Beijing Surprise

The US Olympic team may not have fared quite as well as they would have liked these Olympic games. Of course we have all heard about the track woes, the baseball team failed to win gold in our own sport and the US failed to win a single diving medal, a sport that was dominated by the Americans up until the 1980s. However despite the lows there were also some pleasant surprises from the Americans in Beijing.

We watched as 21 yr old Henry Cejduo, son of illgeal immigrant parents, took home the gold for the Americans in freestyle wrestling. Cejudo had only been wrestling at the international level for a very short time and shocked everyone by bringing home the gold.

We also got to see 19 year old swimmer Rebecca Soni become one of the best female swimmers in the World before our eyes. Athens breaststroke hero Amanda Beard faltered, failing to reach the finals, but the 19 yr old Soni took the opportunity to show that the women's swim team was pretty good too, winning a gold and two silvers for her country.

American hurdles sprinter Dawn Harper also very unexpectedly took home the gold in the womens 100 meter hurdles. Heavy favorite Lolo Jones, stumbled on the 2nd to last hurdle, but Harper made sure it was still an American Victory.

And of course there is the Men's gymnastics team. Considered a long shot to win any medals at all after Athens all-around champion Paul Hamm decided he was not healthy enough to compete. The Americans dazzled in the team competition, taking home a bronze medal and only just missing out on a silver. Team leader Jonothan Horton followed that up with a silver medal in the high bar event.


So, while the US team may not have been perfect during these games, they still have plenty to smile about. After all they are still highly likely to finish atop the medal table once again, with well over 100 medals. We are looking forward to an even better team in London, 4 years from now.

Welcome Back...

Most of the hype about the U.S. Swimming Team in Beijing has centered around Michael Phelps. Some would say this is deservedly the case as he has already taken Gold in World Record fashion in all 3 events he has competed in thus far. Unfortunately the fan fare surrounding Phelps has taken some of the spotlight away from his talented teammates. Most of you probably know that Phelps won his 3rd Gold medal on Monday night(early Tuesday morning Beijing time), but you may have missed his 4 talented teammates.

Aaron Piersol and Natalie Coughlin were both Olympic Champions in the 100M backstroke in Athens. Neither had looked dominant prior to Tuesday. Coughlin won her semifinal heat on Monday but struggled to swim in a direct line, even brushing against the lane barrier at times. Piersol finished just 3rd in his semifinal and looked to be laboring at times to even keep up with his top rivals. All that changed on Tuesday morning.

Coughlin came out strong in the Women's Final and led almost from start to finish. she seemed to run out of gas in the final 15 meters but her lead was so great that no one was able to run her down. She touched in 58.96 seconds to beat out Kirsty Conventry of Zimbabwe. Her teammate Margaret Hoelzer finished 3rd to take the Bronze. On the Men's side, Piersol was even more dominant as he raced to his 2nd consecutive Gold in World Record fashion. He touched in 52.54 seconds, over half a second ahead of his closest rival, teammate Matt Grevers, who took the Silver.

It was a dominating performance all-around for the back-strokers. 2 events, 2 Gold medals, 1 Silver medal, 1 Bronze medal and 1 World Record set in the process.

Welcome back... Welcome back indeed.

A Fencing Sweep.....

The United States Olympic team got on the medal table in a big way early Saturday morning. American Women swept the medals in the Women's individual sabre competition. Mariel Zagunis (pictured above) took home the gold medal for her country for the 2nd straight Olmypics, defeating fellow American Sada Jacobsen in the finals. Jacobsen who won the Bronze medal in Athens in 2004 had to settle for a silver to add to her collection. Becca Ward completed the sweep for the Americans winning the Bronze medal over Russian Sofia Velikaya. For now this puts the Americans atop the medal table, a place they hope to stay for the length of the Beijing games.

Beijing 2008: 6 names you'll know two weeks from now...

We all know about Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant and Jennie Finch. They have proven their talent before in front of the world, but who are the future American stars? Who are the athletes that will shine during these 2008 Olympics? Who will etch their names next to the likes of Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens? Here is a list of 6 American athletes competing in the Olmypics this year that you may not know, however in a couple weeks, we think you will.

#6 Ben Askren, Freestyle Wrestling
Askren (pictured right) is a talented wrestler, winning two NCAA titles for Missouri in the 174 lb division in 2006 and 2007. Askren will be competing in the 164 lb weight division here at Beijing. He has never competed in a big international event before, but he oozes talent and has the confidence to go alogn with it. "I'm going to win a gold medal" he told the AP.


#5 Thomas Finchum, Platform Diving Finchum was named the 2007 American Diver of the year after racking up numerous medals at international events, including a bronze at the 2007 world championships. Finchum is only 18 years old and is looking like Americas best hope for a gold medal in Men's diving.


#4 Kate Zeigler, Swimming
Zeigler (pictured left) is the American Swimming newcomer to watch. The 20 year old from Virginia will be swimming in the 400 and 800 meter freestyle events. She is a nedal favorite in both, especially the 800. She holds the world record in the 1500 free, however it is not an Olympic event.


#3 Lolo Jones, Track and Field
Jones is the next great American sprinter, following in a long line of US medal success. Jones is a 3 time NCAA champion in the 100 meter hurdles and will be making her Olympic debut in Beijing. She is considered a favorite to win the Gold medal.


#2 Shawn Johnson, Gymnastics
Gymnasitcs, America's favorite Olmypic sport...... every 4 years a new hero is made, just ask Keri Strug, Paul Hamm and Shannon Miller. So this year, who will be America's sweetheart? Our guess is Shawn Johnson (pictured right), the talented young gymnast is considered a heavy favorite for the womens all-around gold medal.


#1 Tyson Gay, Track and Field
Who will be the fastest man in the world? That may depend on the health of Tyson Gay. The world-class American sprinter is battling a leg injury. however the sprinter says that won't keep him out of his first Olympics. The defending world champ will be the favorite in the 100 meters if he can get healthy on time.