the Tri-Cities Coliseum.
The unexpected: The biggest news came when Soviet star Sergei Fedorov left the team before the competition and went to Detroit to join the NHL Red Wings.
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JUDO
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The best moment: Seeing Jimmy Pedro Jr., a spunky 19-year-old player from Lynn, Mass., move up into the finals to win a silver in the half-lightweight (143-pound) category. His father, his coach for almost 15 years, videotaped it all from the bleachers.
The worst: When Eddie Liddie lost his final match for a bronze to West Germany's Ralf Wylenzek. Liddie, who has placed in every U.S. Olympic Festival since 1978, had been considered among the top bets for a gold. Liddie was disappointed. Among his fans, the feeling was mutual.
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MARATHON, MEN
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The best moment: Some character no one could identify stayed with the leaders for the first five miles as if he belonged there. He dropped off as the pace quickened.
The worst: Thomas Robert Naali of Tanzania, who led the first 21 miles, suffered from the heat and stopped twice. He finished ninth.
The unexpected: Mora passed Naali with five miles to go as they raced through Ballard. Because of miscommunication, Mora was not one of the three originally picked to the U.S. team.
Of special note: The TBS interviewer pulled Mora over within minutes of his exhausting victory. But just as the network cued the interview, Mora excused himself to vomit in the weeds.
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MARATHON, WOMEN
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The best moment: Seeing Lisa Kindelan of Kirkland interrupt a 1-2-3-5 Soviet sweep by finishing fourth in the race she agreed to run only four days before it was run. Kindelan was called upon by TAC to replace Linda Somers, who withdrew.
The worst: Not seeing the best U.S. marathon runners, Lisa Weidenbach of Issaquah and Kim Jones of Spokane, in the field.
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MODERN PENTATHLON
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The best moment: When Lori Norwood navigated a flawless equestrian jumping event aboard Jim's Jez to win the gold. As she cleared the final triple-combination, Norwood raised her fist in the air as the previously hushed crowd exploded.
The worst: When Rob Stull, the reigning U.S. champion, saw his chances at a medal evaporate in the final event, as his horse knocked down multiple rails during the jumping. Stull, an effervescent personality and crowd favorite, raised both palms to heaven and shook his head as he rode out after the last jump. The errors caused him drop to fifth in the final standings.
The unexpected: A 17-year-old West German girl, Kim Raisner, was only invited three days before the Goodwill Games, when a teammate sprained an ankle. Raisner promptly won the shooting event. She finished sixth out of 16 women in the two-day competition.
Of special note: The world championships for the men's modern pentathlon, which were in Finland this year, will be in Spokane in 1991.
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RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS
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The best moment: World all-around champion Alexsandra Timoshenko's gold-medal performance in the ribbon, which earned her the only 10 in the competition.
The worst: Diane Simpson of the United States accidentally kicking her ball out of bounds during the all-around competition. The miscue dropped her out of a top-10 finish.
The unexpected: Spokane fans taking to the sport of rhythmic gymnastics as quickly as they did.
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ROWING
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The best moment: When members of the West German and U.S. men's eights ``shared'' their shell after picking their gold and silver medals, respectively.
The worst: The fact that many U.S. rowers have to pay their own expenses while training.
The unexpected: The U.S. men's eight, which caught and passed the Soviet Union and closed to within a couple of seats of West Germany in the race's final 500 meters.
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SWIMMING, MEN
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The best moment: When Mike Barrowman, Spain's Sergio Lopez and American Kirk Stackle all swam under the world record in the 200 breaststroke on the opening day of the Games.
The worst: When public-address announcer Price Fishback, a professor from the University of Texas, became too excited after the 200 breaststroke and hyped a number of other races as ``on world-record pace!'' No other world records were broken.
The unexpected: Matt Biondi's finishing leg in the 400 medley relay, in which he passed four swimmers to give the U.S. the gold medal and a sweep of the relays.
Of special note: No country may celebrate the Games as much as Suriname, which had reason to party after Anthony Nesty edged Biondi in a rematch of their great 1988 Olympic race in the 100 fly.
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SWIMMING, WOMEN
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The best moment: With her third gold medal, the birth of the newest star in American swimming, 17-year-old Summer Sanders.
The worst: Almost any East German race. Dominant in Seoul, the East Germans won only one individual gold medal.
The unexpected: Janet Evans losing her first specialty race in three years to a future Stanford teammate, Sanders, in the 400 medley.
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SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING
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The best moment: When Kristen Babb received her first 10 in international competition to prove she is fully recovered from a back injury.
The worst: Comment about the sport made by Dick Kunkle, venue press chief, overheard by a reporter: ``It's about as exciting as watching two slugs cross the road.''
The unexpected: The absence of French champion Karine Schuler because of a recent injury. Schuler would have challenged for a medal in solo and duet, with partner Anne Capron.
Of special note: Capping a 14-year career, Canada's Nathalie Guay won the bronze medal in solo in her final performance.
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TEAM HANDBALL
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The best moment: The Soviet Union - a heavy favorite in the Games - needed overtime to defeat Yugoslavia 29-27.
The worst: Look no further than the name.
The unexpected: A sold-out Center Arena crowd of 3,605 watched the final evening's games.
Of special note: Two longtime U.S. players - William Kessler and Bryant Johnson - may have played their last games with the team. Fittingly, the final game was against Spain, a team led by former U.S. Coach Javier Garcia Cuesta. Kessler and Johnson know him well.
