American coach Mark Shubert dubbed Hungarian teenager Krisztina Egerszegi a "one-woman army". Egerszegi dominated the 1992 Olympic swimming events, considered the greatest swimming competition to date. Egerszegi won the 100 and 200 meter backstroke gold medals in Olympic record time, and added a third gold in the 400m individual medley.


"If Vitaly Shcherbo were an American he would be the next Michael Jordan. He flies like Michael and has a little cockiness in him", said U.S. gymnast Jair Lynch. Olympic star Scherbo, the son of acrobats took the family art to the gymnastic arena and won an amazing six gold medals. With 14 world championship gold medals to accompany his Olympic medals and more success awaiting in Atlanta, many consider the Byelorussian gymnast to be the greatest male gymnast of all times.




In 1991 American Gail Devers was fighting quite a different battle than training for Olympic sprint competition. Struck with Graves' Disease (a thyroid disorder) her doctors recommended the amputation of her feet. Suddenly her world class athletic ability seemed in peril. Within a year however, Devers made a remarkable recovery. By the summer of 1992 Devers was again in top form. In Barcelona Devers was crowned the world's fastest woman after winning the 100m dash. Only an unfortunate fall on the final hurdle prevented her from another victory, in the 100m hurdles.