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4 x 100 metres Relay, Women

Date30 September – 1 October 1988
StatusOlympic
LocationOl-lim-pik Ju-gyeong-gi-jang, Seoul Sports Complex, Seoul
Participants81 from 19 countries

The GDR had been the top 4×100 relay team since the late 70s, but the US had defeated them at the 1987 World Championships. And in Seoul, they were led by 100/200 champion Florence Griffith Joyner and 1984 100 gold medalist Evelyn Ashford. They had formidable speed but could not match the superior baton work of the East Germans. In the final, Alice Brown put the US into a slight lead on the opener. But the GDR and the Soviet Union pulled ahead on the second leg. Griffith Joyner was chosen to run the final turn and she got to the final exchange two metres in front. But she and Ashford botched the pass, and the US was in third starting the final 100. Ashford was opposed by her long-time East German rival, Marlies Göhr, and she ran her down for the gold medal. The Soviet anchor, Nataliya Pomoshchnikova, actually took the lead after the final exchange but cramped slightly at 60 metres and had to hold on to finish third.

PosNrTeamNOCR1SFFinal
1United StatesUSA42.39 (1 h3)42.12 (1 h2)41.98 (1)Gold
Alice BrownSheila EcholsFlorence Griffith JoynerEvelyn AshfordDannette YoungJennifer Inniss (DNS)Gwen Torrence (DNS)
2East GermanyGDR42.92 (1 h2)42.23 (2 h1)42.09 (2)Silver
Silke MöllerKerstin BehrendtIngrid LangeMarlies GöhrHeike Drechsler (DNS)Katrin Krabbe (DNS)
3Soviet UnionURS42.88 (1 h1)42.01 (1 h1)42.75 (3)Bronze
Lyudmila KondratyevaGalina MalchuginaMarina ZhirovaNataliya PomoshchnikovaMaia Azarashvili (DNS)
4West GermanyFRG42.99 (2 h1)42.69 (2 h2)42.76 (4)
Sabine RichterUlrike SarvariAndrea ThomasUte ThimmSilke Knoll (DNS)
5BulgariaBUL43.92 (4 h1)43.07 (3 h2)43.02 (5)
Tsvetanka IlievaValya Valova-DemirevaNadezhda GeorgievaYordanka DonkovaAneliya Vechernikova (DNS)Ginka Zagorcheva (DNS)
6PolandPOL43.98 (4 h3)43.44 (4 h1)43.93 (6)
Joanna SmolarekJolanta JanotaEwa PisiewiczAgnieszka SiwekJolanta Bartczak (DNS)Agata Karczmarek (DNS)
7FranceFRA43.43 (3 h1)43.66 (4 h2)44.02 (7)
Françoise LerouxMuriel LeroyLaurence BilyPatricia GirardMarie-Christine Cazier-BaloMarie-José Pérec (DNS)
3 h1 r2/3JamaicaJAM43.50 (2 h2)43.30 (3 h1)– (DNS)
Juliet CuthbertGrace JacksonMerlene OtteyEthlyn TateLaurel JohnsonVivienne Spence
5 h1 r2/3NetherlandsNED43.96 (3 h3)43.48 (5 h1)
Nelli CoomanMarjan OlyslagerGretha TrompEls VaderYvonne van Dorp (DNS)
5 h2 r2/3CanadaCAN43.92 (3 h2)43.82 (5 h2)
Angela BaileyAngela PhippsAngella IssajenkoKatie AndersonJulie Rocheleau (DNS)
6 h1 r2/3Great BritainGBR43.91 (2 h3)43.50 (6 h1)
Sallyanne ShortBev KinchSimmone JacobsPaula DunnHelen Miles (DNS)Janis Neilson (DNS)
6 h2 r2/3GhanaGHA44.12 (5 h3)44.30 (6 h2)
Veronica BawuahDinah YankeyMercy AddyMartha AppiahGrace Armah (DNS)
7 h1 r2/3ItalyITA44.33 (5 h2)43.97 (7 h1)
Rita AngotziRossella TaroloDaniela FerrianMarisa MasulloAnna Lisa Gambelli (DNS)Elena Martino (DNS)
7 h2 r2/3People's Republic of ChinaCHN44.29 (4 h2)44.36 (7 h2)
Zhang XiaoqiongLiu ShaomeiXie ZhilingZhang CaihuaLiu Huajin (DNS)Tian Yumei (DNS)
8 h1 r2/3GreeceGRE45.44 (6 h2)45.74 (8 h1)
Maria TsoniVoula PatoulidouKaterina KoffaMarina SkordiGeorgia Zouganeli
5 h1 r1/3ColombiaCOL45.46 (5 h1)– (DNS h2)
Amparo CaicedoNorfalia CarabalíOlga EscalanteXimena RestrepoElia Mera (DNS)
6 h1 r1/3Chinese TaipeiTPE46.21 (6 h1)
Chang Feng-HuaChen Wen-XingChen Ya-LiWang Shu-HuaHsu Huei-Ying (DNS)Su Chun-Yueh (DNS)
6 h3 r1/3UgandaUGA46.55 (6 h3)
Oliver AciiGrace BuzuFarida KyakutemaRuth KyalisimaJane Ajilo (DNS)
7 h2 r1/3Republic of KoreaKOR45.83 (7 h2)
Yun Mi-GyeongU Yang-JaPark Mi-SeonLee Yeong-SukBang Sin-Hye (DNS)Park Suk-Ja (DNS)

Round One (30 September 1988)

Top four in each heat and next four fastest advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One (13:50)

