London Olympics 2012: Day 8

Day eight belonged to the eight fastest women in the world who sprinted in one of the premier track & field events, the 100 meter. Camelita Jeter of the U.S. was a favorite in this event from the time she made the team, and she performed at her season best; although, it wasn't enough to beat defending champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce from Jamaica. After the race, Jeter who just about glowed throughout heats, semifinals, and finals, said she hoped that she made us proud. I just want to say that she more than made us proud; she represented our country in such a strong, confident, graceful, and beautiful way. Seeing all these athletic and determined women made me so proud, it literally took my breath away watching them.

Women's 100m

1. Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce Jamaica 10.75
2. Carmelita Jeter U.S.A. 10.78 SB
3. Veronica Campbell Brown Jamaica 10.81 SB
4. Tianna Madison U.S.A. 10.85 PB
5. Allyson Felix U.S.A. 10.89 PB
6. Kelly Ann Baptiste Trinidad & Tobago
7. Murielle Ahoure Ivory Coast 11.00
8. Blessing Okagbare Nigeria 11.01

SB= Season Best
PB= Personal Best

* Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings moved on to the round of 16 in the beach volleyball tournament on day right. *

Kromowidjojo made it two for two in London winning gold in both her individual events: the 100 meter free and then the 50 meter, and along with the win in the 50, an Olympic record.

Women's 50m Freestyle

rank lane
1      4     Ranomi Kromowidjojo Netherlands 24.05 OR
2      5     Aliaksandra Herasimenia Belarus 24.28
3      3     Marleen Veldhuis Netherlands 24.39
4      6     Britta Steffen Germany 24.46
5      2     Francesca Halsall Great Britain 24.47
6      8     Therese Alshammar Sweden 24.61
7      1     Jessica Hardy U.S.A. 24.62
8      7     Arianna Vanderpool Wallace Bahamas 24.69

Yang Sun of China broke his own world record in the 1500 meter, and like Kromowidjojo, won his second gold medal at these Games. The U.S., a non factor in this race coming in in the sixth position.

Men's 1500m Freestyle

rank lane
1      4      Yang Sun China 14:31.02 WR
2      3      Ryan Cochrane Canada 14:39.63
3      5      Oussama Mellouli Tunisia 14:40.31
4      7      Taehwan Park Korea 14:50.61
5      6      Gregorio Paltrinieri Italy 14:51.92
6      1      Conor Jaeger U.S.A. 14:52.99
7      8      Mateusz Sawrymowicz Poland 14:54.32
8      2      Daniel Fogg Great Britain 15:00.76

Four women, all gold medalists in London, all added another gold medal to their repertoire in the women's 4x100 meter medley relay. Franklin won her fourth, Vollmer and Schmitt, won their third, and Soni her second. All four of them are fairly young and should be back in four years when the Rio Games take place. Swimming fans everywhere are already anticipating Franklin winning more medals and becoming the best female Olympian ever. It's inspiring to watch these young women all be so supportive of one another. I cannot wait to see them in Rio.

Women's 4x100m Medley Relay

rank lane
1     6      U.S.A. 3:52.05 WR
2     4      Australia 3:54.02
3     5      Japan 3:55.73
4     8      Russia 3:56.03
5     1      China 3:56.41
6     2      Netherlands 3:57.28
7     3      Denmark 3:57.76
8     7      Great Britain 3:59.46

He closed out his career with an 18th gold, grace, poise, confidence, and humility. Michael Phelps swam his final race and made even more history with the help of his teammates, Matt Grevers, Brendan Hansen, and Nathan Adrian.

Ryan Lochte spoke of how he would miss swimming against Phelps. Missy Franklin admired watching how beautiful Michael is when he swims and how much she will miss him. Allison Schmitt was able to train with Phelps and she's become a close friend; she felt inspired by Phelps and how dedicated he has been to the sport of swimming over all these years.

This night, August 4th, 2012, was truly the end of an era.

Men's 4x100m Medley Relay

rank lane
1      4     U.S.A. 3:29.35
2      3     Japan 3:31.26
3      6     Australia 3:31.58
4      5     Great Britain 3:32.32
5      1     Hungary 3:33.02
6      7     Germany 3:33.06
7      2     Netherlands 3:33.46
8      8     Canada 3:34.19

 

London Olympics 2012: Day 7

With only a few more races left in the aquatic center at this Games, the U.S. team really capitalized on some good opportunities for medals on Day 7 (Friday the 3rd for all those keeping track of the dates).

