Babashoff and Ender (1992)

Sports Illustrated ^ | July 13, 1992 | Kenny Moore

[God luvs America]

The U.S. Olympic women swimmers of 1976 swept into Montreal a proud dynasty and were staggered to win but a single relay. They slammed into final wall after final wall in world-record time and found large, muscular athletes in blue already there, chatting gutturally.

Female swimmers of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) had never before won an Olympic gold, yet in Montreal they massacred the rest of the world, taking gold medals in 11 of 13 events and setting eight world records. Their flagship was Kornelia Ender, 17, who won the 100 and 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly and anchored the winning 400-medley relay team, all in world-record times.

The embodiment of the battered U.S. team was Shirley Babashoff, 19, of Fountain Valley, Calif., who swam an astounding range of races—the 100-, 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyles and both relays—but lost the sprints to Ender and the distances to 15-year-old Petra Thümer. When Thümer outkicked Babashoff in the 800, it was Babashoff's fourth straight silver medal. Unbowed, she came back an hour and 45 minutes later to anchor the U.S. to its lone win, in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay.

Questions flew. What did the East German women have this time that they hadn't had four years earlier in Munich?

[God luvs America]

Why did i post this?? To show just how insane America has become. It wasn't that long ago Americans were complaining about East German women athletes gaining an unfair advantage using steroids which made those East German women more like- wait for it now- men. Yet now there's a portion of the country who feel its fair for men to compete is women's sports. The author of the article, Kenny Moore, came in 4th place in the '72 Olympic marathon

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Got a different link?

This one gives a 404 error.

[kiryandil]

https://vault.si.com/vault/1992/07/13/babashoff-and-ender-at-the-1976-summer-games-two-of-the-worlds-top-female-swimmers-an-american-and-an-east-german-met-the-american-won-only-one-gold-medal-while-the-east-german-won-four-but-had-the-east-german-used-steroid

[dfwgator]

Andreas Krieger

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/east-germanys-forgotten-olympic-doping-6949436

[canuck_conservative]

What did the East German women have this time that they hadn't had four years earlier in Munich?

steroids

[God luvs America]

Sorry:

https://vault.si.com/vault/1992/07/13/babashoff-and-ender-at-the-1976-summer-games-two-of-the-worlds-top-female-swimmers-an-american-and-an-east-german-met-the-american-won-only-one-gold-medal-while-the-east-german-won-four-but-had-the-east-german-used-steroid

[JimRed]

It would be a point of interest to know how Ender and the rest of the commie gals did later in life. Did they have normal lives, bear and raise children? Did they have cancers or other debilitating illnesses as a result of the steroids?

[God luvs America]

Most of them have had major health issues. Then there’s this:

https://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/11/sexchange.athlete/index.html

[Rummyfan]

It would be a point of interest to know how Ender and the rest of the commie gals did later in life. Did they have normal lives, bear and raise children? Did they have cancers or other debilitating illnesses as a result of the steroids?

I would think the DDR was not too forthcoming with such information.