Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres


These are the official results of the Women's 200m metres event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The final was held on August 9, 1984.
Coming into the final, future world record holder Florence Griffith had the fastest times in both the heats and semi final rounds. The winner of the other semi final, one hundredth behind was Valerie Brisco-Hooks, who had already won the 400 metres title. Brisco-Hooks, coming back after a weight gain during her pregnancy two years earlier, was not touted as a potential multi gold medalist, unlike her American teammate Carl Lewis whose performance was virtually expected. She did not accomplish the 200/400 double at the Olympic Trials.
In the final, Florence Griffith, running in lane four, the middle of the track, took the early lead through the turn. Griffith easily made up the stagger on her American teammate Randy Givens to her outside just after completing half the turn. In lane 2, Merlene Ottey-Page was the closest challenger, gaining on Kathy Cook between her and Griffith. Out in lane 7, Brisco-Hooks caught Grace Jackson to her outside shortly after Griffith had passed Givens. At the end of the turn, Griffith had a slight advantage on Ottey-Page, a metre up on Brisco-Hooks who was just slightly ahead of Cook. All the way down the home straight Griffith held her advantage over Ottey-Page, but Brisco-Hooks was in a different gear. Halfway down the straight, Brisco-Hooks had already caught the pair and was pulling away to an easy 3 metre victory. In the last 40 metres, Cook closed ground rapidly, diving for the line and just missing the bronze medal from Ottey-Page, while Griffith was less than a half a metre ahead. Jackson came from dead last at the end of the turn to finish a metre behind Ottey-Page and Cook.
Brisco-Hoocks accomplished the first 200-400 double in the Olympics. This was the second step of three gold medals in the single games won by Brisco-Hooks. To this point in history, only Fanny Blankers-Koen with 4 in 1948, and Betty Cuthbert in 1956 were the only women to have achieved this in Athletics. Four years alter, Griffith under her new married name Florence Griffith-Joyner, would also achieve three golds along with the silver medal in the 4x400 relay. This was the third medal out of what would become nine career Olympic medals for Ottey. That too is the most for a woman in Athletics, equaled in 2016 by Allyson Felix, who was coached in part by Brisco-Hooks and Griffith's coach, future brother-in-law, Bob Kersee.

Medalists

Abbreviations

Results

Heats

Qualification rule: First 5 in each heat and the next 2 fastest advance to the quarterfinals.
Wind:
Heat 1: -2.0 m/s, Heat 2: -0.4 m/s, Heat 3: -1.5 m/s, Heat 4: +0.9 m/s, Heat 5: +2.3 m/s, Heat 6: -0.7 m/s
RankHeatNameNationalityTimeNotes
11Florence Griffith22.56Q
22Grace Jackson22.70Q
35Randy Givens22.88Q
44Merlene Ottey-Page22.90Q
53Valerie Brisco-Hooks23.10Q
65Rose-Aimée Bacoul23.11Q
75Sandra Whittaker23.22Q
84Marisa Masullo23.30Q
91Joan Baptiste23.31Q
104Liliane Gaschet23.32Q
112Pauline Davis23.37Q
122Heidi-Elke Gaugel23.37Q
134Angela Williams23.38Q
145Ruth Waithera23.42Q
151Raymonde Naigre23.50Q
163Els Vader23.65Q
176Kathy Cook23.71Q
185Janet Burke23.75Q
196Helinae Marjamaa24.10Q
206Michaela Schabinger24.12Q
211Angela Bailey24.15Q
221Semra Aksu24.27Q
232Ruth Enang Mesode24.39Q
243Teresa Rioné24.48Q
252Nzaeli Kyomo24.68Q
266Divina Estrela24.72Q
276Elanga Buala24.82Q
283Mo Myeong-hui24.86Q
294Christa Schumann24.91Q
306Françoise Mpika25.05q
314Emma Tahapari25.07q
321Lydia de Vega25.10
335Binta Jambane25.14
343Amie N'Dow25.41Q
352Soraima Martha25.56
362Marie-Ange Wirtz25.88
371Miriama Tuisorisori26.82
1Eugenia Osh-Williams
2Marita Payne
3Gillian Forde
3Angella Taylor
4Mercy Addy
5Grace-Ann Dinkins
5Felicia Candelario
6Debbie Wells

Quarterfinals

RANKHEAT 1TIME
1.22.57
2.22.78
3.22.97
4.22.97
5.22.98
6.23.56
7.24.97
DNS

RANKHEAT 2TIME
1.22.53
2.22.87
3.23.02
4.23.19
5.23.84
6.24.70
7.24.90
8.25.11

RANKHEAT 3TIME
1.22.52
2.22.81
3.23.31
4.23.37
5.23.54
6.23.78
7.24.87
8.25.24

RANKHEAT 4TIME
1.22.33
2.23.11
3.23.19
4.23.51
5.24.03
6.24.25
7.24.98
DNS

Semifinals

RANKHEAT 1TIME
1.22.27
2.22.57
3.22.69
4.22.73
5.22.86
6.23.12
7.23.43
8.23.45

RANKHEAT 2TIME
1.22.28
2.22.32
3.22.38
4.22.53
5.22.75
6.22.88
7.23.02
7.23.02

Final