Sport-Olympic.com

All Athletics Menu

1988 Olympic Games Seoul - Women's 100 m

Print
Email

Details: Parent Category: Olympic Games (Athletics); Category: 1988 Olympic Games Seoul - (Athletics); Last Updated: 23 July 2016; Hits: 697

Tags:

Host City: Seoul, South Korea

Format: Top four in each heat advanced to the final.

Date Started: September 24, 1988

Format: Top four in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.

Date Finished: September 25, 1988

Format: Top three in each heat and next eight fastest advanced to the quarter-finals.

(Competitors: 64; Countries: 42; Finalists: 8)

Venue(s): Olympic Stadium, Seoul Sports Complex, Seoul

Overview by IAAF

Griffith Joyner had developed, at the age of 28, from being a top sprinter in 1987 capable of 10.90-11.00 on her best days, to 10.60-10.70 in 1988. She ran an unbelievable 10.49 in the US Trials, which was ratified as a world record although felt by many to be wind-assisted. Nevertheless, she had the next-fastest run, 10.61, and was considered unbeatable for Seoul. She duly set an Olympic record in the heats with 10.88, which Ashford equalled in the second round. In the next race “Flo-Jo” ran 10.62, beating Cuthbert and 1980 winner Kondratyeva by 4m. Ashford (10.99) and Griffith Joyner (10.70w) won their semifinals. The final saw Flo-Jo superior in every department. Her reaction time was the quickest at 0.131 seconds, and by 40m she was threatened only by Nuneva, who was 0.02 seconds behind. Nuneva (who was confusingly listed under her unfamiliar married name of Vechernikova) pulled a muscle just before 80m, and hobbled across the line in last place. Up ahead, Griffith Joyner had switched gears at 60m, and her advantage of 0.12 seconds at 60m more than doubled in the next 30m to 0.26 seconds. With a high knee lift and a long stride which made her look almost as though she was prancing Flo-Jo was unlike any other woman sprinter before or since. A huge smile creased her face for the last 20m of the race, and she crossed the line with her 48th stride of the race nearly 3m ahead of Ashford, who got away from Drechsler in the last 15m.

Summary by Sports-reference.com

In the quarter-finals of the US Olympic Trials there appeared to be a problem with the timing in the quarter-finals. Florence Griffith Joyner won the race by over four metres but the time seemed unusual – 10.49. The world record at the time was 10.76 and 100 metre world records were simply not broken by over ¼-seconds. The wind reading was 0.0, however, and the mark would be ratified as a world record. However, track statisticians still consider that the wind reading was incorrect and that it was likely a wind-aided mark. But that mattered little. In the semi-final, FloJo ran 10.70, bettering the previous world record and she surpassed that in the final with 10.61. These were all legal marks so the only consideration was which world record would count.

FloJo was the athletics star of the Seoul Olympics. A tall, lithe beauty, she had previously been a better 200 runner. But in 1988, she won gold medals in the 100, 200, and 4x100 relay, and ran a great anchor in the 4x400, helping the US to a silver medal in that race. Her 100 victory was easy, winning in a windy 10.54 over the defending champion Evelyn Ashford by three metres. In the eight rounds of the Olympic Games and Olympic Trials, she ran seven times faster than the previous world record, although three of them were wind-aided. As of 2008, her world record of 10.49 has still not been approached.

Records

These were the standing World and Olympic records (in seconds) prior to the 1988 Summer Olympics.

World Record	10.49	Florence Griffith-Joyner	Indianapolis (USA)	July 16, 1988
Olympic Record	10.97	Evelyn Ashford	Los Angeles (USA)	August 5, 1984

The following Olympic records were set during this competition.

Date	Athlete	Time	OR
September 24, 1988	Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)	10.88s	OR
September 24, 1988	Evelyn Ashford (USA)	10.88s	=OR
September 24, 1988	Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA)	10.62s	OR

