1979 Summary

Men's Athletics - American James Robinson set a Pan Am Record to upset Olympic gold medalist Alberto Juantorena (CUB) in the 800m. The Cuban went on to lose the 400m to another American, Tony Darden. Double gold medalists included Cuba's Silvio Leonard (100m & 200m) and Brazil's Joao Carlos De Oliviera (long jump & triple jump). American Renaldo Nehemiah, overcoming a three day illness, won the 110m hurdles in Pan Am record time. The U.S. won 14 of the 24 events, and continued is gold medal streak in the decathlon.

Women's Athletics - The U.S. won 11 of 15 events, and set 8 Pan Am records. Future Olympian Evelyn Ashford won the 100m & 200m. The U.S. dominatyed the running events, but Cuba held sway in the field by winning 3 gold medals. Canada's Diane Jones Konihowski was the only non-U.S. and non-Cuban gold medalist, winning the Pentathlon easily. Cuba's Carmen Romero won her third consecutive discus gold medal.

Baseball - The U.S. (5-3), lacking hitting, could only muster a fourth place finish. The surprising Dominican Republic (7-1) won the silver medal behind Cuba (8-0) and ahead of Puerto Rico (6-2), who settled for the bronze.

Men's Basketball - The U.S. won the gold, ahead of Puerto Rico and Brazil. The racous tournament, held in the 12,000 seat Roberto Clemente Coliseum, featured some ugly moments. The U.S./Cuba final round game was marred by on-court violence. Cuba's Tomas Hererra threw an unprovoked punch at American Kyle Macy. Macy had to be flown home to the University of Kentucky Medical Center for emergency surgery on a broken jaw. U.S. Coach Bobby Knight later visited Macy at the hospital to present his gold medal to him. The volatile Coach Knight was himself involved in an on-court incident during the games. Knight, arguing with a Puerto Rican policeman over use of a practice court, pucnched the officer in the face. Knight was arrested, booked for assault, and released pending trial. He left Puerto Rico after the games with the trial still pending. Once the trial was held, Knight was convicted in absentia, but has never served his jail sentence.

Women's Basketball - The U.S. team easily won it's first 5 games, including a 124-69 shelling of the host Puerto Ricans, setting up a showdown with Cuba for the gold. The Americans collapsed, with mistakes and tunovers, resulting in a 91-86 loss to the Cubans. Canada won the bronze.

Boxing - The U.S. won 5 classes, Cuba 4, and the host Puerto Ricans 2. American Tony Tucker overcame a gash above his eye to win the light-heavyweight class. Cuba's Teofilo Stevenson won his second consecutive heavyweight gold medal. The Middleweight final was the most contoversial bout. The Referee stopped the contest after a cut appeared on American Jim Hunter's forehead. Apparently, he was the only person in the arena who failed to notice that an illegal head butt by Puerto Rico's Jose Molina caused the cut!

Cycling - Canada and Cuba were the dominant nations. The U.S. won 1 medal, a team gold in the 100km time trial. Canada's Gordon Singleton won the match sprint and 1000m time trial. He had won two gold medals at the 1978 British Commonwealth Games.

Men's Diving - American Greg Louganis, who would go on to become one of the greatest divers of all time, won both events easily. The 1975 gold medalist, Mexico's Carlos Giron, won silver on the springboard, and a bronze on the platform, alternating with American Phil Boggs.

Women's Diving - Americans won both gold and silver in each event. Janet Ely Thorburn won both silver medals. Canadians Janet Nutter (springboard) and Linda Cuthbert (platform) took the bronze medals.

Equestrian - The U.S. won all four events, although the team dressage was considered unofficial after only 2 teams (USA and Brazil) entered. The Three-Day Event was not held. An unusual double occured. At Mexico City, four years earlier, Jet Run was ridden by Mexico's Alfred Senderos to the show jumping gold medal. In San Juan, Jet Run was the winning horse in show jumping again - this time ridden by American Michael Matz. Matz also rode Jet Run in the team jumping, where the U.S. won the gold.

