Taylor said the news could have been weighing on Gyorffy's mind.

"If you are not expecting it in this big of a meet, it can throw you off," Taylor said.

Although her Harvard teammates could not be with Gyorffy in Sydney, they were with her in spirit, searching in vain for a television that showed her competing.

According to Taylor, who herself competed in the United States Olympic Trials, she and about 20 teammates went to the Crimson Sports Grille on Wednesday night, hoping to catch a satellite feed of the high jump from the Canadian Broadcasting Company. But the CBC did not show the event.

NBC did not show footage of Gyorffy either, though it aired taped highlights of the event yesterday morning.

Taylor said the team sent a care package--including a copy of "Notting Hill," one of Gyorffy's favorite movies--to her in Budapest before the games, but Taylor feared she did not receive it before she left for Sydney on Sept. 15.

Gyorffy spent the summer competing on the European track circuit, which pitted her against many of the same athletes she saw at the Olympics. According to Turner, she finished as high as fourth and consistently in sixth or seventh place in meets from Portugal to Norway. She also won the Hungarian national championships.