Michael Phelps picked up an 18th career gold, 17 year old Missy Franklin continued to impress picking up a third gold ahead of teammate Elizabeth Beisel who won bronze, 15 year old Katie Ledecky won her first gold medal, and judging by how she competed she'll be the future of U.S. swimming for year's to come. Cullen Jones, a staple on the men's relay teams won his first individual medal, a silver, proving he is one of the best sprinting swimmer on the circuit.

Only three days before, Chad le Clos beat Michael Phelps at the wall to capture gold in the 200m fly, an event that Phelps had won in Athens in '04 and in Beijing in '08. This, in a way, was Phelps' redemption; he poured it on in the last 50 meters looking like the Michael Phelps of old, the one we had grown so accustomed to seeing in Beijing. It was like he was in the pocket, in the zone, in the groove, he got his confidence back and it was overflowing. This was the second event (the first was the 200m im which he swam only the day before) in this Olympics in which Michael Phelps three-peated adding to the legend that is and will be.

Men's 100m Butterfly

rank lane
1      4     Michael Phelps U.S.A. 51.21
2      5     Chad le Clos South Africa 51.44
2      8     Evgeny Korotyshkin Russia 51.44
4      6     Milorad Cavic Serbia 51.81
4      7     Steffen Deibler Germany 51.81
6      2     Joeri Verlinden Netherlands 51.82
7      3     Tyler McGill U.S.A. 51.88
8      1     Konrad Czerniak Poland 52.05 

It's official; she's the best female backstroker in the world, Missy Franklin swept the backstroke winning the 200m as well and doing it in record time. Franklin swam it in 2:04.06 shattering the record previously held by Kirsty Coventry. Even Franklin's competitor and teammate Elizabeth Beisel could only have good words about Franklin's victory saying, "She’s an amazing competitor. She's always having fun but she really knows how to tune in when she needs to and I can’t congratulate her enough.”  

Women's 200m Backstroke

rank lane
1     5      Missy Franklin U.S.A. 2:04.06 WR
2     6      Anastasia Zueva Russia 2:05.92
3     4      Elizabeth Beisel U.S.A. 2:06.55
4     1      Elizabeth Simmonds Great Britain 2:07.26
5     3      Meagen Nay Australia 2:07.43
6     7      Kirsty Coventry Zimbabwae 2:08.18
7     2      Alexianne Castel France 2:08.43
8     8      Sinead Russell Canada 2:09.86

At 15, Katie Ledecky is the youngest member of the U.S. delegation in London, which also makes her the youngest U.S. gold medalist at these games. She impressively beat a seasoned field in the 800m free, the longest women's event in swimming. Teammate Michael Phelps gave Ledecky some advice in the ready room before her race, "'Have fun out there,’” Phelps said. “She went out there laid it all on the line. She looked like she went out and had some fun and won a gold medal and just missed the world record. I would say that’s a pretty good first Olympics for a 15-year-old.”  

Women's 800m Freestyle

rank lane
1     3      Katie Ledecky U.S.A. 8:14.63 AR
2     6      Mireia Belmonte Garcia Spain 8:18.76
3     4      Rebecca Adlington Great Britain 8:20.32
4     2      Lauren Boyle New Zealand 8:22.72
5     5      Lotte Friis Denmark 8:23.86
6     7      Boglarka Kapas Hungary 8:23.89
7     8      Coralie Balmy France 8:29.26
8     1      Andreina Pinto Perez Venezuela 8:29.28

Also know as the "splash and dash," the 50m determines the fastest man in the pool, it requires a great amount of focus and discipline, it requires a great start and a great finish. One of Brazil's most popular athletes Cesar Cielo was the favorite coming into this events. Cullen Jones, of team U.S.A. is probably the best swimmer of the bunch, but it was Florent Manaudou of France who would make it to the wall first. Manaudou's sister, Laure Manaudou won the women's 400 freestyle gold at the Athens in 2004, becoming the first female French swimmer to win an Olympic title.

Men's 50m Freestyle

rank lane
1     7      Florent Manaudou France 21.34
2     5      Cullen Jones U.S.A. 21.54
3     4      Cesar Cielo Brazil 21.59
4     6      Bruno Fratus Brazil 21.61
5     3      Anthony Ervin U.S.A. 21.78
6     8      Roland Schoeman South Africa 21.80
7     2      George Richard Bovell Trinidad & Tobago 21.82
8     1      Eamon Sullivan Australia 21.98


 

London Olympics 2012: Day 5

Day five's most pleasant surprises involved two men in two different sports.