Fencing - Cuba dominated the competition - winning 6 of the 8 events. The women's foil event say two Cubans reach the final. Maria del Risco upset two-time defending Pan Am gold medalist Margarita Rodriguez 5-3. The U.S. won medals in all 8 events, including gold in the men's team epee.

Field Hockey - Argentina (6-0) won it's 4th consecutive gold medal, ahead of Canada (5-1) and Mexico (4-2). The U.S., 6th (out of 6 teams) in Mexico City, improved to 5th out of 10 teams in San Juan. The USA and Cuba tied, forcing a re-match. They battled in the re-match for a Pan Am record 5 overtime periods before Cuba won in a second round of penalty shots.

Men's Gymnastics - Cuba won all 8 events with Sergio Suarez (3), Roberto Richard (2), and Jorge Roche (2) all winning multiple gold medals. The U.S. men, with their best gymnasts absent, won 1 silver and 1 bronze medal.

Women's Gymnastics - The U.S. women, absent their best gymnasts, won a surprising 4 medals (1 gold and 3 silver). Canada's Elfi Schlegal, later a noted TV analyst, won 1 gold (in the team event), 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal.

Judo - Brazil ended Canada's dominance in the sport, winning 4 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals. In the final of the open class, controversy flared over whether Cuba's Jose Ibanez called "uncle" while being held in an armlock. The dispute was moot, however, because the british referee awarded the win to Brazil's Osvaldo Simcoe, on technical grounds, anyway.

Roller Hockey - Argentina (3-0-1) won the inaugual Pan Am gold medal, ahead of Brazil (2-1-1) and Chile (2-2-0). The host Puerto Ricans (0-4-0) set a record for futility. They were outscored by their opponents 127-0.

Rowing - The Cubans, U.S., and Canada were the leading nations. The Cubans won 3 gold and 3 bronze, the Canadians won 2 gold and 1 brozne, and the U.S. won 1 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals. The U.S. led the double sculls the whole race, only to lose a photo finish to the Canadians. American Jim Dietz faded to third in the single sculls after his oar hit a buoy and disrupted his rhythm.

Shooting - The U.S. continued it's domination of the sport, winning 12 gold, 8 silver, and 1 bronze medal. The outstanding competitor was American Lones Wigger, who won 2 individual and 2 team gold medals. In english match, Wigger missed his first shot, then hit the next 599 in a row to tie a Pan Am record. American Wanda Jewell was the only women to win a gold medal as part of the air rifle team.

Soccer - The U.S. team made a surprising run to the semifinals. Brazil won the gold medal and Cuba the silver, while Argentina defeated Costa Rica for the bronze. The U.S. finished in 5th place.

Men's Softball - In the sports Pan Am debut, Canada defeated the U.S. 1-0 in the gold medal game after an incredible pitchers duel. Ty Stofflet (USA) and Rob Guenter (CAN) each struck out 18 batters in a 14 inning game.

Women's Softball - The U.S. overcame a schocking 2-1 loss to Belize and breezed to the sport's first ever Pan Am gold medal. Puerto Rico won the silver and the surprising Belize team won the bronze. American pitcher Kathy Arendsen compiled a 4-0 record, 1 no-hitter, 1 perfect game, and 62 strikeouts.

Men's Swimming - The U.S. men, as usual, dominated the competition winning all 15 events. Puerto Rican native Jesus (Jesse) Vassallo, swimming for the U.S., won both medleys and a silver in the 200m backstroke. Brian Goodell and Steve Lundquist each won 2 individual and 1 relay gold medal.

Women's Swimming - The U.S., as at Mexico City four years earlier, won 13 of the 14 events in San Juan. The outstanding star was Cynthia "Sippy" Woodhead, who won 3 individual and 2 relay gold medals. Mary T. Meagher won the 200m butterfly, while Tracy Caulkins won 2 individual gold medals, 2 relay gold medals, and 3 silver medals.

Synchronized Swimming - Helen Vanderburg led Canada to gold medals in solo and duet and silver in the team event. Meanwhile, Americans Michele Beaulieu and Michele Barone led the U.S. to silver medals in the solo and duet and gold in the team event. The Canadians showing ended the American dominance in the sport.

