In the captivity of politics: which of the stars of sports was left without Olympic medals due to the boycott of the 1980 Games in Moscow

40 years ago, on July 19, 1980, the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow took place. The competition was overshadowed by a boycott announced by the authorities of the United States and several other countries. Because of this decision, many athletes, including real stars of their time, have lost the opportunity to climb the Olympic podium. RT recalls the stories of those who, without arriving in the USSR, remained without Games medals.

Jess Vassallo (swimming)

In the late 1970s, Puerto Rican Jess Vassallo was one of the most promising swimmers in the world. He moved to the United States for a sports career and achieved his main success at the 1978 World Cup. Vassallo won gold in the 200 meter backstroke and set a world record in the final 400 meter all-round swimming, also taking silver at a distance half as long.

Before the Olympic Games in Moscow, the athlete also mastered the distance of 200 meters butterfly and 400 meters freestyle, but he did not have the opportunity to win at least one medal. All his life, a swimmer wanted to play for his native Puerto Rico, but he could not do this, since one of the mandatory requirements of the national swimming federation for athletes was to live on the island. His small homeland supported the boycott of the 1980 Games, but still sent a small delegation of athletes to the USSR, which could include 18-year-old Vassallo.

He pursued a career to perform four years later in Los Angeles. He was not even stopped by a knee injury, after which he underwent surgery. But Vassallo did not win the Olympic medal. At the 1984 Games, he took fourth place at the 400-meter complex and became ninth at 200 meters on his back.

Leroy Kemp (freestyle wrestling)

In the 1970s, Soviet wrestlers dominated world competitions. They were the main favorites at every major tournament in most weight categories. However, the American wrestler Leroy Kemp, who performed in the weight category up to 74 kg, was not equal after the 1978 World Cup.

He won two world forums, and Kemp’s gold in the Moscow Games was practically in his pocket, but he was left without an Olympic award.

Kemp continued his career and tried to perform in Los Angeles. On the way to his dream, he became the three-time world champion - the first in the history of American wrestling. But at the national selection, Kemp took second place and was forced to end his career. He got to the Olympic Games only in 2008, already as a coach.

Kurt Thomas (gymnastics)

The 1979 World Gymnastics Championships opened a new star in the sport. American Kurt Thomas challenged Soviet and Japanese gymnasts, who previously competed almost exclusively with each other. Being the owner of the gold of the 1978 World Cup in floor exercises, Thomas not only defended his title, but also won five more medals. He became the best on the crossbar, took second place in the all-around, on parallel bars and on horseback, and also helped the national team win bronze for the first time in history.

But Thomas could not repeat his success next year in Moscow, and because of the difficult rules of amateur status for gymnasts, he did not try to qualify for the home Olympics in Los Angeles. In 1992, when the demands were relaxed, Thomas tried to join the US Olympic team, but at 36 years old this turned out to be an impossible task.

Shoujo Fuji (Judo)

Japanese Shozo Fuji was one of the most powerful judokas in the world in the 1970s. He won victories in the world championships in 1971, 1973 and 1975, and in 1979 became the first in history to win four gold medals at world championships. It happened a year before the Olympics in Moscow, at which he also rightly counted on victory. Fuji could not become the Olympic champion of Montreal due to an injury.

However, Japan was among the countries that completely boycotted the Olympic Games and did not send their athletes even under a neutral flag. Upon learning that he would not be able to go to Moscow, Fuji soon ended his career and switched to coaching. In Los Angeles, he knew success in a new field, when his student Yoshiyuki Matsuoka won gold that the teacher never got.

Bill Rogers (Athletics)

In the 1970s there were few as strong marathon runners as the American Bill Rogers. He was a truly iconic figure among long-distance runners. Before the Olympics in Moscow, the 32-year-old athlete won 16 victories at various marathons, including four each at the prestigious races in Boston and New York.

However, with the races at the Olympics, Rogers did not have a relationship. Due to a leg injury, he took only 40th place in 1976, and four years later he could not go to the start due to a boycott. It is interesting that, unlike many other athletes, Rogers was sympathetic to the decision of US President Jimmy Carter and supported him. In 1984, he became the eighth in the national Olympic selection and finally lost the opportunity to win the coveted medal.

Donald Curry (boxing)

The Olympic Games in Moscow were to become the crown of the amateur career of the young and extremely gifted boxer Donald Curry. By the age of 19, he managed to conduct about 400 fights and suffered only four defeats. Curry hoped, following the example of another boxing legend, Sugar Ray Leonard, to win Olympic gold and become a professional, but the boycott left him without a major title among amateurs.

In a professional ring, Curry quickly took his place in the sun. He successively won the WBA, IBF and WBC belts, becoming the absolute champion in welterweight for a year and the first to combine three belts in his category at once. After the missed Olympics, Curry spent 40 fights, of which he won 34, including 25 by knockout, and became one of the best boxers of the 1980s.

Greg Lemond (cycling)

Young American cyclist Greg Lemond also counted on winning the Games in Moscow and starting a successful professional career. He was the reigning world champion among juniors and could well compete with amateurs on the Moscow-Minsk route, but remained in the United States.

Lemond was able to enter the history of cycling without Olympic gold. He became the first American to win the group race at the World Cup, and the first non-European athlete to win the Tour de France in the general classification. Lemond’s successful career nearly ended after he was accidentally shot with a shot while hunting, but he managed to recover and won the most prestigious cycling event two more times.

Einar Rasmussen (kayaking and canoeing)

The boycott of the Moscow Olympics was supported by several European countries, including Norway. Her main hope for gold was the kayaker rowers Olaf Soyland and Einar Rasmussen. At the time of the Games, they were reigning world champions at the Olympic distance of 1000 meters, and in 1978 won silver on it.

Norwegians could not go to the USSR even as neutral athletes. Soyland soon stopped performing internationally, and Rasmussen continued his career. In total, he won ten medals at world championships, four of which were gold. But at the Olympics, Rasmussen did not show himself, only once reaching the finals. The Norwegian no longer had such a chance of success as before the competition in Moscow.