"I had my hands above my head," Thompson says. "I was screaming and crying. When I found my parents in the crowd, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I turned and hugged my teammates."

The day of the race came, but it did not bring good fortune. The U.S. boat finished in sixth place behind East Germany, Romania, China, Russia and Bulgaria.

"I've been so busy that I haven't been able to analyze what happened," Thompson says.

Thompson learned a lesson about hard work. "We believe that if we work hard we'll get what we want, but that's not always true," Thompson says.

After the race, Thompson's world turned further inside-out. Her sister, Harvard freshman Jessica Thompson, who was in Seoul, became extremely sick and needed emergency surgery.

Her sister's illness caused Thompson to re-evaluate the importance of winning and the importance of family. "I learned that my family is most important and that my sister my best friend," she notes.

The rest of Thompson's stay in Seoul was spent "dancing by night and nursing by day." She also got a chance to explore Seoul. "The city is brand new, different from any American city," Thompson notes. "The Koreans were friendly, but, as a people, not very spontaneous," she adds.

Thompson expresses regret for the bad press the Koreans received in America. "The Koreans did an excellent job," she says. "It was tough for Americans because there was so much security and it was so limiting."

Of the 165 countries that exist in the world, 161 came to Seoul. "The Olympics accomplished more than the United Natioins does," Thompson says. "It says something about the citizens of the countries."

The circle of Thompson's Olympic experience is completed by the people with whom she rowed. "I will always know and care about where they are," says Thompson, who was the only team member still in college.

"Rowing establishes a link with people that is very uncommon in sports and other arenas in life," Thompson notes.