Greatest Olympians

Bolt threatens 200m record as Jamaicans enjoy sudden domination of Olympic sprints

2008-08-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

JAMAICA'S new-found sprinting supremacy was confirmed here in Beijing last night when Shelly-Ann Fraser claimed the country's first Olympic women's 100 metres gold medal and led compatriots Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart to the event's first national podium sweep.

This came a day after compatriot Usain Bolt had smashed the world record to give his country a first-ever gold in the men's 100m, a final which also contained three Jamaicans.

The success story goes further. There are three Jamaicans in the semi-finals of the women's 100m hurdles, and another two in the semi-finals of the women's 400m hurdles. Two Jamaicans have reached the final of the men's 400m hurdles today, and two are into tomorrow's women's 400m final.

The results are remarkable, but it is the performance of Bolt which will continue to hog the headlines this week, as he goes for a double gold in the 200m. As he side-stepped his way into the record books here in the Birds Nest stadium on Saturday, he rewrote the limits of human capability. A time of 9.69sec barely told the whole story. After all, it is only 0.03 off his old mark, but it was the extravagant Hollywood manner he achieved it with. Had he not slowed up in the final ten metres, he could have gone under 9.60 seconds.

The 1.96m giant reduced the seven other fastest men in the world to extras in a dance routine as he turned sideways on to the stands and pranced across the line. The question now being asked is what the 21-year-old Jamaican can do to the record in the 200m, an event that he sees as his main discipline.

Because he had his back to the clock he was unaware of the enormity of what he had achieved until he had completed his lap of honour. From the press benches, though, there were gasps of astonishment and even nervous laughter. It did not seem possible. The feat it most closely resembled was Bob Beamon's leap into the future when he bounced out to an 8.90m long jump in Mexico.

The show – because that was what it most resembled – started before the gun went. Normally a time of enormous tension as eight men face the greatest challenge of their sporting lives, Bolt introduced the mood he wished to establish by winking at the camera, then pulling faces before shooting imaginary arrows into the night sky. The crowd, mostly Chinese – there are fewer foreigners here than at any Games of the modern era – are not used to top flight athletics and tend to raucously applaud even modest qualifying attempts. In Bolt's case, they duly roared their approval.

Attention now turns to the 200m which starts today and the question being asked is whether Bolt is going to do to the 200m record what he has already inflicted on the 100m. The phenomenal time of 19.32 was set by American Michael Johnson at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and so far Bolt got his time down to 19.67 in Athens a month ago. But Bolt himself has already scotched any hopes of a repeat performance, saying: "I'm not bothered about world records, I've got plenty of time for world records in the future."

There is of course a cynical explanation for that comment. Bolt has already wasted a $250,000 pay-day on Beijing when he could have scooped the jackpot at a Golden League meeting. Why be so profligate a second time? After Beijing comes Zurich where the riches on offer are the highest in the sport.

And then there is the question of the record itself. Bolt was trying hard in Athens, but he was still around three metres off Johnson's clocking.

As well as revising records, Bolt has changed the perception of what a sprinter should be. While Johnson was a more conventional compact size, Bolt is outsize in every sense. When both he and compatriot Asafa Powell came off the track through the mixed zone, the normally powerful Powell was made to look diminutive by the younger man.

While Johnson's stride was short and choppy, his body stiff and upright, Bolt is loose-limbed and rangy, eating up the ground with alarming ease. Even when he stopped racing in the 100m, his stride actually lengthened.

Silver medallist, Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago, summed up the effect of trying to pursue Bolt in full flow: "I could feel myself pulling away from the rest (of the field] and I could see him slowing down, but I'm still pumping to the line."

And that is likely to be the fate of the 200m finalists when they round the bend on Wednesday. Nothing, of course, is writ in stone, but Bolt is as big a favourite as Johnson was.

Michael Phelps Career Highlights

2008-08-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Career Highlights:

1985

Michael Phelps was born on June 30, 1985 to Debbie and Fred Phelps. He has two sisters, Whitney and Hillary.

1992

At age seven, he began swimming. His sister Whitney was also a swimmer and was a member of the 1994 World Championship Team.

