Lots of surprises came in day one of competition at the 31st Olympic Games in Rio. I expected much more US dominance in the pool. They did walk away with three silver medals, but why did I feel like there would be so much more? The Australians bounced back from a dismal performance in swimming at the London Games and walked away on night one with two golds in the Men's 400m Freestyle and the Women's 4x100m Relay.
Chase Kalisz grew up watching Michael Phelps. Phelps sees Kalisz like a little brother. The 400m IM, Kalisz said, is all about legacy, and so even though silver is nothing to be upset about, you couldn't help but see the look on Kalisz's face knowing that the gold slipped away.
On the Women's side, Katinka Hosszu was absolutely dominant in the Women's 400m IM shattering a World Record and Olympic Record. She's known as the Iron Lady for a reason, look for her to continue this dominance during the Games.
Results:
Men's 400m IM
1. Kosuke Hagino Japan, 4.06.05
2. Chase Kalisz USA, 4.06.75
3. Daiya Seto Japan, 4.09.71
Men's 400m Freestyle
1. Mack Horton Australia, 3.41.55
2. Yang Sun China, 3.41.68
3. Gabriele Detti Italy, 3.43.49
4. Connor Dwyer USA, 3.43.42
5. Connor Yaeger USA, 3.45.37
Women's 400m IM
1. Katinka Hosszu Hungary, 4..26.36 World Record, Olympic Record
2. Madeline Dirado USA, 4.31.15
3. Mireia Belmonte Garcia Spain, 4.32.39
Women's 4x100m Relay
1. Australia 3.30.65 World Record, Olympic Record
2. USA 3.31.89 (Team USA: Simone Manuel, Abbey Weitzeil, Dana Vollmer, Katie Ledecky)
3. Canada 3.32.89
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In Gymnastics was the Men's Qualifying for the Team, All Around, and Individual Apparatus Competitions. The US Men looked to redeem themselves from their performance in London.
Here are the eight teams competing in the Team Competition:
1. China 270.461
2. USA 270.405
3. Russian Federation 269.612
4. Japan 269.294
5. Great Britain 268.670
6. Brazil 268.078
7. Ukraine 263.002
8. Germany 261.518
In the All Around, only two athletes per team can be sent. From Team USA, Sam Mikulak and Chris Brooks will compete.
The US Men did not qualify for the Still Rings and Vault, but did qualify for the following:
Floor Exercise: Sam Mikulak and Jake Dalton
Pommel Horse: Alex Naddour
Horizontal Bar: Danell Leyva and Sam Mikulak
Parallel Bars: Danell Leyva
I cannot wait to see how they do!
Showing posts with label Team USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team USA. Show all posts
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Winter Olympics Sochi 2014: Day 2
Sochi, Russia has been impressive thus far, but what has been the most impressive has been the athletes themselves.
The Results:
Snowboarding: Men's Slopestyle
1. Sage Kotsenburg USA 1st run: 93.50 (1), 2nd run: 83.25 (5), best: 93.50
2. Staale Sandbech Norway 1st run: 27.00 (11), 2nd run: 91.75 (1), best: 91.75
3. Mark McMorris Canada 1st run: 33.75 (9), 2nd run: 88.75 (2), best: 88.75
The Dutch were dominant in the Men's 5,000 m speedskating event, they swept the podium. Many are asking whether or not Sven Kramer is one of the best of all time. He isn't one of the best of all time, but an argument could be made that he is one of the best at this distance and the 10,000 m. Kramer set an Olympic record, and retained his title from four years ago in Vancouver.
The Results:
Speedskating: Men's 5,000 m
1. Sven Kramer The Netherlands, 6:10.76 Olympic Record
2. Jan Blokhuijsen The Netherlands, 6:15.71
3. Jorrit Bergsma The Netherlands, 6:16.66
In Women's Hockey, the US women won their first game against Finland, 3-1
Reigning US Ladies' Moguls Champ Hannah Kearney made it back on the podium four years later, but it wasn't the result she hoped for. On her final run, Kearney hit too much air on her first jump and lost too much time; she ended up with a bronze. Not the result Kearney was hoping for as this was believed to be her last Olympics at the age of 27, and she wanted to end her career on top. After the results were announced, she was clearly upset and she wanted to go back out and fight but announced that this would indeed her last Olympics and then she turned away from the camera and sobbed. Two of the three Dufour Lapointe sisters made it on to the podium but it was 19 year Justine who took it all and became the youngest freestyle skier to win gold, and at 22 Chloe took silver.
