Osvaldo Lara 100m 10.17 Friendship Games Moscow 1984
17 August 1984 Moscow Friendship Games, Lenine Stadium 100m men 1. Osvaldo Lara (Cuba) 10.17 2. Attila Kovács (Hungary) 10.18 3. Leandro Peñalver (Cuba) 10.21 4. Arkadiusz Janiak (Poland) 10.29 5. Thomas Schröder (GDR) 10.33 6. Nikolai Sidorov (USSR) 10.35 7. František Ptáčník (Czechoslovakia) 10.35 8. Andrés Simón (Cuba) 10.36 Although Friendship Games officials denied that the Games were a counter-Olympic event to avoid conflicts with the International Olympic Committee, the competition was often dubbed the Eastern Bloc's "alternative Olympics". (Wikipedia). Athletes learned in May 1984 that they would be barred to competed at the Olympic Games due to the boycott. Druzhba-84 in Moscow (men) and Prague (women) was not really a consolation... Their motivation suffered but athletes still managed to produce outstanding performances, often surpassing results achieved by their Western-world rivals a few days earlier. It’s no offense to Osvaldo Lara to say that it’s very unlikely that he would have beat Carl Lewis in Los Angeles. The American indeed won in 9.99 (wind +0.2). However, the Cuban ran 10.17, into 0.4 wind, faster than the Olympic silver and bronze medalists Sam Graddy (10.19) and Ben Johnson (10.22). The Friendship Games winner was interviewed by Legkaya Atletika (10/1984) : "I am coming to Moscow not for the first time. And again I find myself in an atmosphere of friendship, camaraderie, and support. Soviet athletes have become real friends to me, with whom I can always consult and from whom I can learn a lot. We, Cuban sprinters, hoped to become winners in the 4x100m relay here, at the 'Friendship' competitions. And when we were preparing for the Olympic Games, we aimed not to yield to the Americans, although, as you know, they are particularly strong in sprinting. And unexpectedly, we lost to the Soviet team. This happened because your athletes surpassed us in relay technique and performed with great spirit. Currently, I am studying in my third year at the Institute of Physical Education in Havana. I have managed to achieve a good athletic form in the 100-meter dash and I want to meet with the Olympic champion Carl Lewis." 3 days later in Budapest, on August 20, he met Carl Lewis who won the race as expected in 10.05, while Lara placed 3rd in 10.28, edged by his Moscow runner up Kovacs, 10.27. Ben Johnson was 5th in 10.33. Osvaldo Lara died on January 2, 2024, aged 68.
17 August 1984 Moscow Friendship Games, Lenine Stadium 100m men 1. Osvaldo Lara (Cuba) 10.17 2. Attila Kovács (Hungary) 10.18 3. Leandro Peñalver (Cuba) 10.21 4. Arkadiusz Janiak (Poland) 10.29 5. Thomas Schröder (GDR) 10.33 6. Nikolai Sidorov (USSR) 10.35 7. František Ptáčník (Czechoslovakia) 10.35 8. Andrés Simón (Cuba) 10.36 Although Friendship Games officials denied that the Games were a counter-Olympic event to avoid conflicts with the International Olympic Committee, the competition was often dubbed the Eastern Bloc's "alternative Olympics". (Wikipedia). Athletes learned in May 1984 that they would be barred to competed at the Olympic Games due to the boycott. Druzhba-84 in Moscow (men) and Prague (women) was not really a consolation... Their motivation suffered but athletes still managed to produce outstanding performances, often surpassing results achieved by their Western-world rivals a few days earlier. It’s no offense to Osvaldo Lara to say that it’s very unlikely that he would have beat Carl Lewis in Los Angeles. The American indeed won in 9.99 (wind +0.2). However, the Cuban ran 10.17, into 0.4 wind, faster than the Olympic silver and bronze medalists Sam Graddy (10.19) and Ben Johnson (10.22). The Friendship Games winner was interviewed by Legkaya Atletika (10/1984) : "I am coming to Moscow not for the first time. And again I find myself in an atmosphere of friendship, camaraderie, and support. Soviet athletes have become real friends to me, with whom I can always consult and from whom I can learn a lot. We, Cuban sprinters, hoped to become winners in the 4x100m relay here, at the 'Friendship' competitions. And when we were preparing for the Olympic Games, we aimed not to yield to the Americans, although, as you know, they are particularly strong in sprinting. And unexpectedly, we lost to the Soviet team. This happened because your athletes surpassed us in relay technique and performed with great spirit. Currently, I am studying in my third year at the Institute of Physical Education in Havana. I have managed to achieve a good athletic form in the 100-meter dash and I want to meet with the Olympic champion Carl Lewis." 3 days later in Budapest, on August 20, he met Carl Lewis who won the race as expected in 10.05, while Lara placed 3rd in 10.28, edged by his Moscow runner up Kovacs, 10.27. Ben Johnson was 5th in 10.33. Osvaldo Lara died on January 2, 2024, aged 68.