Pentathlon: memories from Montreal Olympic Games (0)

It was really sharp clash for the upper places overall at XXI Olympiade held in Montreal at the end of July 1976. There was no any difference between gold and silver medalists score, but at last there was single winner and runner-up…

The favorites seemed to be GDR and USSR athletes (according to year world rankings) – Siegrun Thon-Siegl (GDR) 4813, Lyudmila Popovskata 4783 (USSR) NR, Nadezhda Tkachenko (USSR) 4772, Jane Frederick (USA) 4732 NR, Tatyana Vorokhobko (USSR) 4707, Christine Bodner-Laser (GDR) 4692, Burglinde Pollak (GDR) 4681, Diane Jones (Can) 4641, Margit Papp (Hun) 4582, Margot Eppinger (FRG) 4559, Djurdja Focic (Yug) 4500 points…. Good rivalry for the “pieces.

The first event in the morning of 25th July was 100 m hurdles (09:30 AM). Yet in first heat there was blind gap between Siegrun Siegl (GDR) and Russian Tatyana Vorokhobko – both took 13.31 (0.0), a fraction ahead of Bulgarian Penka Sokolova (13.32). Yugolsavian Djurdja Focic finished last in 14.48. In second heat World record”holder Burglinde Pollak (GDR) (already recorded pb of 13.14 two weeks earlier) got the win in 13.30 (the best of the day) just before Soviet Nadezhda Tkachenko (13.41), US record holder Frederick 13.54 and West German Margot Eppinger 13.97…. And finally blonde Soviet record holder Lyudmila Popovskaya won third heat in 13.33, just ahead of Bodner-Laser (GDR) 13.55 (compared with Laser’s 13.25 set four years earlier at Munich OG) and Canadian Diane Jones (13.79). Hungarian Margit Papp completed that race at fifth place – 14.14 sec. After first event the standings were: 1. Pollak 959, Siegl & Vorokhobko 957, 4. Sokolova 956, 5. Popovskaya 955, 6. Tkachenko 944, 7. Frederick 926, 8. Laser-Bodner 925, 9. Diane Jones 893 …..

Second event of Penthathlon was Shot putting (at 10:30 AM). The superior girls (according their pbs) were settled in the first group A. Pollak commenced in modest mode – 13.64, but quickly improved to 15.82 & 16.25. Soviets Popovskaya (15.02) & Tkachenko (14.90) were not so far behind, as Hungarian Margit Papp (14.80). Jones (14.58) and Frederick (14.55) also exceeded 14 meters, as did Bodner-Laser (14.29)….. Sokolova (13.70) and Vorokhobko (13.08) probably were not so content of their marks, as Siegl appeared to be rather disappointed (compared with her pb of 14.53 m). West German Eppinger also finished below her abilities – 12.75. In second group although Yugoslavian Focic could manage only 12.65 m. After two events: 1. Pollak 1922 (71 points ahead of Soviet), 2. Popovskaya 1851, 3. Tkachenko 1833, 4. Frederick 1796, 5. Bodner-Laser 1780, 6. Sokolova 1777, 7. Jones1764, 8. Vorokhobko 1742, 9. equal Papp & Siegl (both 1732), 10. Eppinger 1635…. 13 Focic 1566 points.

Third event – High jump – started at 16:00 hours later in the day. Again majority of favorites were settled in the first group. Pollak rested only 11th and last with miserable 1.64 m, Soviet Vorokhobko was some better with 1.74, as also Popovskaya and Siegl (the same height of 1.74 m). Frederick herself got 1.76, but Hungarian Papp went a fraction higher in 1.74.And blonde Jones (with first try) and Tkachenko (in third try) managed to clear 1.80 m. The best of the day went Jamaican Andrea Bruce (1.82)…. In Group B Christine Bodner-Laser cleared 1.76 & 1.78 in her second tries respectively….. Eppinger felt not sure with only 1.68, as Sokolova – with only 1.64 m. The most disappointed apparently was World record holder Pollak (1.64) – some 14 sm below her pb of 1.78 m. It was obvious that her body weight grew from usual 65 kg to mighty 76 kg….. After three events: 1. Tkachenko 2864, 2. Popovskaya 2825, 3. Pollak 2797, 4. Jones 2795, 5. Bodner-Laser 2792, 6. Frederick 2789, 7. Papp 2744, 8. Vorokhobko 2716, 9. Segl 2706, 10. Sokolova 2652, 11. Eppinger 2550, 12. Andrea Bruce 2527. The gap between third (Pollak) and ninth (Siegl) was so tiny – only 91 points, between Pollak and Frederick – only … 8 points.