2000

Placed 5^th in 2000 Olympic Games for 200m butterfly (1:56.50)

2001

First Place and broke world record for 200m butterfly (1:54.58) at LC World Championships

2002

Three first place and two second place finishes at Pan Pacs (1^st place in 200m individual medley relay (1:59.70), 400m medley relay (4:12.48), 4x100m medley relay (3:33.48) [world record] and 2^nd place in 200m butterfly (1:55.41), 4x200 free relay (7:11.81)

2003

Three first place and two second place finishes at the LC World Championships, including breaking five world records at the meet (1^st place in 200m butterfly (1:54.35), 200m individual medley (1:56.04) [world record], 400m individual medley (4:09.09) [world record] and 2^nd place in 100 m butterfly (51.10), 4x200 free relay (7:10.26). He was the first person to win in three different strokes in one national championship. [Note: his other three world records were achieved during the semi-final rounds]
Awarded the Sullivan Award (given to the top amateur athlete)
He graduated from Towson High School in Towson, Maryland (a suburb of Baltimore).

2004

The first American to win eight medals (6 gold, 2 bronze) in one Olympiad [Note: Mark Spitz won 7, although they were all Gold.]. He was also the first swimmer to ever qualify for six individual events at one Olympiad.

Gold Medals: 100m butterfly (51.25), 200m butterfly (1:54:.04), 200 m individual medley (1:57.14), 400 m individual medley (4:08.26), 4x200m free relay (7:07.33)
Bronze Medals: 200m free relay (1:45.32) and 4x100m free relay (3:14.62)

First place at SC World Championships for 200m free relay (1:43:59)
Began attending classes at the University of Michigan.

2005

Four first place finishes at the American Short Course Championships: 200 yd freestyle (1:32:08); 400 yd IM (3:42.74); 100 yard Freestyle (00:42.53); and 200 yard IM (1:42.78), a second place finish in the 4x100 free relay (2:57:49) and a third place finish in the 200 yd breaststroke (1:58:31).
At the 2005 World Championship Trials he placed first in all five competitions: 400 Freestyle (3:47.79); 200 Freestyle (1:46.44); 100 Butterfly (51.34); 100 Freestyle (49.00); and 200 IM (1:57.4).
He followed this up with a clean sweep at the Stanford University Invitational Grand Prix finishing first in all six events: 100 Back (54.92); 400 IM (4:17.06); 400 Free (3:51.94); 200 Back (1:59.94); 200 Fly (1:57.31); 100 Free (49.82).
For the World Championships in Montreal, Canada (from July 17^th to the 31^st), Michael Phelps won five gold and one silver medal (this includes three golds for the relay).

2006

Placed in first in five events at the Pan Pacific Championships (four being World Records): 200 m butterfly, 200 m individual medley, 400 m individual medley, 4x100 m freestyle relay, 4x200 m freestyle relay

2007

Seven Gold medals at the 2007 World Championships: 200 m freestyle (1:43.86 - World Record); 100 m butterfly (50.77); 200 m butterfly (1:52:09 - World Record); 200 m individual medley (1:54.98 - World Record); 400 m individual medley (4:06.22 - World Record); 4x100 m freestyle relay (2:12.72); 4x200 m freestyle relay (7:03.24 - World Record)

2008

Can you say GOLD? Phelps has become the only person to win 8 Gold Medals in a single Olympic game to break Mark Spitz record of 7 Gold medals (while setting a world record in each event except the 100 m butterfly) in the following events: 400 m individual medley (4:03.84); 4x100 m freestyle relay (3:08.24); 200 m freestyle (1:42.96); 200 m butterfly (1:52.03); 4x200 m freestyle relay (6:58.56); 200 m individual relay (1:54.23); 100 m butterfly (50.58); and 4x100 m medley relay (3:29.32)

Michael Phelps interviewed by Bob Costas

2008-08-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

BOB COSTAS INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL PHELPS:

Costas: In case you're not aware, Mr. and Mrs. America, I'd like to introduce you to Michael Phelps. He's a pretty good swimmer. He's had a pretty good Olympic Games. You don't even appear winded. You did exactly and fully what you came here to do. We got the immediate reaction with Andrea Kremer afterwards. A few more minutes for it to sink in, any perspective at all?

Phelps: (Pause) No.

Costas: (Laughter) There it is.

Phelps: I'm still at a loss for words. This was everything that I wanted to do, and everything I dreamed of. And, it's an amazing feeling. I do want to say that it wouldn't have been possible without the help from my teammates. They were a huge help to my success.

Costas: Let's tick them off here. As in, not make them angry, we don't want to tick them off, we want to tick off their names here. In the 4x100 free, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and of course Jason Lezak with the epic last leg. In the 4x200 free, Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens and Peter Vanderkaay, and just now Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Lezak again, that's three of the eight.

