Atlanta Games Muhammad Ali lights the cauldron at the start of the Centennial Games. 179 nations participate; 79 win medals. A pipe bomb in Centennial Olympic Park kills one person and injures 111, but the Games go on. America's Michael Johnson wins both the 200m and 400m races; France's Marie-José Perec does the same. Carl Lewis gets his ninth gold medal by winning the long jump. Amy Van Dyken of the U.S. wins four gold medals in swimming, while Ireland's Michelle Smith wins three golds and a bronze. Smith is accused of using performance-enhancing drugs; this remains unproven, but she is suspended in 1998 for tampering with a urine sample. The American women's teams win the first-ever softball and women's soccer events. They also win gymnastics, with the help of Kerri Strug, who nails her second vault despite a sprained ankle. The United States returns to the top of the standings, followed by Russia and Germany.
