ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 27, 1996 TAG: 9607290048
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: Associated Press
SWIMMER AMY VAN DYKEN sets an American record with her fourth gold medal in the pool at the Olympic Games.
Amy Van Dyken. Remember that name. She's more than just the surprise star of the U.S. swim team, she's the one who made Olympic history.
Van Dyken won a record-setting fourth gold medal Friday night, leading the underrated American swimmers to their greatest gold rush since the Los Angeles Games.
This time, she won the 50-meter freestyle on the final night of swimming, adding to her golds in the 100 butterfly and two relays. In doing so, she became the first American woman to win four golds in one Olympics.
``I wasn't expecting anything like this, that's for sure,'' Van Dyken said.
Van Dyken was unaware of the four-gold record until after the race. No U.S. woman - not Janet Evans, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mary Lou Retton or Bonnie Blair - had ever won four gold medals at the Summer or Winter Olympics.
``It's special to be included in a category with all those great athletes,'' Van Dyken said.
The men's 400 medley relay team also sped into the record books, setting a world record in the last race of the competition. It made the United States a perfect 6-for-6 in relays at the games and was the 400th medal in its Olympic swimming history.
The final tally for the Americans: 13 golds and 26 total medals.
After the final gold medals were handed out to the relay team, its four members - Jeff Rouse, Jeremy Linn, Mark Henderson and Gary Hall Jr. - unfurled a white banner with red letters.
``Thanks America for a dream come true,'' it said. And the full house that included former President Jimmy Carter roared.
The United States had 21 golds in Los Angeles in 1984 but just eight in Seoul and 11 in Barcelona in the past two Olympics. It fell just one medal short of its overall total in 1992.
No matter. The United States did far better than anyone - except maybe the team members themselves - expected.
``Coming into this meet, we were underdogs and this is a perfect example of what it means for a team to come together,'' said Hall, who swam the freestyle anchor leg of the 400 medley.
The Americans won three of the five events Friday night as Brad Bridgewater picked up the gold medal in the 200 backstroke.
Australia won the other two races on its best night in the pool, finishing 1-2 in two events.
In the first race of the night, Susan O'Neill and Petria Thomas gave Australia gold and silver in the 200 butterfly as triple gold medalist Michelle Smith of Ireland finished third.
Defending Olympic champion Kieren Perkins of Australia finished ahead of countryman Daniel Kowalski in the 1,500 freestyle. The bronze went to Graeme Smith of Britain.
Tripp Schwenk's silver in the 200 backstroke gave the United States four medals for the night.
The only American finalists who didn't win medals Friday night were Angel Martino of Americus, Ga., and Trina Jackson of Jacksonville, Fla. Martino was fourth in the 50 freestyle, but still ended up with four medals. Jackson was eighth and last in the 200 butterfly.
Van Dyken, the 23-year-old from Englewood, Colo., won the 50 in 24.87. China's Le Jingyi, the 100 freestyle winner, was second. The bronze went to Sandra Volker of Germany.
``I knew that the girl from China was going to be really tough and 25 seconds is a big barrier for anybody,'' said Van Dyken, who held the previous American record of 25.03. ``To do it in this pool in front of my home crowd is really great.''
``Van Dyken is really good,'' said Le, who won the only gold medal for a Chinese women's team that was supposed to be dominant. ``There are only three swimmers who can swim this under 25 seconds and Van Dyken is one of them.''
Bridgewater swam a career best of 1:58.54 in the 200 backstroke and Schwenk finished in 1:58.99. Emanuele Merisi of Italy took third in 1:59.18.
The winning time of 3:34.84 broke the world record of 3:36.93 set by the United States at the 1988 Olympics. Russia was second in 3:37.55 and Australia third in 3:39.56.
O'Neill's winning time in the 200 butterfly was 2:07.76, Thomas finished in 2:09.82 and Smith, winner of the 400 freestyle and 200 and 400 individual medleys, was third in 2:09.91.
Perkins swam the 1,500 in 14:56.40, winning by a comfortable margin. But the battle for second was close. Kowalski won it in 15:02.43, beating Smith of Britain by just five-hundredths of a second.
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Amy Van Dyken, who won the 50-meter freestyle onby CNBFriday night, celebrates her record-setting fourth gold medal.
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