1988 Olympic Games - Swimming - Women's 50 Meter Freestyle - Kristin Otto GDR

This was the first time that women swam the 50 free at the Olympics, although it had been on the program at the 1986 World Championships. The favorites were China’s Yang Wenyi, who had set the world record of 24.98 earlier in 1988, and Romania’s Tamara Costache, the 1986 World Champion and 1987 European Champion, and a three-time world record setter. To date the pool at the Seoul Olympics had been the personal property of East German Kristin Otto, who had already won five gold medals. She had been second in the 50 free at 86 Worlds, but was considered a longshot in this event.
There were two false starts in the final and some thought that this bothered Yang. She still held the lead with Otto for much of the race, but Otto just touched her out in 25.49, winning her very surprising sixth gold medal in Seoul. Costache was a non-factor, placing sixth. The bronze medals were shared by 15-year-old East German Katrin Meißner and the relatively ancient 27-year-old American Jill Sterkel, who both finished in 25.71. Sterkel had last won an Olympic medal 12 years ago, in Montréal, a gold in the freestyle relay. She had only made the US team when Angel Myers was disqualified after the US Olympic Trials for a positive drug test. The fifth-place finisher was another American, Leigh Ann Fetter, a freshman at the University of Texas, where her assistant coach was Sterkel.
In 1994 it was revealed that Otto had been a part of the long-time East German doping conspiracy as she had been given drugs by her coaches throughout her career. Otto denied any knowledge of this however, and stated that her performances were due not to the drugs, but to her hard work.

[@sofiastrauss6156]

❤35 years ago fantastic memories by Sophia Strauss composer ♥️🇵🇹🇩🇪 Kristin Otto the best 😊

[@albertozerain1115]

thanks kindly, glory days!!!

[@olimpsportas2]

thank you for this video

[@westnyacktwins]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for all you have uploaded, I've watched and enjoyed many of those videos.

[@TheCopper05]

Do you have Janet Evans 800m Free from these Games? Also, do you have any of the Swimming World Championships from 1982 and 1986 uploaded?

[@Kelvin71]

Jill Sterkel 3rd in '88 As a 15 year old, a part of the US relay team in '76 that upset the roided up East Germans in Montreal.

[@Parker528]

Sterkel also won relay gold in '84 and relay bronze in '88, both in the 400 free relay and in each case, winning those relay medals for swimming her prelim relay legs. Awarding medals to prelim relay swimmers for finals medal winning relays began with the LA Games. Interestingly, both of Sterkel's prelim 400 free relay prelim legs were more than just a few tenths faster than other 400 free relay swimmers in 88- had the coaches put her in the 400 free relay final, and duplicated her prelim relay leg- the US wouldn't have only scored a silver over the Dutch, but according to finals splits, could have come close to or broken the US 400 free relay record.

[@metsdudenj]

@@Parker528 She also dominated the world university games in 1981 willing like 7 gold medals or something like that

[@marimarzambrano520]

The achievements of Kristin Otto and the dominant East German swimmers of the 70s and 80s have been marred by detractors that speculate about their physiques or ambivalently talk about GDR coaches who were complicit in systematic doping.
Personally, I think Kristin Otto is a REMARKABLE ATHLETE and OLYMPIC ICON. I'm more suspect of the likes of Michael Phelps, Katie Ledceky and Ryan Lochte because of the number of events they compete in, recovery times and numerous records. If people are going to criticize, do it with everyone. The existence of designer drugs and "medical exceptions" for use of performance enhancing drugs have made it practically impossible to clearly identified the dopers. That said, stop with the finger pointing (or do it across the board).

[@justanaverageyoutuber2737]

Marimar Zambrano Katie ledecky has passed more drug tests than anyone else in swimming

[@joeortiz7715]

It is documented that the East Germans were on Oral Turinabol. That's why mostly the Women dominated in several Sports.

[@TheCopper05]

@@joeortiz7715, and if I am thinking right, steroids hides better in Women, than in Men.

[@Parker528]

Your claim that Sterkel last won an Olympic medal- gold or otherwise- as a 15 yr old in Montreal is an inaccurate statement. As a prelim 400 free relay swimmer in LA, I believe clocking a 55.4, but NOT swimming at night, nonetheless earned her a gold medal in '84 for swimming a prelim leg.

[@tarheelking2515]

Otto was a doper

[@MarkusEriksson-q7h]

Like Carl Lewis

[@rakeshsaha566]

Rest of US swimmers are angels.

[@miloandtock1]

Otto's records and medals should be revoked and removed. She was roided up big time, like Ender, Krause, and her teammates, not to mention track and field Gohr, Koch, Wockel, Moller, Fuchs, Jahl, Slupianek etc etc etc - all well documented.