Turning the pages back... August 9, 1992 (08/04/96)

Turning the pages back...

August 9, 1992

Four years ago on August 9, The Weekly carried a report on Ukrainian athletes' performances at the XXV Summer Olympic Games as part of the Unified Team representing the Commonwealth of Independent States. Excerpts of that news story, compiled by Andrij Wynnyckyj, appear below.

Judging from the performance of Ukraine's athletes at the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona, a contingent that trained in the midst of political turmoil and severe economic hardships, Team Ukraine will be a force to reckon with at future Games.

Oleh Kucherenko was the first athlete who stood alone on the podium as the blue-and-yellow was raised and "Shche ne Vmerla" was played. He had bested the field in Greco-Roman wrestling's 48 kg (105.5 lb) class. The first Ukrainian athlete whose medal ceremony was beamed across the world on global TV networks was gymnast Tetiana Gutsu, from Odessa. She triumphed in the all-around individual contest, overcoming lapses in the early rounds, and a strong effort from Shannon Miller of the U.S.

Other gold medalists for Ukraine include Tetiana Lysenko from Kherson, who triumphed on the balance beam (where Gutsu and the highly touted Kim Zmeskal from the U.S. slipped); and Hryhoriy Misiutin, Ihor Korobchynsky and Rustam Sharipov - all recipients of team gold in gymnastics.

Silver medalists for Ukraine include Gutsu, gymnastics uneven bars; Tetiana Dorovskykh of Zaporizhzhia, women's 3,000 meters; Olha Bryzhina of Luhanske, women's 400 meters; Misiutin of Luhanske, the reigning world champion (he earned a 9.9 score from one judge), who tied Andreas Wecker of Germany in the horizontal bar event in individual gymnastics, but was alone as the silver medalist for the individual all-around competition; Serhiy Holubytsky, individual men's foil (fencing); and Timur Taimazov, in the 100 kg weightlifting class.

Ukraine's bronze medalists include Gutsu, gymnastics, floor routine (tied Miller, U.S., and Bontas, Romania); Lysenko, gymnastics, vault; Korobchynsky, gymnastics, parallel bars; Serhiy Kravchuk, member of the Unified team epee squad; and Saria Zakirova and Inna Frolova, members of the women's quadruple sculls rowing team.

As this issue was going to press, Oleksandra Tymoshenko of Kyiv was first in the preliminary round of competition in rhythmic gymnastics with 19.600 points. Oksana Skaldina, also from Kyiv, was third with 19.075 points.

Natalia Kolovanova qualified for the 100-meter hurdles final, but came in seventh, with a time of 13.01 seconds. Oleh Tverdokhlib qualified for the men's 200-meter final, but he also came in seventh, with a time of 48.63 seconds.

The men's Unified handball team won its semi-final game against Iceland 23-19. That means that Serhiy Bebeshko and Yuriy Havryliv of Kyiv will have a chance to play for the gold against Sweden. The women (with team members Maryna Bazanova and Tetiana Horb of Kyiv) lost to Norway in the semis.

Heorhiy Pohosov is a member of the team sabre group that qualified for the finals.

Oleh Shadchyn and Yuriy Koroviansky are members of a Unified volleyball team that has been torn by internal feuding. It lost to a surging U.S. squad, and then was knocked out of the medal competition by Japan.

Source: "Ukraine's Olympic successes continue," The Ukrainian Weekly, August 9, 1992 (Vol. XIV, No. 32).

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