East Germany, led by Ramona Neubert and Sybille Thiele, were favorites in Sofia, while Bulgaria and the USSR provided strong competition despite key absences.
The Decathlon's nice in that you get to know the other athletes. It's almost like everyone helps each other out. We're all out there trying to win, but at the same time there's a friendship there too. It's always fun going to meets and catching up with the other guys - Tom Pappas