As part of the preview of the sights, sounds and statistics of the Los Angeles Summer Olympics that appeared in its July 30 issue, TIME presented closeups of several individual athletes, many little known outside their home countries and specialties. Nineteen athletes appeared in a Neil Leifer photo essay that showed each of them against a background of a national landmark. In addition, nine American athletes, participating in events like archery that normally attract scant U.S. public attention, were introduced. How did these competitors fare in the Olympics?
Japan's Koji Gushiken left Los...