PosNrTeamNOCTime (A)
1Soviet UnionURS42.88Q
Marina ZhirovaLyudmila KondratyevaGalina MalchuginaNataliya Pomoshchnikova
2West GermanyFRG42.99Q
Sabine RichterUlrike SarvariUte ThimmAndrea Thomas
3FranceFRA43.43Q
Laurence BilyMarie-Christine Cazier-BaloFrançoise LerouxMuriel Leroy
4BulgariaBUL43.92Q
Valya Valova-DemirevaYordanka DonkovaNadezhda GeorgievaTsvetanka Ilieva
5ColombiaCOL45.46q
Amparo CaicedoNorfalia CarabalíOlga EscalanteXimena Restrepo
6Chinese TaipeiTPE46.21
Chang Feng-HuaChen Wen-XingChen Ya-LiWang Shu-Hua

Heat Two (13:55)

PosNrTeamNOCTime (A)
1East GermanyGDR42.92Q
Kerstin BehrendtMarlies GöhrIngrid LangeSilke Möller
2JamaicaJAM43.50Q
Ethlyn TateGrace JacksonVivienne SpenceLaurel Johnson
3CanadaCAN43.92Q
Angela BaileyAngela PhippsAngella IssajenkoKatie Anderson
4People's Republic of ChinaCHN44.29Q
Zhang XiaoqiongLiu ShaomeiXie ZhilingZhang Caihua
5ItalyITA44.33q
Rita AngotziDaniela FerrianMarisa MasulloRossella Tarolo
6GreeceGRE45.44q
Maria TsoniVoula PatoulidouGeorgia ZouganeliMarina Skordi
7Republic of KoreaKOR45.83
Yun Mi-GyeongU Yang-JaPark Mi-SeonLee Yeong-Suk

Heat Three (14:00)

PosNrTeamNOCTime (A)
1United StatesUSA42.39Q
Alice BrownSheila EcholsDannette YoungEvelyn Ashford
2Great BritainGBR43.91Q
Sallyanne ShortBev KinchSimmone JacobsPaula Dunn
3NetherlandsNED43.96Q
Nelli CoomanGretha TrompMarjan OlyslagerEls Vader
4PolandPOL43.98Q
Jolanta JanotaEwa PisiewiczAgnieszka SiwekJoanna Smolarek
5GhanaGHA44.12q
Veronica BawuahDinah YankeyMercy AddyMartha Appiah
6UgandaUGA46.55
Oliver AciiGrace BuzuFarida KyakutemaRuth Kyalisima

Semi-Finals (1 October 1988)

Top four in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One (12:15)

PosNrTeamNOCTime (A)
1Soviet UnionURS42.01Q
Lyudmila KondratyevaGalina MalchuginaMarina ZhirovaNataliya Pomoshchnikova
2East GermanyGDR42.23Q
Silke MöllerKerstin BehrendtIngrid LangeMarlies Göhr
3JamaicaJAM43.30Q
Ethlyn TateGrace JacksonJuliet CuthbertMerlene Ottey
4PolandPOL43.44Q
Joanna SmolarekJolanta JanotaEwa PisiewiczAgnieszka Siwek
5NetherlandsNED43.48
Nelli CoomanGretha TrompMarjan OlyslagerEls Vader
6Great BritainGBR43.50
Sallyanne ShortBev KinchSimmone JacobsPaula Dunn
7ItalyITA43.97
Rita AngotziRossella TaroloDaniela FerrianMarisa Masullo
8GreeceGRE45.74
Maria TsoniVoula PatoulidouKaterina KoffaMarina Skordi

Heat Two (12:20)

PosNrTeamNOCTime (A)
1United StatesUSA42.12Q
Alice BrownSheila EcholsFlorence Griffith JoynerEvelyn Ashford
2West GermanyFRG42.69Q
Sabine RichterUlrike SarvariAndrea ThomasUte Thimm
3BulgariaBUL43.07Q
Tsvetanka IlievaValya Valova-DemirevaNadezhda GeorgievaYordanka Donkova
4FranceFRA43.66Q
Françoise LerouxMuriel LeroyLaurence BilyPatricia Girard
5CanadaCAN43.82
Angela BaileyAngela PhippsAngella IssajenkoKatie Anderson
6GhanaGHA44.30
Veronica BawuahDinah YankeyMercy AddyMartha Appiah
7People's Republic of ChinaCHN44.36
Zhang XiaoqiongLiu ShaomeiXie ZhilingZhang Caihua
DNSColombiaCOL
Amparo CaicedoNorfalia CarabalíOlga EscalanteXimena Restrepo

Final (1 October 1988 — 13:55)

PosNrTeamNOCTime (A)
1United StatesUSA41.98
Alice BrownSheila EcholsFlorence Griffith JoynerEvelyn Ashford
2East GermanyGDR42.09
Silke MöllerKerstin BehrendtIngrid LangeMarlies Göhr
3Soviet UnionURS42.75
Lyudmila KondratyevaGalina MalchuginaMarina ZhirovaNataliya Pomoshchnikova
4West GermanyFRG42.76
Sabine RichterUlrike SarvariAndrea ThomasUte Thimm
5BulgariaBUL43.02
Tsvetanka IlievaValya Valova-DemirevaNadezhda GeorgievaYordanka Donkova
6PolandPOL43.93
Joanna SmolarekJolanta JanotaEwa PisiewiczAgnieszka Siwek
7FranceFRA44.02
Françoise LerouxMuriel LeroyLaurence BilyPatricia Girard
DNSJamaicaJAM
Juliet CuthbertGrace JacksonMerlene OtteyEthlyn Tate