A Big Splash By The Mighty M�dchen

"The world championship is important, but I'm not trying to get revenge for the Olympics," DeMont kept insisting. "What happens in Belgrade has nothing to do with Munich."

Still affected by asthma and related allergies—he switched to an acceptable drug after Munich—DeMont was so bothered by the downy pillows in the Hotel Slavija that he got rid of them. Then DeMont disposed of Australia's Brad Cooper in the 400. Cooper had been runner-up to DeMont at Munich and he received the gold medal by default after the American's disqualification. In a virtual rerun of their Olympic race, DeMont allowed Cooper to stay out front most of the way, relying on an accelerated flourish at the end. Remaining roughly at Cooper's waist—"that drives the other guy crazy"—he made his move with 50 meters to go, overtaking the Australian with long, efficient strokes that looked almost as if they were being performed in slow motion.

At the finish DeMont was clocked in a world-record 3:58.18, Cooper in 3:58.70—the first swimmers to break four minutes in the event. When the two mounted the victory platform, photographers asked Cooper to hold up De-Mont's hand, but the American balked. "They think we're boxers," he complained. "It's ridiculous."

Cooper also swam in the 1,500, but DeMont's chief worry in that race was Holland. The previously unknown Holland burst into prominence last month in Brisbane when he lowered the 1,500 mark by more than 14 seconds to 15:37.8 (SI, Aug. 20). Outgoing, hyperactive and possessed of a squeaky voice only now starting to deepen, Holland kept busy in the Slavija, playing cards and working his yo-yo, which has become a craze again in Australia. One day, inspired by the sight of 16-year-old teammate Mark Tonelli preparing for his monthly shave, Holland applied a razor to the fuzz on his own upper lip. It was the first time he ever shaved, and the more experienced Tonelli said, "It took Steve a bit but he did a real good job."

Holland required scarcely more time to negotiate 1,500 meters at the Tasmajdan pool. Propelled by a quick thrashing stroke that contrasted vividly with DeMont's measured arm action, he stormed ahead at 500 meters and gradually built a lead too large for the American, playing his usual waiting game, to overcome. Holland traveled the first 800 meters in a world-record 8:16.27 and reached the 1,500 mark in 15:31.85, reducing his world record by six more seconds. DeMont's second-place 15:35.44 was almost 16 seconds faster than his own personal best. But matters did not end there. Failing to hear the horn signaling the final lap, Holland swam an extra 105 meters in what amounted to an involuntary victory lap. "I thought the race was over but I wasn't game to risk stopping," he said. DeMont followed along, but was no closer at 1,600 meters than he had been at 1,500.

"You silly cow, you've gone too many," Holland's coach, Laurie Lawrence, shouted in his ear when Holland was making his turn at the 1,600 point.

Holland later said he thought Lawrence had said, "You've got two to go," and continued for another five meters, or until he heard a great deal of screaming. The screams weren't coming from Holland's mother, who was muttering, "I can't take much more of this."

For all of Holland's world-beating exploits, it was the East German women who fashioned the meet's most dramatic breakthrough. At Munich the U.S. took eight gold medals in women's swimming and Australia five, while East Germany's haul consisted of four silvers and a bronze. The only legitimate GDR star was backstroker Roland Matthes, who last week seemed a venerable figure in the presence of all the fresh-faced GDR Wunderm�dchen. Now 22, and slimly handsome, with a gold tooth, prominent Adam's apple and a twinkle in his eye, Matthes lives in Erfurt, where he attends a branch of Leipzig's College of Physical Culture. He also plays the drums and tools about either on his motor scooter or in a car he borrows from his father, a structural engineer.

Unbeaten for an astonishing six years in the backstroke, Matthes coasted to victory in the 100 at Belgrade in 57.47, after which he lowered his world record in the 200 to 2:01.87. Then he slipped on the pool deck and twisted his left ankle, an injury that kept him out of the 100 butterfly. If Matthes resented all the attention given the GDR women, he had certainly shown no sign of it when the team arrived in Belgrade and found a crowd of photographers waiting at the airport. As Matthes lingered in the background, 14-year-old Kornelia Ender gave him a playful tug.

"Sei doch nicht so schlampig"—Don't be such a slowpoke—she scolded. With a sign, Matthes dutifully schlamped forward to greet the press.