Phelps: I guess starting off from the 400 free relay, you guys saw our reaction and how emotional and excited we were. And then the 800 free, we wanted to break seven minutes, and we went out and broke seven minutes. Tonight we wanted to end on a good note. Those relays are ours. The 400 medley relay is ours, and we wanted to keep it in our country, and we wanted to keep the world record. It was a good race. We went out there, and we put four swims and broke the world record and had one of the best times we've had all week.

Costas: You're aware, I guess, because Andrea mentioned it to you and we showed it for a moment earlier, that in your hometown of Baltimore where the Ravens played a preseason game tonight against the Vikings, the fans stayed around after the game ended. They showed it on the big screen and they went nuts.

Phelps: I was actually talking about that with my teammates this morning, with Peirsol and Brendan and Lezak this morning. I was like, this is going to be live at Ravens Stadium after the game. Almost 70,000 people screaming. It's cool. I'm excited to go home. I can't wait to see a football game. That's one of the biggest things I'm looking forward to when I get home.

Costas: Ian Thorpe was in the house. You're a bit like Michael Jordan in this respect. Jordan would extract motivation from any situation. He would even somehow identify a perceived slight from an intended complement. So, whether it's Thorpe or it's Cavic or whether it was Alain Bernard earlier, if it's there, if it's something real or imaginary that can get under your skin, you'll use it.

Phelps: Oh yeah. I said yesterday I welcome any comments. All they do is fire me up, and all they do for America is fire us up. Before the relay we were fired up, and that made just made us more fired up and fueled us even more to get ready to swim. I always welcome it, and I love when people say that somebody can't do something because you want to go out there and prove it that much more.

Costas: It was actually reasonable what Thorpe said, because if I've got it right, he wasn't so much saying it's impossible. He was saying it's highly unlikely because there are so many variables including the three that are relay events.

Phelps: I guess everything had to go perfect. We had to have a great last leg in the 4x100 free. I had to win by 0.01 in the 100 fly. It's a little bit of everything. Everything had to fall perfectly into place, and I was able to have probably the best week of my life.

Costas: Somebody told me about an hour ago that this week on facebook...

Phelps: Oh my gosh, it's crazy.

Costas: You've gone by Michael Jordan, Manchester United, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. But it doesn't stop there. You've gone by the Jonas Brothers, you've gone by Miley Cirus you've gone by Justin Timberlake. You swept the board.

Phelps: I checked it one day and I checked it two days later, and I had like 2,800 in one day, and then I went back on two days later and had like 7,600 friend requests. I can't accept anymore, but I have those sitting in my box.

Costas: And of course, you consider them all close personal friends, and you'll respond to them all in due time.

Phelps: Of course, of course.

Costas: Also, you got Will Smith by the way. You moved past Will Smith, at least for the time being.

Phelps: It's cool. I'm having fun. That's all I've wanted to do.

More Interviews .......................... Michael Phelps Diet
Michael Phelps Profile ..................More on Michael Phelps

Interview with Michael Phelps on WXII 12 NBC at 6.30 pm

2008-08-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night during its primetime Olympic broadcast, NBC will air an in-studio interview with Michael Phelps, his coach Bob Bowman and, in the last of the three segments, his mom, Debbie Phelps.

Michael Phelps and Bowman will discuss and analyze the most memorable moments of Michael Phelps' historic eight gold medals in Beijing and the strategy and preparation that led to his historic accomplishment.

They will also take a look at Michael Phelps' swimming future.

Then, Michael Phelps and his mom will discuss his childhood and the motivations that prepared him to become the greatest Olympic swimmer in history.Tune in to WXII 12 NBC at 6:30 p.m. to watch the interview.

Chris Hoy seals victory to become Scotland’s greatest Olympian

2008-08-17T08:06:00.001-07:00

Hero cyclist wins his second gold to set new record at the Games

Scotland basked in Olympic glory last night after the cyclist Chris Hoy won his second gold medal in Beijing.

Hoy, 32, from Edinburgh, powered to victory in the men’s keirin event just ahead of his Scots teammate, Ross Edgar, who won silver.

The win brought Hoy’s Olympic gold medal tally to three, making him Scotland’s greatest Olympian. He is now on course to become the first Briton to come away from a single Games with three golds, if he can win the men’s sprint event later this week.

Commenting on his record-breaking medal tally, Hoy said: “You don’t think about these things. When you get to the start line, you’re not thinking about the podium, medals, nothing — it’s just about the process. It’s about the event.”