Nathan Adrian shocked himself even more than he shocked the rest of us when he upset James Magnussen by one one hundredth of a second to win his first ever individual gold in the 100m free. I think his humility, all around good- naturedness, and obvious athletic talent have really made him one of the heroes of these games.

"My life may change now, I'll take it all it for what it's worth." These words alone make you want to respect and appreciate Adrian all the more. Before this Olympics is over, Adrian still has the medley relay, and I'm almost certain we'll be seeing him in Rio in 2016.

Men's 100m Freestyle

rank lane
1      5    Nathan Adrian U.S.A. 47.52
2      4    James Magnussen Australia 47.53
3      7    Brent Hayden Canada 47.80
4      1    Agnel Yannick France 47.84
5      6    Sebastiaan Verschuren Netherlands 47.88
6      2    Cesar Cielo Brazil 47.92
7      3    Hanser Garcia Cuba 48.04
8      8    Nikita Lobintsev Russia 48.44

Danell Leyva shocked the Gymnastics world bouncing back from near disaster on the pommel horse to win a bronze medal in the Men's All Around. Leyva called his bronze, "beautiful", but said that gold would have been "perfect". He applauded as Kohei Uchimura took to the podium, after all, Leyva lost the gold to a man who will arguably go down as the best men's gymnast ever. He won silver in the all around in Beijing and won the last three world championships, and now the gold. Marcel Nguyen took the silver giving Germany their first medal in men's gymnastics since 1936!

Said Leyva of his bronze, "This was definitely a redemption not only for me but for the whole Team USA," Leyva said. "I didn't do the pommel routine I wanted to do, that I knew that I could. But I used it to channel into positive energy. I kept fighting and finished strong, and I'm really, really happy with the way that I finished."

Lots of heartbreak for the Americans in the pool last night after their medal hopes were dashed in the Men's 200m Breaststroke and the Women's 200m Butterfly. That being said, two countries that normally do not win many swimming medals picked up a couple of silvers last night: Spain and Great Britain. Gyurta was the favorite in the men's event, and not only won gold, but set a new world record.

Men's 200m Breaststroke

rank lane
1     5     Daniel Gyurta Hungary 2:07.28 WR
2     4     Michael Jamieson Great Britain 2:07.43
3     1     Ryo Tateishi Japan 2:08.29
4     2     Kosuke Kitajima Japan 2:08.35
5     6     Scott Weltz U.S.A. 2:09.02
6     7     Clark Burckle U.S.A. 2:09.25
7     8     Brenton Rickard Australia 2:09.28
8     3     Andrew Willis Great Britain 2:09.44

Women's 200m Butterfly

rank lane
1     5      Liuyang Jiao China 2:04.06 OR
2     6      Mireia Belmonte Garcia Spain 2:05.25
3     3      Natsumi Hoshi Japan 2:05.28
4     4      Kathleen Hersey U.S.A. 2:05.78
5     1      Cammile Adams U.S.A. 2:06.78
6     8      Jemma Lowe Great Britain 2:06.80
7     2      Zsuzsanna Jakabos Hungary 2:07.33
8     7      Zige Liu China 2:07.77

What redeemed the night in swimming was the U.S. women setting an Olympic record while winning the gold in the 4x200m relay. The team was led by Missy Franklin, Dana Vollmer, Shannon Vreeland, and Allison Schmitt.

Women's 4x200m Relay

rank lane
1     5     U.S.A. 7:42.92 OR
2     4     Australia 7:44.41
3     2     France 7:47.49
4     3     Canada 7:50.65
5     1     Great Britain 7:52.37
6     7     China 7:53.11
7     6     Italy 7:56.30
8     8     Japan 7:56.73

London Olympics 2012: Day 3

The U.S. team upped their medal count in the pool on day three of competition, but in a stunning turn of events, favorite in the 200m free, Ryan Lochte was shut out of the medals finishing fourth. Frenchmen Agnel Yannick, who was part of that gold medal relay the day prior picked up yet another gold in this event. With so much pressure having been placed on Lochte going into these Olympics, many are beginning to wonder, if he crumbling under the pressure?

