1992 Barcelona Summer Games
10,563 Athletes, 171 Countries, 257 Events
Barcelona in 1992 was in many ways a reconciliation Olympics. It
showcased the profound impact of the Olympic movement and the
influence that politics can have on athletics and vice versa.
Countries that competed for the first time since extended time away
included a postapartheid South Africa, making its first Olympic
appearance since 1960, and a unified Germany and Yemen. With the
collapse of the USSR, Latvia and Estonia made their first Olympic
appearance since the 1936 Berlin Games.
The Games ended on a political note as well. Derartu
Tulu of Ethiopia became the first black African female
gold medalist in the history of the Games when she won the
10,000meter run. Tulu's victory lap with second-place finisher
Elana Meyer, a white South African, inspired hope for a better way
of life for the new countries to the Games and set the tone for the
future's emphasis on global Games. Four years later in Atlanta, a
record 79 nations would compete.
In all, 49 Ivy Leaguers won 13 medals in 1992. Included in the
medal total were five golds, two of which were claimed by Princeton
undergraduate Nelson Diebel '94. Diebel, a bit
misguided in high school, once broke both wrists when an attempt to
jump from a railing above the stands at his high pool failed. But,
thanks to the strong guidance of his high school coach Diebel went
on to handily beat the other 58 competitors in the 100-meter
breaststroke while setting an Olympic record. Diebel's other gold
came when he swam the second leg in the 4x100 meter medley relay.
It was the eighth time in a row that the Americans had won that
event.
Penn's Kay Worthington also won two gold medals
as a member of the Canadian team in the women's eights and women's
fours.
Harvard swimmer David Befkoff won his second
straight gold with a first-place finish in the men's 400-meter
medley relay to go along with a bronze in the 100-meter
backstroke.
The other six Ivy medals were all bronze. In the famous
10,000meter race, Princeton's Lynn Jennings '83
was third and came home with bronze. It was the second of three
Olympic Games for Jennings who also competed in Seoul and Atlanta.
The third-place finish in Barcelona was her top career Olympic
finish and she beat her previous personal pre-Olympic record by
over 20 seconds.
| Name |
School |
Sport |
| Xeno Mueller |
Brown University |
Men's Rowing |
| Jim Pedro |
Brown University |
Men's Judo |
| John Smith |
Brown University |
Men's Rowing |
| Mark Thompson |
Brown University |
Men's Athletics |
| Katy Bilodeux |
Columbia University |
Women's Fencing |
| Bob Cottingham |
Columbia University |
Men's Fencing |
| Anne Marsh |
Columbia University |
Women's Fencing |
| Jon Normile |
Columbia University |
Men's Fencing |
| Terry Kent |
Cornell University |
Men's Kayaking |
| Stephanie Maxwell-Pierson |
Cornell University |
Women's Rowing |
| Andrea Thies |
Cornell University |
Women's Rowing |
| Dana Chladek |
Dartmouth College |
Women's Kayaking |
| Max A. Holdo |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Rowing |
| Bob Kempainen |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Athletics |
| Stephen Shellans, Jr. |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Rowing |
| Laurent Alfred |
Harvard University |
Men's Swimming |
| Norman Bellingham |
Harvard University |
Men's Kayaking |
| David Berkoff |
Harvard University |
Men's Swimming |
| Lindsay Burns |
Harvard University |
Women's Rowing |
| Serena Eddy-Moulton |
Harvard University |
Women's Rowing |
| Rich Kennelley |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Snorre Lorgen |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Sverke Lorgen |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Elizabeth McCagg |
Harvard University |
Women's Rowing |
| Mary McCagg |
Harvard University |
Women's Rowing |
| Keir Pearson |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Meredith Rainey |
Harvard University |
Women's Athletics |
| John D. 'Jack' Rusher |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Anna Seaton |
Harvard University |
Women's Rowing |
| Peter J. Sharis |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Kris Singleton |
Harvard University |
Men's Swimming |
| Chris R. Swan |
Harvard University |
Men's Rowing |
| Nick Sweeney |
Harvard University |
Men's Athletics |
| Alison Townley |
Harvard University |
Women's Rowing |
| Julia Trotman |
Harvard University |
Women's Sailing |
| Simon Wainwright |
Harvard University |
Men's Swimming |
| Chris O'Loughlin |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Fencing |
| Mary Jane O'Neill |
University of Pennsylvania |
Women's Fencing |
| John Pescatore |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Kay Worthington |
University of Pennsylvania |
Women's Rowing |
| Doug Burden |
Princeton University |
Men's Rowing |
| Nelson Diebel |
Princeton University |
Men's Swimming |
| Lynn Jennings |
Princeton University |
Women's Athletics |
| Anne Marden |
Princeton University |
Women's Rowing |
| Dan Nowosielski |
Princeton University |
Men's Fencing |
| John Parker |
Princeton University |
Men's Rowing |
| Nathalie Wunderlich |
Princeton University |
Women's Swimming |
| J.J. Isler |
Yale University |
Men's Sailing |
| James McEwan |
Yale University |
Men's Swimming |