Quadruple Sculls, Women

Germany, East or unified, had won the women’s quadruple sculls in the last six editions of the World Championships and were the defending Olympic champions. Among their crew,Kristina Mundt was the only returning Olympic champion from this event and was also a 1985 World Champion, but Birgit Peter had an Olympic gold medal from the 1988 double sculls and three World Championship titles, while Sybille Schmidt had three of her own. Thus they were the overwhelming favorites to win the event at the 1992 Summer Olympics, but they were certain to see trouble from former Soviet rowers that had been runners-up at the past three Worlds and were now competing under the banner of “Unified Team”. Their lineup included former Olympic medalists Antonina Zelikovich, who had captured silver in the 1980 single sculls and the 1988 quadruple sculls, and Yelena Khloptseva, a 1980 Olympic champion in the double sculls.

Germany, as expected, dominated the tournament, winning both the opening round and the final by margins greater than four seconds, the latter in Olympic record time. The Unified Team won the other heat, but the Romanians, bronze medalists at the most recent World Championships, had a faster time. Romania had brought two of their 1988 Olympic medalists to this event: Veronica Cochelea, silver and bronze medalist in the double and quadruple sculls respectively, and Anişoara Dobre, another quadruple sculling bronze medalist. In the final, Romania was able to outperform the Unified Team and captured silver, while the former Soviets settled for bronze, albeit over seven seconds ahead of their nearest competitors, the Dutch. Cochelea’s silver medal was not her only one of the Games: she also came in second in the double sculls with Elisabeta Lipă.