Men's 200m Freestyle

rank lane
1      5     Agnel Yannick France 1:43.14
2      3     Taehwan Park Korea 1:44.93
2      4     Yang Sun China 1:44.93
4      2     Ryan Lochte U.S.A. 1:45.04
5      6     Paul Bidermann Germany 1:45.53
6      1     Robbie Renwick Great Britain 1:46.53
7      8     Thomas Fraser Holmes Australia 1:46.93
8      7     Danila Izotov Russia 1:47.75

But besides Lochte, there was no other bad news in the pool for the Americans on night three.

Missy Franklin surpassed expectations winning her first Olympic medal, a gold, in the 100m Backstroke. Thirty five minutes before, she qualified for the finals in the 200m Freestyle. Franklin, who drew praise early, even from the likes of Michael Phelps, is humble about all her success. She showed up at a press conference today with her gold medal in her pocket. When the press asked where it was, she quickly pulled it out exclaiming, "isn't it pretty". Something tells me this is the beginning of an amazing career for Franklin, and I know she can handle the ride.

Women's 100m Backstroke

rank lane
1     5      Missy Franklin U.S.A. 58.33 AR
2     4      Emily Seebohn Australia 58.68
3     3      Aya Jerakawa Japan 58.83
4     2      Anastasia Zueva Russia 59.00
5     7      Gemma Spofforth Great Britain 59.20
6     6      Jing Zhao China 59.23
7     1      Belinda Hocking Australia 59.29
8     8      Yuanhui Fu China 1:00.50

Four years ago in Beijing, Matt Grevers finished second to American teammate Aaron Peirsol in the 100m Backstroke. This time around it was Grevers' turn and he capitalized finishing first. His teammate, Nick Thoman picked up a silver saying that he knew when he looked up at the board that he has to get over to Matt so they could celebrate together.

 Men's 100m Backstroke

rank lane
1      4     Matt Grevers U.S.A. 52.16 OR
2      2     Nick Thoman U.S.A. 52.92
3      6     Ryosuke Irie Japan 52.97
4      5     Camille Lacourt France 53.08
5      3     Liam Tancock Great Britain 53.35
6      1     Helge Meeuw Germany 53.48
7      8     Hayden Stoeckel Australia 53.55
8      7     Feiyi Cheng China 53.77

Rebecca Soni has been called the Queen of the Breaststroke throughout the swimming world; however, in the 100m last night, she was upset by a 15 year old phenom from Lithuania who had drawn a lot of hype in the swimming world, Ruta Meilutyte. Soni did win another silver and does have a few other races to swim in during these Olympics. 

Women's 100m Breaststroke

rank lane
1      4      Ruta Meilutyte Lithuania 1:05.47
2      5      Rebecca Soni U.S.A. 1:05.55
3      1      Satone Suzuki Japan 1:06.46
4      8      Alia Atkinson Jamaica 1:06.93
5      2      Leisel Jones Australia 1:06.95
6      6      Breeja Larson U.S.A. 1:06.96
7      3      Iuliia Efimova Russia 1:06.98
8      7      Rikke Pedersen Denmark 1:07.55
 
A couple days ago, I blogged on here about how wonderful our Men's Gymnastics Team was. They are still wonderful, and they lead the world in qualifying for the team event finishing in first place. Many within the sport of gymnastics felt they were the team to beat, this time would be theirs; they would be the first U.S. Men's Gymnastics Team to win a team gold. I have no idea what happened, and I am sure many are wondering the same, but in a strange turn of events, they tumbled all the way to fifth place, not even winning a medal of any color.

The Chinese team who had struggled 48 hours before and looked disastrous, miraculously walked away with gold, yet again. Japan, after contesting a low scoring pommel horse program by one of it's gymnast, won their request and a silver. Great Britain was more than happy to take a bronze that was well earned.

Men's Gymnastics Team Finals

1. China 275.997
2. Japan 271.952
3. Great Britain 271.711
4. Ukraine 271.526
5. U.S.A. 269. 952

Switching diving partners paid off for diver David Boudia who won a bronze medal in the 10m Platform with his new partner Nick McCrory. The Chinese continued their dominance in diving winning the gold, and the Mexican team enjoyed new found success with a silver. This is Mexico's first Olympic medal in synchronized diving; they deserved it because they did dives with a high degree of difficulty.

Men's Synchronized 10m Platform

1. Yuan Coa/ Yanquan Zhang China 486.78
2. Ivan Garcia Navarro/ German Sanchez Sanchez Mexico 468.90
3. David Boudia/ Nick McCrory U.S.A. 463.47


n.b. all the Olympics photos on this blog are from www.nbcolympics.com