1992
A couple of unsurprising losses are compensated with a handful of new republics, and we have 31 participants: AUS, AUT, BEL, BLR, CAN, CHN, CZE, FIN, FRA, GBR, GER, HUN, IRE, ITA, JAP, KAZ, KOR, LAT, MGL, NED, NOR, NZL, POL, PRK, ROM, RUS, SWE, SWI, UKR, USA, YUG. Thus we need a preliminary round of 15 matches. The quarter-finalists from last year, CAN, USA, JAP, ITA, RUS (was URS), GER, AUT and NED, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is: ROM-RUS, POL-CHN, LAT-ITA, YUG-UKR, NZL-NOR, NED-BLR, MGL-AUT, SWI-GBR, AUS-BEL, HUN-PRK, FRA-KAZ, FIN-SWE, CZE-JAP, CAN-KOR, GER-IRE. The matches:
Romania-Russia 0-11
Poland-China 7-4
Latvia-Italy 0-11, but happily back
Yugoslavia-Ukraine 0-11, a dying nation greets a newborn one.
New Zealand-Norway 0-11
Netherlands-Belarus 9-2
Mongolia-Austria 0-11
Switzerland-Britain 9-2
Australia-Belgium 11-0
Hungary-North Korea 1-10
France-Kazakhstan 0-11
Finland-Sweden 2-9
Czechoslovakia-Japan 0-11
Canada-South Korea 11-0
Germany-Ireland 11-0
The first round proper then consists of: AUS, AUT, CAN, GER, ITA, JAP, KAZ, NED, NOR, POL, PRK, RUS, SWE, SWI, UKR, USA. The semi-finalists from last year, USA, NED, ITA and GER, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw: USA-SWI, GER-CAN, RUS-POL, NED-PRK, UKR-ITA, JAP-AUS, SWE-AUT, KAZ-NOR. The matches proceed as follows:
USA-Switzerland 11-0
Germany-Canada 7-4
Russia-Poland 10-1
Netherlands-North Korea 11-0
Ukraine-Italy 1-10
Japan-Australia 10-1
Sweden-Austria 3-8
Kazakhstan-Norway 6-5, and no Nordic country in the quarter-final
The quarter-final consists of: AUT, GER, ITA, JAP, KAZ, NED, RUS, USA. The finalists from last year, NED and GER, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is as follows: GER-ITA, NED-AUT, JAP-KAZ, RUS-USA. Results of the matches:
Germany-Italy 8-3
Netherlands-Austria 8-3
Japan-Kazakhstan 6-5
Russia-USA 5-6
Semi-final draw: USA-GER, NED-JAP. Matches:
USA-Germany 5-6
Netherlands-Japan 8-3
Bronze final: USA-Japan 5-6
FINAL: Germany-Netherlands
40,22- 40,62 (1-0) 1.20,83- 1.21,53 (2-0) 2.04,54- 2.06,37 (3-0) 4.17,41- 4.23,45 (4-0) 7.19,29- 7.26,63 (5-0) 36,43- 37,40 (6-0) 1.14,21- 1.14,70 (7-0) 1.52,71- 1.52,17 (7-1) 4.06,71- 3.56,16 (7-2) 6.52,97- 6.42,03 (7-3) 14.23,59-13.52,65 (7-4)
Final result 7-4, just like last year
Statistics:
NOR GOLD 46x URS GOLD 36x NED GOLD 8x FIN GOLD 4x SWE GOLD 2x GDR GOLD 2x GER GOLD 2x AUT Silver 5x JAP Silver 3x HUN Silver 2x USA Silver 2x CZE Silver 1955 CHN Silver 1965 CAN bronze 1897 LAT bronze 1940 GBR bronze 1949 PRK bronze 1963 ITA bronze 1991 SWI 4th 3x POL 4th 3x FRA 4th 2x DEN 4th 1912 BEL 4th 1946 KOR 4th 1982 EST QF 5x ROM QF 2x LIT QF 1927 AUS QF 1974 KAZ QF 1992 MGL 2R 1989 NZL 1R 7x YUG 1R 3x IRE 1R 3x POR 1R 2x ISV 1R 1972 GRE 1R 1989 ESP 1R 1989 UKR 1R 1992 ISR PR 5x RSA PR 4x ICE PR 2x COL PR 1933 HKG PR 1986 TPE PR 1986 BLR PR 1992