1988 Olympic Games - Swimming - Men's 400 Meter Freestyle - Uwe Dassler GDR

The Olympic record was 3:50.91, set by West German Thomas Fahrner in winning the B final in Los Angeles. The standard in Seoul was so high that to qualify for the final, one had to better that record, the biggest casualty being 1986 World Champion and 1987 European runner-up, West German Rainer Henkel, who barely made the B final and elected not to contest that race. The high standard of qualifying set the stage for a dramatic final.
The current world record holder was Poland’s Artur Wojdat, who trained in the USA and had swum 3:48.38 earlier in 1988 at the US Nationals. In the final the early leader was Sweden’s Anders Holmertz followed by American Matt Cetlinski, the 1987 Pan Pacific champion. Cetlinski took the lead at 300 metres, followed by Wojdat and Holmertz, with East German Uwe Daßler] in fourth, and Australian Duncan Armstrong, already the winner of the 200 free in Seoul, moving up slightly, but still in seventh. Cetlinski continued to lead at 350 but he was dying, and Wojdat and Daßler moved ahead on the final lap. Armstrong, who swam the final 100 in 55.02, finished very quickly and moved up to the silver medal, passing Wojdat. But he could not catch Daßler, who finished in 55.55 for gold, as Cetlinski dropped off the podium to fourth.
Daßler finished in 3:46.95 to break Wojdat’s world record. But Wojdat also bettered it in third, with 3:47.34, as did Armstrong in second with 3:47.15, and it took a world record time just to get on the podium. Wojdat called it “The Race of the Century,” which was echoed by Terry Stoddard, his Mission Viejo coach, who said “Yes, definitely. It was the greatest race in history.”

[@sofiastrauss6156]

Sorry 35 years ago fantastic memories by Sophia Strauss composer ♥️🇵🇹🇩🇪😘😚

[@bukurie6861]

Men's 400 M Freestyle Uwe Dassler GDR.BRAVO You are Best.Fast faster and you have the Win!Go go go Gold Medal🌠🌟🌠🌟🌠🌟🌠🌟🌠🌟🏊🏊🏊🏊🏊🏊🏊🌠🌟!

[@thripples1]

What a race!

[@anesdj4282]

Wojdat great middle distance swimmer he was

[@JonnyTainment]

To think, you had to break the original Olympic record just to qualify for the final. You had to finish in a time faster than the pre-Olympic World record just to even win as much as a bronze!

[@sofiastrauss6156]

❤35 trará ago fantastic memories by Sophia Strauss composer ♥️🇵🇹🇩🇪

[@user-yz9ff3gb3j]

Даслер - стиль богомола! Как он вообще плывет то!?

[@waldemarwojtania553]

Pozdrowienia dla Artura

[@yelyto__4476]

💕💕💕💕💕

[@szymon6207]

Mamy brąz polaka !

[@Fuzcapp]

great race. I suppose Duncan Armstrong surfed (drafted) that one as well? Whingeing yanks.

[@ZAHIDthebestTPM]

Miss brief sexy swimwear so much, nowadays swimwear so boring

[@BuBil71]

Terrible reporter. Aweful reporters. Respect Uwe...

[@Parker528]

I really agree with you on this. I have respect for John just based on his obvious technical expertise and knowledge, as well as Olympic level experience based on his success of 5 medals at montreal. I VHS taped every race from these Games, and almost constantly Don Criqui was making either subtle or outright obvious mistakes. One of the more embarrassing ones, and this could be said for both of them,. was in the final of the mens 200back, and Don mistakes a West German entrant, I believe Hoffmeister, as a "former East German who defected several years ago and now swims for West Germany" (I am just paraphrasing those words), when the East German defector, was in fact a VERY prolific former IM world record holder- Jens-Peter Berndt, but also was a West German entrant in the 200 back but did not make the A final. I think overall, the best commentating the these two did together for swimming was the 400 free for women. Don Criqui and John were on top of their game for that swim. Ironically, THAT race I cannot find, as called by the NBC commentators, anywhere here on youtube......westnyacktwins do you have it on here somewhere and I just cannot locate it? because my VCR players are LOOONG dead!

[@westnyacktwins]

Parker528 the IOC has blocked that race due to copyright. I had posted every swimming final from ‘88, except the women’s 200 IM which NBC did not air.

[@Parker528]

@@westnyacktwins oh wow

[@Parker528]

Just a minor editorial correction. Artur's WR coming into these games was 3:47.38 not 3:48, which he did swim in Orlando on 3/25/88 at the US Indoor Nationals, obviously held long course being that it was an Olympic Year.

[@sharonbooth5604]

uwe dassler was on steroids

[@gaelgarciabernal2434]

Sharon, you are proof that ignorance is bliss. Speculation shows your lack of character.

[@leifkunzel9843]

The same as any other in this race.

[@rakeshsaha566]

If test have been made on due course many american record holders might be tested positive.

[@SPEED4EVER100]

EVERY SINGLE EAST GERMAN ATHLETE WAS DOPING - this has been proven over and over by German documents - if Germans are good at one thing, they like to keep track !! Anybody thinking different promotes doping and steroid use of athletes !!

[@trn8061]

​@@rakeshsaha566like who?