			Results
The Women's 100m at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entrylist of 64 competitors, with eight qualifying heats (64), four second-round races (32) and two semi-finals (16), before the final (8) took off on Sunday September 25, 1988. Florence Griffith-Joyner had been a mystery in 1988. She had barely competed before the Olympic Trials, only running her personal best 10.89 into the wind in San Diego. Then at the trials she shocked the world by taking more than a quarter of a second out of Evelyn Ashford's world record and backing it up with three other races that were significantly faster than any other woman had ever run. Her next races were at the Olympics and her ability was no longer a mystery. In the first round, her time was 10.88, a hundredth faster than she had run in San Diego, but it was the Olympic record, almost a tenth of a second faster than Ashford had run winning the gold four years earlier. In the quarter finals, Heike Drechsler beat Ashford's previous record in the first race, Ashford then equalled FloJo's record in the second, to share the Olympic record for about five minutes. Griffith-Joyner's quarterfinal 10.62 was the third fastest legal race in history and the fourth fastest under any conditions, behind only her own marks set in Indianapolis two months earlier at the Trials. In the semi finals, she matched her Indianapolis semi final time win a ho hum 10.70 that was still .06 faster than any other woman had ever run. Ashford and Drechsler were both under 11 seconds and Anelia Nuneva ran 11 seconds exactly to put them in the center of the track. Previously known as a 200 metre runner without a spectacular start, Griffith-Joyner had been working to improve her start and just like in Indianapolis, she had the lead by the second time she put her foot on the ground. The surprise was that she did not break away from the pack. Nuneva, who had run her personal best of 10.85 just three weeks earlier, was giving serious chase. But 70 metres into the race her hamstring popped and she was painfully unable to move it, but she was still running at full speed, so she struggled to maintain her balance. Meanwhile Griffith-Joyner had clearly separated from the field, crossing the finish almost three tenths of a second ahead of Ashford who just edged Drechsler. The wind in the race was +3.0 m/ps, significantly over the allowable. Still, Griffith-Joyner's 10.54 was and remains the second fastest under any conditions, behind her own world record and its associated questionable wind reading.
*100 m*	Women		Final	25 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	10.54w	3	Florence Griffith-Joyner	United States	USA	21 Dec 59
2	10.83w	3	Evelyn Ashford	United States	USA	15 Apr 57
3	10.85w	3	Heike Drechsler	East Germany	GDR	16 Dec 64
4	10.97w	3	Grace Jackson Small	Jamaica	JAM	14 Jun 61
5	10.97w	3	Gwen Torrence	United States	USA	12 Jun 65
6	11.00w	3	Natalya Voronova	Soviet Union	URS	9 Jul 65
7	11.26w	3	Juliet Cuthbert	Jamaica	JAM	9 Apr 64
8	11.49w	3	Anelia Nuneva	Bulgaria	BUL	30 Jun 62
*100 m*	Women		Semifinal 1	25 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	10.99	0.5	Evelyn Ashford	United States	USA	15 Apr 57
2	11.00	0.5	Anelia Nuneva	Bulgaria	BUL	30 Jun 62
3	11.02	0.5	Gwen Torrence	United States	USA	12 Jun 65