Men's Volleyball - The U.S., in a tough draw with Cuba and Brazil, lost their first 3 games and finished 4th (4-3). Cuba (7-0) won the gold while Brazil (5-2) won the silver and Canada (5-2) the bronze.

Women's Volleyball - The U.S. women went 3-0 in the preliminary round. In the final round, with team captain Patty Dowdell out with a chronic back injury, they went 0-3 and finished 4th. Cuba won the gold, Peru silver, and Brazil the bronze.

Weightlifting - As in 1975, the U.S. and Cuba dueled in San Juan. Cuba won 24 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze, while the U.S. captured 6 gold, 11 silver, and 6 bronze. American Kurt Setterberg won silver in the snatch event of the first heavyweight class, but had to withdraw due to an arm injury.

Tennis - The U.S. won 4 gold and 2 silver medals. The start of the tournament was marred by confusion as the tournament committee argued over the number of entries allowed per nation in each event.

Freestyle Wrestling - The U.S. won all 10 gold medals, while Cuba settled for all ten silver medals. The U.S. officials, mindful of San Juan's hot, humid climate, had trained the team in the hot, humid July weather of Tennessee. Russell Hellickson won his third Pan Am gold medal.





THE HOST CITY (Coming Soon)

	THE OPENING CEREMONIES The Games opened on 1 July in Hiram Bithorn Stadium, a baseball park. A crowd of 30,000 watched as 3700 athletes from 34 nations marched in review. Basketball player Ann Meyers carried the U.S. Flag. The weather was 88 F and humid. A card section of 3200 children displayed various messages throughout the ceremony. 5000 more children danced and performed during the ceremony. The U.S. Flag was raised and the Star-Spangled Banner played, bringing a mixture of whistles, boos, and catcalls from pro-independence supporters in the stands. Puerto Rican Governor Carlos Romeo Barcelo declared the games open, his speech all but drowned out by competing boos and cheers. The Olympic and PASO Flags were raised, followed by the Puerto Rican Flag and Anthem.

