Athletics at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games:

The East German "twins" Sigrun Wodars and Christine Wachtel were ranked #1 and #2 in the world in 1987, and their career developed almost in parallel. They had been 1-2 at the 1987 World Championships, Wodars winning. But the top runner in 1988 was Cuban Ana Fidelia Quirot, who could not compete in Seoul because Cuba was one of the few boycotting nations that year. Wodars and Wachtel won their semi-finals and were favored in the final. They took the lead together, with Wodars slightly ahead thru 600 metres. Wachtel then took over, but Wodars passed her in the stretch for the gold medal. America's Kim Gallagher, silver medalist in 1984, came on strongly for the bronze after looking like she might catch Wachtel.