Athletics at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games:

The two-time defending champion, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, was back but injuries left her physical condition a question mark. She placed second in the 100 hurdles with a very slow time (for her) of 13.24 and then had to withdraw. In the shot put, Ghada Shouaa threw 15.95 (52-4) for a new Syrian record and took the lead. She led after day one by 112 points, but Nataliya "Natasha" Sazanovich won the long jump with 6.70 (21-11¾) and took over the lead by five points over Shouaa. But Shouaa’s javelin throw of 55.70 (182-9) sealed the win for her, Sazanovich holding on for the silver medal and Denise Lewis winning the first medal for Britain in the multi-event since Mary Peters gold medal in the pentathlon in 1972.