No Sure Bets

In basketball, of course, the rest of the world pleaded nolo contendere: no team came within 33 points of the Dream Team during the first week of the Olympics. But plenty of other allegedly sure bets on the U.S. team found themselves absorbing bracing lessons at Barcelona. "You like to be a superhero all your life," said swimmer Matt Biondi, finishing fifth in the 100-m freestyle Tuesday, "but today my cape fell off." Only briefly, as it turned out. By week's end Biondi earned two medals for a lifetime total of 11, a record he shares with Mark Spitz.

In women's gymnastics, favored Kim Zmeskal slipped on the balance beam in the team competition (but recouped to help the U.S. to a bronze medal), then bounced out of bounds -- and contention -- in floor exercises in the women's all-around. Shannon Miller stepped gracefully into the breach and took silver. Americans Mike Stulce and James Doehring won unexpected gold and silver in the shot put. And though America's women swimmers were surprised by the Chinese, who seemed to be picking up where the East Germans left off, the U.S. generally did well in the water. In 1988 American swimmers won 18 medals in Seoul; in Barcelona they splashed to 27. At week's end the Americans stood just behind the Unified Team in medals.

Medal Count

COUNTRY Gold Silver Bronze Total

Unified Team 24 16 15 55

United States 15 16 17 48

Germany 12 10 13 35

China 9 13 6 28

Hungary 9 7 2 18

Australia 5 8 5 18