PROFILE: Michael Phelps

2008-08-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

The greatest Olympian of all swam for his eighth Beijing gold today, but on dry land the US hero seems out of his depth

For all the vaunted anatomical advantages that have propelled Michael Phelps in his bid to become the greatest Olympian of all time at the Beijing Games today, one curious statistic has gone largely unremarked. Out of water, the 23-year-old American had until recently one of the most fragile bodies ever recorded of any professional swimmer.

Although an all-round athlete at school, Phelps evolved by entirely aquatic means into the Baltimore Bullet who smashed world records, bypassing the regimen of weight training and running that most swimmers adopt. The result was that his highly flexible ankles and knees might have buckled under the strain of returning to the lacrosse field.

“On land, he’s one of the weakest swimmers we’ve ever measured,” said Genadijus Sokolovas, director of physiology for USA Swimming, the national governing body of competitive swimming, when Phelps was the sensation of the Athens Olympics in 2004.

One of the benefits of Phelps’s decision to begin weight training for last year’s world championships is that he risks little injury by hoisting his 13 Olympic gold medals - more bling than any athlete in the modern era - including seven won so far in Beijing. Having equalled his compatriot Mark Spitz’s record gold tally in a single Games, set in 1972, Phelps is on course to join the Olympian immortals by achieving the so-called “great eight” in today’s 4x100m medley relay.

Massacring world records in an effortless and imperious manner, his long strokes apparently slower than those of rivals thrashing in his wake, Phelps has challenged the hyperbole of sports writers. “Phelps can manipulate water like no human since Moses,” wrote one. “Phelps does not need testing for drugs but an outboard motor,” marvelled another.

Full Story

Torres defeated in bid to become oldest Olympian

2008-08-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Britta Steffen of Germany has defeated 41-year-old Dara Torres by 0.01 seconds to win the women's 50-meter freestyle at the Beijing Olympics.

Steffen touched in 24.06 seconds Sunday, bettering the Olympic record of 24.13 by Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands set eight years ago in Sydney. Steffen also won the 100 free.

Torres earned the silver in 24.07 for her 11th career medal in her fifth Olympics, a record for an American swimmer.

Cate Campbell, a 16-year-old Australian, took the bronze in 24.17.

Libby Trickett, the 100 silver medallist, was fourth in 24.25.

