Contents

22 THE GAMES
New nation will be showing their stripes
by Alexander Wolf

30 PERSONALITIES
Air Jordan gets together with Air Bubka
by Jack McCallum

34 CALIFORNIA
The Golden State is awash in gold medals
by Richard Hoffer

46 TRAVEL ALERT
An American need not be a pain in Spain
by Gary Smith

54 HEAD-TO-HEAD
A portfolio of stirring showdowns kicks off with E.M. Swift's look at gymnasts Kim Zmeskal and Svetlana Boginskaya

78 TRACK AND FIELD

American speedsters leave rivals in their wake
by Kenny Moore

Hot shot: Profiling Switzerland's Werner Günth‚Äö√†√∂‚Äö√†√ár
by Kenny Moore

Hot shot: A look at China's Huang Zhihong
by Franz Lidz

Francie Larrieu Smith enjoys a long run
by Kenny Moore

SWIMMING

The U.S. men are older than ever—richer, too
by Leigh Montville

A fleet American foursome chases relay gold
by Leigh Montville

Little Hungary looms large in the water
by Gary Smith

BASKETBALL

Can the U.S. men be beaten? Dream on
by Jack McCallum

The Americans enjoy a marketing slam dunk
by Jack McCallum

Teresa Edwards of the U.S. wants a third gold medal
by Jill Lieber

130 WEIGHTLIFTING
Naim Suleymanoglu shoulders Turkey's burdens
by Gary Smith

146 BOXING
Grounded in '88, Eric Griffin gets a second shot
by William Nack

150 BASEBALL
U.S. coach Ron Eraser prepares for a last hurrah
by Steve Wulf

154 CANOEING
Beasts and rivals are wary of Mike Herbert
by Alexander Wolff

158 VOLLEYBALL
A ferocious spiker makes Cuba a smashing hit
by William Nack

162 CYCLING
Some Olympians excel on blades and wheels
by Alexander Wolff

168 ROWING
Italy's Abbagnale brothers go for a third gold
by Hank Hersch

170 HANDBALL
Battered and aging, Sam Jones plays it again
by Douglas S. Looney

172 TENNIS
Meet the home team of the Barcelona Games
by Curry Kirkpatrick

178 BARCELONA
The host city is at once pragmatic and poetic
by Gary Smith

DEPARTMENTS

18 TELEVISION
191 MEDAL PICKS
215 POINT AFTER

Cover Photograph by Peter Read Miller
Contents Photograph by Walter Ioose Jr.
Issue Designed by F. Darrin Perry

PHOTO

WALTER IOOSS JR.

Exhibiting the "raw, horizontal velocity" with which U.S. men have dominated speed events, Mike Powell takes aim at Olympic gold and his own world long jump record of 29'4½" (page 78).

ILLUSTRATION