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TRACK AND FIELD, MEN
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The best moment: When Carl Lewis failed to appear for the awards ceremony the day after winning the long jump, the other medal winners, Mike Powell of the U.S. and Robert Emmiyan of the Soviet Union, climbed to where Lewis would have stood on the victory platform. With arms on each other's shoulders, they watched their nation's flags being raised while ``The Star Spangled Banner'' played.
The worst: Sergey Bubka, world-record holder in the pole vault, came to Seattle but was unable to compete because of a back injury. Six other men's world-record holders whose names had been used to promote the Games never showed up.
Of special note: In what might be a turning point in their careers, Leroy Burrell beat Carl Lewis in the 100-meter dash.
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TRACK AND FIELD, WOMEN
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The best moment: While American PattiSue Plumer powered her way to a victory in the 3,000-meter run, her grandfather and biggest fan was buried in Newport Beach, Calif.
The worst: Romanian Liliana Nastase was forced to scratch from the heptathlon after getting hit in the collarbone by Soviet Larisa Nikitina's warmup shot-put toss. With her Soviet rival rattled by the accident, world-record holder Jackie Joyner-Kersee won the event despite a thigh injury that may have ended her season.
Unexpected: The absence of the powerful East Germans. Only one competed, but arriving at 2 a.m. after a 12-hour flight from London, Ilke Wyludda won her fourth international discus title in a week.
Of special note: ``Ten thousand people back home celebrated'' when Cuban star Ana Quirot pulled off a tough double, winning the 400- and 800-meter races with the support and advice of countryman Alberto Juantorena, who gained fame by doing the same in the 1976 Olympics.
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VOLLEYBALL, MEN
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The best moment: When Cuban hitter and athlete-deluxe Joel Despaigne made a lunging save of a ball in the bronze-medal game. In one move, he lept through the coaches' seats and around the garbage cans to help win a point.
The worst: When American Marc Jones, in the next game and on the same side of the court, tried to duplicate Despaigne's incredible save around the trash cans. Jones, despite a great effort, tripped on the chairs and fell on his chest.
The unexpected: When the fledgling U.S. team, made up of middle blocker Craig Buck and five starters who were not starters in Seoul, pulled off its biggest victory of the year, a sudden-death win against the Soviets.
Of special note: Despaigne said Seattle reminds him of Havana (because of the heat).
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VOLLEYBALL, WOMEN
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The best moment: Soviet Coach Nikolai Karpol, volleyball's answer to Indiana's Bobby Knight, berated his players openly during the entire tournament, chastising them for only playing at 60-65 percent of their abilities.
The worst: Any moment spent inside the Spokane Coliseum - a sauna built to hold 5,400. During the first few days of the tournament, the temperatures on the playing floor reached 90-plus degrees, while security forced the doors to remain closed, cutting off the old building's only source of air circulation.
Of special note: Cuba sent its junior national team, keeping its senior team under wraps for the world championships later this month in Beijing.
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WATER POLO
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The best moment: The Americans' 11-5 romp over Cuba in their final game, salvaging a fifth-place finish after a dismal 0-3 performance in group play.
The worst: The Hungarians' rough play that resulted in at least three injuries during the tournament and a questionable ploy in their semifinal game with the Soviet Union, when their middle defenseman put his toes in the swimsuit of the Soviet 2-meter man and consistently plunged him underwater without getting caught.
The unexpected: The Soviets' ability to play superior Yugoslavia to a 6-6 tie through regulation play of the gold-medal game.
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WEIGHTLIFTING
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The best moment: Ivan Ivanov hefting 330 1/2 pounds over his head in the clean and jerk - pound-for-pound the most amazing performance of the competition.
The unexpected: Vasily Alexeev, the Soviet coach and the dominant force in weightlifting for more than a decade, playing with Unitus, the lion mascot of the Goodwill Games.
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WRESTLING
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The best moments: The crowd's explosive reaction when 105.5-pounder Cory Baze got the U.S. off to a 3-1 lead in the gold-medal match against the Soviet Union and when Jim Scherr overcame a 1-0 deficit with a two-point takedown and roll as time expired in his 220-pound match against Andrei Golovko.
The worst: Seeing U.S. and Soviet wrestlers disqualified for stalling in the biggest match of the two-day tournament.
The unexpected: Victories by the three U.S. lightweights against the Soviet Union.
Of special note: The loss was the first of international significance for a Soviet Union team in 30 years. The high stakes, cauldron-like heat and the emotionalism of the fans made for a ``Rocky''-like atmosphere in sold-out Edmundson Pavilion. The protesting Soviet coach, Ivan Yarygin, stalked around the mat and took his case into the stands, where world wrestling leaders were watching.
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YACHTING
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The best moment: U.S. boardsailer Scott Steele testified before an international sailing jury that Poland's Myszkowski had been illegally disqualified for failing to return to the starting line after jumping the gun in a crucial race Friday. Steele's honesty came at a personal price because the jury reinstated the Pole's second-place finish in the race, a decision that moved Steele to second in the standings.
The worst: Waits of two hours when winds died after the first race Wednesday and a 3 1/2 hours for wind Thursday.
The unexpected: Steele was leading the final race Saturday and could have won the regatta but he had to slow down to get seaweed off the fin of his board. He finished fourth and was second overall.
Of special note: Brian Ledbetter of the U.S. failed to finish the first race when winds died on his side of the course, but he won four of the next six races to earn the gold medal.