Source - Associated Press

%3Cbody%20style%3D%22margin%3A0%22%3E%3Cdiv%20id%3D%22adDiv%22%3E%3Ch5%20align%3D%22center%22%3EAdvertisement%3C/h5%3E%3Cscript%3E%0D%0Avar%20gfEbInIframe%20%3D%20false%3B%0D%0Avar%20inDapIF%20%3D%20true%3B%0D%0Avar%20gstrEbIframeLocation%20%3D%20%22http%3A//nzherald.co.nz/eyeblaster/addineyeV2.html%22%3B%0D%0Avar%20gnEbMinZIndex%20%3D%2010000%3B%0D%0Avar%20gEbBAd%20%3D%20new%20Object%28%29%3B%0D%0AgEbBAd.nFlightID%20%3D%20550286%3B%0D%0AgEbBAd.nWidth%20%3D%20300%3B%0D%0AgEbBAd.nHeight%20%3D%20250%3B%0D%0Avar%20gEbInteractions%3D%27%5B%27+escape%28%27_eyeblaster%27%29+%27%2C%27+escape%28%27http%3A//ads.apn.co.nz/accipiter/adclick/CID%3D00002424a9c7017200000000/aamsz%3D300X250/acc_random%3D76996798008/pageid%3D96535443/site%3DNZH/area%3DSEC.SPORT.STY/keyword%3Dtorres%20defeated%20bid%20become%20oldest%20olympian%20beijing%20britta%20steffen%20germany%20year%20old%20dara%20seconds%20win%20women%20meter%20freestyle%20beijing%20olympics%20steffen%20touched%20seconds%20sunday%20bettering%20olympic%20record%20inge%20de%20bruijn%20netherlands%20set%20eight%20years/relocate%3D%27%29+%27%2C%27+%27%5D%27%3B%0D%0Avar%20gstrEbRandnum%20%3D%20new%20String%28Math.random%28%29%29%3B%0D%0AgstrEbRandnum%20%3D%20gstrEbRandnum.substring%28gstrEbRandnum.indexOf%28%22.%22%29+1%20%2C%20gstrEbRandnum.length%29%3B%0D%0AgEbBAd.strNonSupported%20%3D%20%22http%3A//bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/NonSupportedBanner.asp%3FFlightID%3D550286%26Page%3D%26PluID%3D0%26Width%3D300%26Height%3D250%26Pos%3D%22%20+%20gstrEbRandnum%20+%20%22%26ebSiteClick%3D%22+escape%28%27http%3A//ads.apn.co.nz/accipiter/adclick/CID%3D00002424a9c7017200000000/aamsz%3D300X250/acc_random%3D76996798008/pageid%3D96535443/site%3DNZH/area%3DSEC.SPORT.STY/keyword%3Dtorres%20defeated%20bid%20become%20oldest%20olympian%20beijing%20britta%20steffen%20germany%20year%20old%20dara%20seconds%20win%20women%20meter%20freestyle%20beijing%20olympics%20steffen%20touched%20seconds%20sunday%20bettering%20olympic%20record%20inge%20de%20bruijn%20netherlands%20set%20eight%20years/relocate%3D%27%29%3B%0D%0A%3C/script%3E%0D%0A%3Cscript%20src%3D%22http%3A//ds.serving-sys.com/BurstingScript/ebBannerServing_550286.js%22%3E%3C/script%3E%0D%0A%3Cnoscript%3E%0D%0A%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A//ads.apn.co.nz/accipiter/adclick/CID%3D00002424a9c7017200000000/aamsz%3D300X250/acc_random%3D76996798008/pageid%3D96535443/site%3DNZH/area%3DSEC.SPORT.STY/keyword%3Dtorres%20defeated%20bid%20become%20oldest%20olympian%20beijing%20britta%20steffen%20germany%20year%20old%20dara%20seconds%20win%20women%20meter%20freestyle%20beijing%20olympics%20steffen%20touched%20seconds%20sunday%20bettering%20olympic%20record%20inge%20de%20bruijn%20netherlands%20set%20eight%20years/relocate%3Dhttp%253A//bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/BannerRedirect.asp%253FFlightID%253D550286%2526Page%253D%2526PluID%253D0%2526Pos%253D76996798008%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3E%0D%0A%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/BannerSource.asp%3FFlightID%3D550286%26Page%3D%26PluID%3D0%26Pos%3D76996798008%22%20border%3D0%20width%3D300%20height%3D250%3E%3C/a%3E%0D%0A%3C/noscript%3E%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%3Ch5%20align%3D%22center%22%3EAdvertisement%3C/h5%3E%3C/div%3E

Determination is the Key

2008-08-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

Did you know Gold Medalist Gary Hall was diagnosed with with TYPE 1 diabetes in 1999. But defied all odds by winning his first individual gold in the 50 freestyle in Sydney in 2000. In 2004 in Athens he became, at 29 years old, the oldest male in 80 years to win gold for the U.S. team.

Phelps sparks renewed interest in swim classes

2008-08-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Olympic fans are still talking about it. Michael Phelps and the rest of the U.S. swim team breaking records, and making history in some of the most exciting races ever seen. So, what impact does the team's success have on the sport of swimming? KHNL News explored Oahu to find out.

It was the comeback heard around the world. Jason Lezak does the impossible, rallying from behind to help the U.S. win the 4x100m freestyle relay, beating pre-race favorites France.

"I just saw swimmers swim very fast," said Daniel Remigio, a three-year-old swimmer.

"It was very cool and fun to watch," said Ivy Mach, who is 6 ½ years old.

And of course, one man continues to smash world record after record.

Full Story

Michael Phelps - Diet

2008-08-17T01:21:00.000-07:00

Michael Phelps diet decoded
Source BBC

Breakfast: Three fried egg sandwiches; cheese; tomatoes; lettuce; fried onions; mayonnaise; three chocolate-chip pancakes; five-egg omelette; three sugar-coated slices of French toast; bowl of grits; two cups of coffee

Lunch: Half-kilogramme (one pound) of enriched pasta; two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread; energy drinks

Dinner: Half-kilogramme of pasta, with carbonara sauce; large pizza; energy drinks

Golden one last time, but greatest Olympian ever?

2008-08-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

The last one was a gimme because the U.S. has never lost this Olympic relay and it seems Michael Phelps never loses.

Just in case, though, Phelps had his own personal closer, Jason Lezak, ready to pick up a save in a relay race that would stamp his teammate as the most golden of all Olympians.

It hardly proved necessary because Phelps did the heavy lifting himself this time, swimming past an Australian and a Japanese in the butterfly to hand Lezak a lead he wasn't about to lose. The only thing left was to celebrate and break out a calculator to add up the medal haul.