4	11.10	0.5	Juliet Cuthbert	Jamaica	JAM	9 Apr 64
5	11.12	0.5	Silke Möller	East Germany	GDR	20 Jun 64
6	11.13	0.5	Marlies Göhr	East Germany	GDR	21 Mar 58
7	11.21	0.5	Lyudmila Kondratyeva	Soviet Union	URS	11 Apr 58
8	11.24	0.5	Marina Zhirova	Soviet Union	URS	6 Jun 63
*100 m*	Women		Semifinal 2	25 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	10.70w	2.6	Florence Griffith-Joyner	United States	USA	21 Dec 59
2	10.91w	2.6	Heike Drechsler	East Germany	GDR	16 Dec 64
3	11.03w	2.6	Natalya Voronova	Soviet Union	URS	9 Jul 65
4	11.06w	2.6	Grace Jackson Small	Jamaica	JAM	14 Jun 61
5	11.12w	2.6	Ulrike Sarvari	West Germany	FRG	27 Jun 64
6	11.12w	2.6	Pauline Davis-Thompson	Bahamas	BAH	9 Jul 66
7	11.13w	2.6	Nelli Cooman	Netherlands	NED	6 Jun 64
	DNS	2.6	Merlene Ottey	Jamaica	JAM	10 May 60
*100 m*	Women		Heat 1	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	10.96	0.5	Heike Drechsler	East Germany	GDR	16 Dec 64
2	11.03	0.5	Merlene Ottey	Jamaica	JAM	10 May 60
3	11.16	0.5	Ulrike Sarvari	West Germany	FRG	27 Jun 64
4	11.21	0.5	Pauline Davis-Thompson	Bahamas	BAH	9 Jul 66
5	11.29	0.5	Angela Bailey	Canada	CAN	28 Feb 62
6	11.51	0.5	Els Vader	Netherlands	NED	24 Sep 59
7	11.55	0.5	Tian Yumei	China	CHN	28 Dec 65
8	11.75	0.5	Françoise Leroux	France	FRA	4 Oct 61
*100 m*	Women		Heat 2	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	10.88	1.6	Evelyn Ashford	United States	USA	15 Apr 57
2	10.98	1.6	Natalya Voronova	Soviet Union	URS	9 Jul 65
3	10.99	1.6	Marlies Göhr	East Germany	GDR	21 Mar 58
4	11.08	1.6	Nelli Cooman	Netherlands	NED	6 Jun 64	NR
5	11.27	1.6	Angella Issajenko	Canada	CAN	28 Sep 58
6	11.35	1.6	Joanna Smolarek	Poland	POL	26 Nov 65
7	11.45	1.6	Angela Williams	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	15 May 65
8	11.85	1.6	Amparo Caicedo	Colombia	COL	30 Jan 65
*100 m*	Women		Heat 3	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	10.62	1	Florence Griffith-Joyner	United States	USA	21 Dec 59
2	11.03	1	Juliet Cuthbert	Jamaica	JAM	9 Apr 64
3	11.05	1	Lyudmila Kondratyeva	Soviet Union	URS	11 Apr 58
4	11.10	1	Silke Möller	East Germany	GDR	20 Jun 64
5	11.31	1	Simmone Jacobs	Great Britain	GBR	5 Sep 66
6	11.35	1	Laurence Bily	France	FRA	5 May 63
7	11.37	1	Andrea Thomas	West Germany	FRG	9 Apr 63
8	11.63	1	Dinah Yankey	Ghana	GHA	2 Feb 67
*100 m*	Women		Heat 4	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	10.96	0	Anelia Nuneva	Bulgaria	BUL	30 Jun 62
2	10.99	0	Gwen Torrence	United States	USA	12 Jun 65
3	11.13	0	Grace Jackson Small	Jamaica	JAM	14 Jun 61
4	11.14	0	Marina Zhirova	Soviet Union	URS	6 Jun 63
5	11.37	0	Paula Dunn	Great Britain	GBR	3 Dec 64
6	11.42	0	Kerry Johnson	Australia	AUS	23 Oct 63
7	11.59	0	Sabine Richter	West Germany	FRG	18 Jul 66
8	11.75	0	Julie Baumann	Canada	CAN	17 Jun 64
*100 m*	Women		Heat 1	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	11.09	1.1	Anelia Nuneva	Bulgaria	BUL	30 Jun 62
2	11.18	1.1	Grace Jackson Small	Jamaica	JAM	14 Jun 61
3	11.39	1.1	Paula Dunn	Great Britain	GBR	3 Dec 64
4	11.56	1.1	Tian Yumei	China	CHN	28 Dec 65
5	11.85	1.1	Paraskeví Patoulídou	Greece	GRE	23 Apr 65
6	12.16	1.1	Melvina Vulah	Liberia	LBR	21 Dec 65
7	12.27	1.1	Felicité Bada	Benin	BEN	14 Mar 62
8	12.32	1.1	Farida Kyakutewa	Uganda	UGA	6 Jun 62
