European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 26, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday August 26, 1967 the stars and stripes Page 25 pan am stars turning to Seoul by Martin Lader Indianapolis up after two weeks of resplendent indulgence and ego inflating Triumph Amer ican athletes have one year in which to prepare for the Seoul olympics. Competing against far smaller countries with mini a resources the United Stales flexed its Muscart with might and majesty at the pan american games save for a stumble on the final Day. Midway through the 16-Day sports festival the american already bad surpassed their own record for victories and they wound up the gala spectacular with More Gold medals than the 37 other countries combined. In such Glamour events As track and Field and swim Ming the United states was virtually unchallenged and the Bosl country also dominated in gymnastics diving rowing shooting Archery Canoe kayak cycling equestrian modern Pentathlon synchronized swimming table Tennis Lac Kwon do freestyle wrestling roller skating yachting and team handball. The United Stales captured team golds in women s basketball water Polo women s softball men s Volley Ball and men s and women s team handball. The baseball team enjoyed big Success despite losing the Gold medal game to Cuba 13-9. The americans upset Cuba the reigning world Champion during the preliminary round and achieved their goal of qualify ing for the 1988 olympics where baseball will be a demonstration sport n All the United slates won 169 Gold medals 11 More than the other countries combined along witn120 Silver and 81 Bronze for 370 medals. Cuba was second with 75 Gold and 175 medals and Canada was third with 30-16lat Caracas in i9s3, the United Stales captured 136 Gold and 284 total medals. Cuba was next with 79-175 and Canada third with 18-109. Thai there still is a lot of work 10 be done before the olympics was evident on the last Day of these games when the highly touted . Men s basketball team blew a 20-Poinl Lead and lost inc championship to Brazil 120-115. The outside world is catching up . Coach Denny Crum said. Of her countries have a lol More Good players and Are More typical of the Confidence exhibited by the United slates was a remark by is i year old gymnast Kristie Phillips we knew we i were the Best coining in i and we proved Phillips herself did not i perform quite As Well Tasev i peeled but the United Stales won the men s and i women s team lilies in gymnastics Scott Johnson won a fan am record medals including the. All around and four Stiver and Sabrina mar was the women s All around Cham Pion winning five medals including one Gold. In swimming the unil up photo c j states used its . Eager Cynthia Cooper second team the nation Al championship squad having been committed to the pan Pacific games in Australia and still emerged with a record 27 Gold from 32 events. In Seoul the Competition will be a lol More severe. Interestingly the outstanding individual of the games was a 16-year-old from Costa Rica named Sil Lewis to drop 200 for world track Rome a Carl Lewis said tuesday that he has decided not to run the 200 me ters at the world tract and Field championships in Rome because it would have been like running against myself i am i coking for something and the something More for the american sprinter is clearly a clash with Ben Johnson of Canada in the 100 me ters considered one of the highlights or the championships. There has been a lot of talk about this race Johnson say he can run in 9.85. He says hell win. I can Only say it s time to Stop talking and get into action. The track will Tell the truth Lewis said on his first Day in Rome. He arrived late monday two Days ahead of the american team and announced that he planned Only some Light training before saturday s opening of the championships at olympic stadium. Lewis is one of the track greats. He won three golds in the 1983 world championships in Helsinki Finland the 100, Thelong jump and the 400-meters relay. He added the 200 at the los Angeles olym pics to Maich the four golds conquered by the legendary Jesse Owens in Berlin in 1936. Many people expected him 10 go for four golds in Rome. The schedule is too tight Lewis said. So i had to drop one event and i chose to skip the 200.1 know people Are surprised because they feel it would be easier for Meto win the 200 than the 100, but it would have been like running against myself. 1 am looking for something Lewis said he had no intention of pull ing out of the Long jump and inc relay. The relay is a team event and i owe itto the other sprinters. The Long jump is my favorite event As you All know he said. I d rather jump than run anytime. So it had to be either the 100 or the 200." he stressed in was not a question of fatigue or being unfit. He said be fell that he Johnson and All the world s leading sprinters had proven their condition in number of International meets lately Lewis said everyone had been training hard All year and running Well proving they were ready for the championships. But he said in made no difference who he is running against in the 100 meters. You can t plan a tactic. You can Only go Oil and run As fast As you can. If you Are the fastest you win he said. If you make of photo Carl Lewis puts 100 Duel first a mistake you have no Way to make up for it. I guess this is Why the 100 is so Lewis said he considered the Ameri can track team in Rome very Strong and he expected the team would do Bel Ter than in Helsinki. In 1983, the United Stales won 24 medals one More than the soviet Union and two More than East Germany. But the East germans outscored the Ameri cans 10 to eight on golds. To casts suspicion on Angels Sulton via poll. The daughter of West German Parcon who emigrated to Nicaragua before moving to Cosla Rica in 1979, poll is listed As 6-foot-2, but is actually about 2 inches taller. Poll came away with a pan am record eight swim Ming medals including three individual Gold As she captured three of the five races that escaped the Llanil cd states. Sara links took away the most souvenirs among the . Swimmers without winning an individual race. She earned three Gold on relay teams plus a Silver and a bronc. The most impressive fact about the swimmers is that All 4,
