At the Seoul Olympics there were two U.S. women's swim teams: Janet Evans, who won three individual gold medals, and everybody else, who won none. While the East German women swept to 10 golds and a total of 21 medals, the non- Evans Americans scraped by with a silver and three bronzes.
In no other Olympic sport has the competitive picture been so transformed. East Germany doesn't exist anymore; neither does the steroid program that artificially enhanced its athletes. Meanwhile, so much American talent has ripened that Evans didn't qualify for this year's team in the 400-m individual medley, an event...