Medals don't lie and Phelps now has an astonishing 14 golds in his career, five more than any Olympian ever. His eight this year alone is just one shy of the most any other Olympian has won total.

Full Story

British best shines on a golden day in China

2008-08-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

Four golds, a silver and a bronze gave Team GB its biggest medal haul in a single day for 100 years - with only the weather stopping them winning more. On the water, in the water and on two wheels, Britain's supremacy will now lead to even greater funding to ensure the highest possible tally in 2012.

Full Story

Mighty Jang is planet's strongest woman in Olympics

2008-08-16T22:50:00.001-07:00

South Korea's Jang Miran was crowned the strongest woman on the planet on Saturday when she won +75kg weightlifting gold, breaking three world records on the way.

World champion Jang, a silver medallist in Athens four years ago, started with a new snatch world record of 140kg, breaking the previous mark of China's Mu Shuangshuang by a kilogram.

The 24-year-old then raised the clean and jerk record to 186kg, four kg more than the old record held by China's Tang Gonghong, for a new record total of 326kg, compared to Mu's former record best of 319kg.

Full Story

China knocking the world off its feet

2008-08-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

From boxing and swimming to fencing and archery, Chinese breakthroughs are turning the Olympics on its ear

BEIJING -- In the glamour division of boxing, where the giants duke it out, the possibility of a Chinese super heavyweight champion is as unexpected as the astonishing rise of basketball superstar Yao Ming a few years ago.

The behemoth named Zhang Zhilei - known to the Chinese as "the iron-fisted prince" - might not win a gold medal, but he has already entered the quarterfinals, making him one of a surprising seven Chinese boxers to advance from their first bouts this week.

At 6 foot 7 and 265 pounds, Mr. Zhang towered over his Moroccan opponent, crushing him by a score of 15-0 while thousands of Chinese fans screamed their approval. Even legendary promoter Don King announced this week that China is the next up-and-coming power in the boxing world.

Full Story

Bolt breaks own world record in 100 meter final

2008-08-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

BEIJING -- Midway through the men's 100-meter final, Usain Bolt turned the race into a one-man show. After stumbling slightly as he left the starting blocks, Bolt cleared the field at the 50-meter mark with his long, powerful strides and finished in a world-record 9.69 seconds.

But Bolt started his celebration 20 meters before the finish. He looked left and right to gauge his lead, which was sizable. Then he extended his arms to the side, the kind of gesture usually seen only after sprinters cross the line.

Approaching the finish, Bolt pounded his heart. He wanted to enjoy his win rather than obliterate the world record he set May 31. His victory lap included dancing and blowing kisses to a stunned crowd of 90,000 at the National Stadium.

Full Story

Mission accomplished: Phelps earns eighth gold in medley relay

2008-08-16T22:34:00.001-07:00

Cheering from the pool deck, Michael Phelps won his record eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games on Sunday to become the grandest of Olympic champions.

Jason Lezak held on to the lead Phelps gave him, anchoring the United States to a world record in the 400-meter medley relay against an Australian team that did its best to spoil history.

But Phelps, with a big hand from three teammates, would not be denied. He eclipsed Mark Spitz's seven-gold performance at the 1972 Munich Games, an iconic performance that was surpassed by a swimmer fitting of this generation: a 23-year-old from Baltimore who loves hip-hop music, texting with his buddies and wearing his cap backward.

Full Story

More on Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps: touching history : The peerless American with the golden touch continues to astound us.

Athletes who missed the cut keep eye on future Olympics

2008-08-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

The running track is mostly empty. Same with the weight room. No one is rounding the bases on the softball field or swinging sticks in the field hockey area.

Most of the athletes who train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista are in Beijing, competing in the world's most glamorous sporting event.

But a few remain, still training, still dreaming.

Full Story

Where are Olympians Made

2008-08-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Here is further proof of Orange County’s awesomeness: 47 of the 596 athletes on the US Olympic team are from Orange County. Mission Viejo in particular (the greatest city in the greatest county ever) has a proud history of producing some of the greatest swimmers and divers through the Mission Viejo Nadadores, one of the country’s largest swimming and diving clubs. Some notable Nadador olympians include diver Greg Louganis, Larsen Jensen, and Dara Torres.

Honoring Orange County’s Olympic connection is this video of the 2008 Mission Viejo Invitational at the Nadadores aquatic center. There aren’t any olympians in this video, but you get to see the inside of the place where gold medalists are made.

Source