		THE COMPETITION Archery - The U.S. swept the inaugural Pan Am competitions, winning all four events by wide margins. Men's Athletics - American James Robinson set a Pan Am Record to upset Olympic gold medalist Alberto Juantorena (CUB) in the 800m. The Cuban went on to lose the 400m to another American, Tony Darden. Double gold medalists included Cuba's Silvio Leonard (100m & 200m) and Brazil's Joao Carlos De Oliviera (long jump & triple jump). American Renaldo Nehemiah, overcoming a three day illness, won the 110m hurdles in Pan Am record time. The U.S. won 14 of the 24 events, and continued is gold medal streak in the decathlon. Women's Athletics - The U.S. won 11 of 15 events, and set 8 Pan Am records. Future Olympian Evelyn Ashford won the 100m & 200m. The U.S. dominatyed the running events, but Cuba held sway in the field by winning 3 gold medals. Canada's Diane Jones Konihowski was the only non-U.S. and non-Cuban gold medalist, winning the Pentathlon easily. Cuba's Carmen Romero won her third consecutive discus gold medal. Baseball - The U.S. (5-3), lacking hitting, could only muster a fourth place finish. The surprising Dominican Republic (7-1) won the silver medal behind Cuba (8-0) and ahead of Puerto Rico (6-2), who settled for the bronze. Men's Basketball - The U.S. won the gold, ahead of Puerto Rico and Brazil. The racous tournament, held in the 12,000 seat Roberto Clemente Coliseum, featured some ugly moments. The U.S./Cuba final round game was marred by on-court violence. Cuba's Tomas Hererra threw an unprovoked punch at American Kyle Macy. Macy had to be flown home to the University of Kentucky Medical Center for emergency surgery on a broken jaw. U.S. Coach Bobby Knight later visited Macy at the hospital to present his gold medal to him. The volatile Coach Knight was himself involved in an on-court incident during the games. Knight, arguing with a Puerto Rican policeman over use of a practice court, pucnched the officer in the face. Knight was arrested, booked for assault, and released pending trial. He left Puerto Rico after the games with the trial still pending. Once the trial was held, Knight was convicted in absentia, but has never served his jail sentence. Women's Basketball - The U.S. team easily won it's first 5 games, including a 124-69 shelling of the host Puerto Ricans, setting up a showdown with Cuba for the gold. The Americans collapsed, with mistakes and tunovers, resulting in a 91-86 loss to the Cubans. Canada won the bronze. Boxing - The U.S. won 5 classes, Cuba 4, and the host Puerto Ricans 2. American Tony Tucker overcame a gash above his eye to win the light-heavyweight class. Cuba's Teofilo Stevenson won his second consecutive heavyweight gold medal. The Middleweight final was the most contoversial bout. The Referee stopped the contest after a cut appeared on American Jim Hunter's forehead. Apparently, he was the only person in the arena who failed to notice that an illegal head butt by Puerto Rico's Jose Molina caused the cut! Cycling - Canada and Cuba were the dominant nations. The U.S. won 1 medal, a team gold in the 100km time trial. Canada's Gordon Singleton won the match sprint and 1000m time trial. He had won two gold medals at the 1978 British Commonwealth Games. Men's Diving - American Greg Louganis, who would go on to become one of the greatest divers of all time, won both events easily. The 1975 gold medalist, Mexico's Carlos Giron, won silver on the springboard, and a bronze on the platform, alternating with American Phil Boggs. Women's Diving - Americans won both gold and silver in each event. Janet Ely Thorburn won both silver medals. Canadians Janet Nutter (springboard) and Linda Cuthbert (platform) took the bronze medals. Equestrian - The U.S. won all four events, although the team dressage was considered unofficial after only 2 teams (USA and Brazil) entered. The Three-Day Event was not held. An unusual double occured. At Mexico City, four years earlier, Jet Run was ridden by Mexico's Alfred Senderos to the show jumping gold medal. In San Juan, Jet Run was the winning horse in show jumping again - this time ridden by American Michael Matz. Matz also rode Jet Run in the team jumping, where the U.S. won the gold. Fencing - Cuba dominated the competition - winning 6 of the 8 events. The women's foil event say two Cubans reach the final. Maria del Risco upset two-time defending Pan Am gold medalist Margarita Rodriguez 5-3. The U.S. won medals in all 8 events, including gold in the men's team epee. Field Hockey - Argentina (6-0) won it's 4th consecutive gold medal, ahead of Canada (5-1) and Mexico (4-2). The U.S., 6th (out of 6 teams) in Mexico City, improved to 5th out of 10 teams in San Juan. The USA and Cuba tied, forcing a re-match. They battled in the re-match for a Pan Am record 5 overtime periods before Cuba won in a second round of penalty shots. Men's Gymnastics - Cuba won all 8 events with Sergio Suarez (3), Roberto Richard (2), and Jorge Roche (2) all winning multiple gold medals. The U.S. men, with their best gymnasts absent, won 1 silver and 1 bronze medal. Women's Gymnastics - The U.S. women, absent their best gymnasts, won a surprising 4 medals (1 gold and 3 silver). Canada's Elfi Schlegal, later a noted TV analyst, won 1 gold (in the team event), 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal. Judo - Brazil ended Canada's dominance in the sport, winning 4 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals. In the final of the open class, controversy flared over whether Cuba's Jose Ibanez called "uncle" while being held in an armlock. The dispute was moot, however, because the british referee awarded the win to Brazil's Osvaldo Simcoe, on technical grounds, anyway. Roller Hockey - Argentina (3-0-1) won the inaugual Pan Am gold medal, ahead of Brazil (2-1-1) and Chile (2-2-0). The host Puerto Ricans (0-4-0) set a record for futility. They were outscored by their opponents 127-0. Artistic Roller Skating - In the sports Pan Am debut, the U.S. won all 8 gold and silver medals. Canadians won all 4 bronze medals. Men's Roller Speed Skating - The U.S. won 5 of 7 events in the sports debut. Women's Roller Speed Skating - Argentina won all 5 events. The U.S. won 4 silvers and 4 bronze medals. Argentina's Nora Vega won 3 individual and 1 relay gold in the sports debut. Rowing - The Cubans, U.S., and Canada were the leading nations. The Cubans won 3 gold and 3 bronze, the Canadians won 2 gold and 1 brozne, and the U.S. won 1 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals. The U.S. led the double sculls the whole race, only to lose a photo finish to the Canadians. American Jim Dietz faded to third in the single sculls after his oar hit a buoy and disrupted his rhythm. Shooting - The U.S. continued it's domination of the sport, winning 12 gold, 8 silver, and 1 bronze medal. The outstanding competitor was American Lones Wigger, who won 2 individual and 2 team gold medals. In english match, Wigger missed his first shot, then hit the next 599 in a row to tie a Pan Am record. American Wanda Jewell was the only women to win a gold medal as part of the air rifle team. Soccer - The U.S. team made a surprising run to the semifinals. Brazil won the gold medal and Cuba the silver, while Argentina defeated Costa Rica for the bronze. The U.S. finished in 5th place. Men's Softball - In the sports Pan Am debut, Canada defeated the U.S. 1-0 in the gold medal game after an incredible pitchers duel. Ty Stofflet (USA) and Rob Guenter (CAN) each struck out 18 batters in a 14 inning game. Women's Softball - The U.S. overcame a schocking 2-1 loss to Belize and breezed to the sport's first ever Pan Am gold medal. Puerto Rico won the silver and the surprising Belize team won the bronze. American pitcher Kathy Arendsen compiled a 4-0 record, 1 no-hitter, 1 perfect game, and 62 strikeouts. Men's Swimming - The U.S. men, as usual, dominated the competition winning all 15 events. Puerto Rican native Jesus (Jesse) Vassallo, swimming for the U.S., won both medleys and a silver in the 200m backstroke. Brian Goodell and Steve Lundquist each won 2 individual and 1 relay gold medal. Women's Swimming - The U.S., as at Mexico City four years earlier, won 13 of the 14 events in San Juan. The outstanding star was Cynthia "Sippy" Woodhead, who won 3 individual and 2 relay gold medals. Mary T. Meagher won the 200m butterfly, while Tracy Caulkins won 2 individual gold medals, 2 relay gold medals, and 3 silver medals. Synchronized Swimming - Helen Vanderburg led Canada to gold medals in solo and duet and silver in the team event. Meanwhile, Americans Michele Beaulieu and Michele Barone led the U.S. to silver medals in the solo and duet and gold in the team event. The Canadians showing ended the American dominance in the sport. Men's Volleyball - The U.S., in a tough draw with Cuba and Brazil, lost their first 3 games and finished 4th (4-3). Cuba (7-0) won the gold while Brazil (5-2) won the silver and Canada (5-2) the bronze. Women's Volleyball - The U.S. women went 3-0 in the preliminary round. In the final round, with team captain Patty Dowdell out with a chronic back injury, they went 0-3 and finished 4th. Cuba won the gold, Peru silver, and Brazil the bronze. Weightlifting - As in 1975, the U.S. and Cuba dueled in San Juan. Cuba won 24 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze, while the U.S. captured 6 gold, 11 silver, and 6 bronze. American Kurt Setterberg won silver in the snatch event of the first heavyweight class, but had to withdraw due to an arm injury. Tennis - The U.S. won 4 gold and 2 silver medals. The start of the tournament was marred by confusion as the tournament committee argued over the number of entries allowed per nation in each event. Water Polo - The U.S. (5-0-0) overcame a series of injuries to claim the gold medal. Cuba (4-1-0) won the silver and Canada (2-2-1) the bronze. Freestyle Wrestling - The U.S. won all 10 gold medals, while Cuba settled for all ten silver medals. The U.S. officials, mindful of San Juan's hot, humid climate, had trained the team in the hot, humid July weather of Tennessee. Russell Hellickson won his third Pan Am gold medal. Greco-Roman Wrestling - Cuba won 4 gold, 5 silver, and 1 bronze medal, while the U.S. won 4 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze medals. Yachting - The U.S. dominated the competition with 3 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medal. Click Here for a complete list of 1979 Gold Medalists.

		THE CLOSING CEREMONIES The Games closed on 15 July in Hiram Bithorn Stadium. The U.S. Flag was carried in the colorful ceremony by Kathy Arendsen, a softball pitcher.