Next morning (26th July) the fourth event (Long Jump) was scheduled for 10:30 AM. Terrible headwind restrained most of girls from producing their best leaps. The best among all was World record holder at LJ Siegrun Siegl (she made her WR yet in May – 6.99 m). Today Siegrun was not so confident as she had to be. Her leaps were 6.29, 6.42 and 6.49 m (1012 points) and lifted her from ninth to seventh overall… Pollak landed to 6.30 m (971 points) to stand third (3768), four points behind Popovskaya (6.19 m) who stayed second 3772 m, some 16 points after her compatriot Tkachenko 3788 p. For her disappointment Soviet Nadezhda Tkachenko recorded all three tries with the one and the same length – 6.08 m (as her pb of 6.56 stood since two years earlier). Second of all around the pit was Hungarian Margit Papp (6.35 m)(982 p.) and thus went from seventh to sixth currently. Diane Jones also made good 6.29 and went fourth (3764 points), some 7 points ahead of Laser (6.27 m) (3757). Yugoslavian Focic produced 6.28 m and raised to 11th place (3448 p.). The hugest upset in the morning what that of the third Soviet – Tatyana Vorkhobko. She recorded two consecutive fouls and, scared and endangered, at her third attempt “essayed” poor jump to keep safe – only …. 4.97 m (669 points) (compared with her pb of 6.42 m). After four events: 1. Tkachenko 3788, 2. Popovskaya 3772, 3. Pollak 3768, 4. Diane Jones 3764, 5. Bodner-Laser 3757, 6. Papp 3726, 7. Siegl 3718, 8. Frederick 3693, 9. Sokolova 3543, 10. Eppinger 3471, 11. Focic 3448, 12. Fitzgerald 3393, 13. Vorokhobko 3385 points.

The fifth and last event of Olympic Pentathlon appeared to be 200 m sprint later at the day (5:50 PM). Three heats were scheduled and Britain Longden was fastest in second heat (24.20), ahead of Eppinger 24.61, Fitzgerald 24.73, Vorokhobko 24.85 (compered with her 23.6 earlier in the year) andSokolova 24.95. In the third and last heat (assisting wind of +1.1 m per second) were gathered all medal pretenders. Pollak was placed in first lane, Siegl – in second, Jones – in third, in fourth – Bodner-Laser, in fifth Popovskaya, in sixth – Frederick, in seventh - Tkachenko, and in eighth. – Popovskaya. Just after the gun (yet at first 100 m curve) the three East German girls rushed away. All three GDR athletes went out at the straight with significant advance ahead of other. Only tall and blonde Popovskaya was able to respond somehow. Elegant and lanky Siegrun Siegl increased her lead at the end and finished the race in a huge personal best of 23.09 (1027), before her teammate Christine Bodner-Laser 23.48 (988) and exhausted Burglinde Pollak 23.64 (972). Popovskaya arrived tired at fourth spot – 24.10 (928), more than half a second off her compatriot Nadezhda Tkachenko 24.61 (881) and American Frederick 24.70 (873). Far behind the crowd noticed two others to reach the finish line - Diane Jones 25.33 (818) and Margit Papp 25.43. (809). All three East Germans were sitting directly on the track, anticipating for the final placement. After a while they saw on the large score board the figures that exited them a lot. The final sums of Siegl and Laser were calculated completely identical – both with 4745 points. According competition technical rules in force at the time Siegrun Siegl was declared Olympic champion because of better marks in three (100 m hurdles, Long Jump and 200 m ) of the five events overall against the two superior of her teammate Christine Bodner-Laser (Shot putting & High Jump). Only five points behind them stood World record holder (with 4932 p.) Burglinde Pollak – 4740 points. Thus Pollak won her second bronze medal in row (after Munich1972). Fourth remained Lyudmila Popovskaya (4700 p.), just in front of very unlucky and disgraced Nadezhda Tkachenko (4669), who descended from first to disappointing fifth just in a few seconds. Canadian Diane Jones (4582) also stepped down from fourth to sixth overall. And Margit Papp was the third to lose her position – from sixth to eighth (4535), just after Jane Frederick (4566). On the table next were: 9. Sokolova 4394, 10. Margot Eppinger 4352, 11.Djurdja Focic 4314 points etc.

For the first (and last time so far) the winner and the runner-up in Olympic multiple events history have had achieved one and the same points score. And in Montreal the GDR squad produced a real enviable clean sweep on the medal podium in women’s Pentathlon. Unrepeatable!

Alexander Vangelov for Decathlon 2000