*100 m*	Women		Heat 2	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	11.20	0.4	Pauline Davis-Thompson	Bahamas	BAH	9 Jul 66
2	11.22	0.4	Nelli Cooman	Netherlands	NED	6 Jun 64
3	11.22	0.4	Marlies Göhr	East Germany	GDR	21 Mar 58
4	11.71	0.4	Jolanta Janota	Poland	POL	6 Jul 64
5	11.86	0.4	Sandra Myers	Spain	ESP	9 Jan 61
6	11.90	0.4	Meryem Oumezdi	Morocco	MAR	13 Jan 68
7	12.27	0.4	Yvette Bonapart	Suriname	SUR	5 Jan 65
8	12.87	0.4	Aminata Diarra	Mali	MLI	24 Feb 70
*100 m*	Women		Heat 3	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	11.12	0	Gwen Torrence	United States	USA	12 Jun 65
2	11.19	0	Lyudmila Kondratyeva	Soviet Union	URS	11 Apr 58
3	11.34	0	Laurence Bily	France	FRA	5 May 63
4	11.59	0	Amparo Caicedo	Colombia	COL	30 Jan 65
5	11.71	0	Marisa Masullo	Italy	ITA	8 May 59
6	11.84	0	Ewa Pisiewicz	Poland	POL	7 May 62
7	12.18	0	Ng Ka Yi	Hong Kong	HKG	9 Sep 66
8	12.27	0	Jabou Jawo	Gambia	GAM	13 Apr 62
*100 m*	Women		Heat 4	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	11.14	1.1	Juliet Cuthbert	Jamaica	JAM	9 Apr 64
2	11.27	1.1	Silke Möller	East Germany	GDR	20 Jun 64
3	11.38	1.1	Els Vader	Netherlands	NED	24 Sep 59
4	11.49	1.1	Sabine Richter	West Germany	FRG	18 Jul 66
5	11.56	1.1	Françoise Leroux	France	FRA	4 Oct 61
6	11.67	1.1	Lydia de Vega	Philippines	PHI	26 Dec 64
7	12.47	1.1	Guihermina Cruz	Angola	ANG	20 Jan 70
8	12.52	1.1	Erin Tierney	Cook Islands	COK	29 Jun 70	NR
*100 m*	Women		Heat 5	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	11.10	0.1	Evelyn Ashford	United States	USA	15 Apr 57
2	11.22	0.1	Marina Zhirova	Soviet Union	URS	6 Jun 63
3	11.43	0.1	Joanna Smolarek	Poland	POL	26 Nov 65
4	11.46	0.1	Andrea Thomas	West Germany	FRG	9 Apr 63
5	11.60	0.1	Julie Baumann	Canada	CAN	17 Jun 64
6	12.07	0.1	Gailey Dube	Zimbabwe	ZIM	25 Jul 69
7	12.11	0.1	Claudia Acerenza	Uruguay	URU	15 Jan 66
8	12.14	0.1	Judith Diankolela Missengui	Congo	CGO	12 Feb 68
*100 m*	Women		Heat 6	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	11.11	0.2	Natalya Voronova	Soviet Union	URS	9 Jul 65
2	11.15	0.2	Heike Drechsler	East Germany	GDR	16 Dec 64
3	11.56	0.2	Simmone Jacobs	Great Britain	GBR	5 Sep 66
4	11.62	0.2	Angela Williams	Trinidad and Tobago	TTO	15 May 65
5	11.66	0.2	Liu Shaomei	China	CHN	16 Oct 63
6	11.74	0.2	Lee Young-Sook	South Korea	KOR	16 Dec 65
7	11.90	0.2	Joyce Odhiambo	Kenya	KEN	29 Jun 63
8	12.62	0.2	Mariama Ouiminga	Burkina Faso	BUR	24 Jan 70
*100 m*	Women		Heat 7	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	10.88	1	Florence Griffith-Joyner	United States	USA	21 Dec 59
2	11.41	1	Kerry Johnson	Australia	AUS	23 Oct 63
3	11.61	1	Angela Bailey	Canada	CAN	28 Feb 62
4	11.65	1	Patricia Girard	France	FRA	8 Apr 68
5	11.84	1	Zhang Gaihua	China	CHN	10 Dec 64
6	11.85	1	Gisele Ongollo	Gabon	GAB	20 Jun 66
7	12.16	1	Chen Ya-Li	Chinese Taipei	TPE	2 Apr 69
8	12.48	1	Evelyne Farrell	Aruba	ARU	10 Apr 60
*100 m*	Women		Heat 8	24 September

Rank	Mark	Wind	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	11.03	0.1	Merlene Ottey	Jamaica	JAM	10 May 60
2	11.26	0.1	Ulrike Sarvari	West Germany	FRG	27 Jun 64
3	11.42	0.1	Angella Issajenko	Canada	CAN	28 Sep 58
4	11.64	0.1	Dinah Yankey	Ghana	GHA	2 Feb 67
5	11.86	0.1	Rossella Tarolo	Italy	ITA	28 Dec 64
6	11.88	0.1	Helen Miles	Great Britain	GBR	2 Mar 67
7	13.00	0.1	Olivette Daruhi	Vanuatu	VAN	12 May 68
8	15.12	0.1	Mala Sakonnihow	Laos	LAO	4 Feb 65