The Results:
Freestyle Skiing: Ladies' Moguls
1. Justin Dufour Lapointe Canada, 22.44
2. Chloe Dufour Lapointe Canada, 21.66
3. Hannah Kearney USA, 21.49
What most surprised me today? Well, it's actually from Thursday night.... I was so surprised to see Evegeni Plushenko at the age of 31 back and skating in amazing form for the Russian Federation. In the team event, not only is he the clear leader but Russia is leading the way with Canada and USA hot on their trail. The US ice dancing team and defending World Champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White won their round with a confident short program. US women's team member Ashley Wagner had a sexy short program, but yet ended up in 4th place, as a 15 year old Russian took first for the ladies.
Today what surprised me was that at the age of 40, Ole Bjoerndalen overtook a younger group of competitors and won the gold in Biathlon in the Men's 10k Sprint. Bjoerndalen now has a total of 12 medals which equals an all time record. This is his seventh gold and goes along with his four silvers and one bronze! Bjorn Daehlie, also from Norway has collected 12 medals in his Olympic cross country career as well. Wow!
photos are taken from the official website of the Sochi Games!
Here are the highlights from Day 2.....
American, Sage Kotsenburg, 20 years old was the first Team USA medalist of Sochi, and his medal was gold, and to top it all off, he won it in the new snowboarding event of Slopestyle. Although I didn't appreciate Sage's style as much as I liked Canadian Mark McMorris's style, I do appreciate him grabbing a medal for Team USA!
The Results:
Snowboarding: Men's Slopestyle
1. Sage Kotsenburg USA 1st run: 93.50 (1), 2nd run: 83.25 (5), best: 93.50
2. Staale Sandbech Norway 1st run: 27.00 (11), 2nd run: 91.75 (1), best: 91.75
3. Mark McMorris Canada 1st run: 33.75 (9), 2nd run: 88.75 (2), best: 88.75
The Dutch were dominant in the Men's 5,000 m speedskating event, they swept the podium. Many are asking whether or not Sven Kramer is one of the best of all time. He isn't one of the best of all time, but an argument could be made that he is one of the best at this distance and the 10,000 m. Kramer set an Olympic record, and retained his title from four years ago in Vancouver.
The Results:
Speedskating: Men's 5,000 m
1. Sven Kramer The Netherlands, 6:10.76 Olympic Record
2. Jan Blokhuijsen The Netherlands, 6:15.71
3. Jorrit Bergsma The Netherlands, 6:16.66
In Women's Hockey, the US women won their first game against Finland, 3-1
Reigning US Ladies' Moguls Champ Hannah Kearney made it back on the podium four years later, but it wasn't the result she hoped for. On her final run, Kearney hit too much air on her first jump and lost too much time; she ended up with a bronze. Not the result Kearney was hoping for as this was believed to be her last Olympics at the age of 27, and she wanted to end her career on top. After the results were announced, she was clearly upset and she wanted to go back out and fight but announced that this would indeed her last Olympics and then she turned away from the camera and sobbed. Two of the three Dufour Lapointe sisters made it on to the podium but it was 19 year Justine who took it all and became the youngest freestyle skier to win gold, and at 22 Chloe took silver.
The Results:
Freestyle Skiing: Ladies' Moguls
1. Justin Dufour Lapointe Canada, 22.44
2. Chloe Dufour Lapointe Canada, 21.66
3. Hannah Kearney USA, 21.49
What most surprised me today? Well, it's actually from Thursday night.... I was so surprised to see Evegeni Plushenko at the age of 31 back and skating in amazing form for the Russian Federation. In the team event, not only is he the clear leader but Russia is leading the way with Canada and USA hot on their trail. The US ice dancing team and defending World Champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White won their round with a confident short program. US women's team member Ashley Wagner had a sexy short program, but yet ended up in 4th place, as a 15 year old Russian took first for the ladies.
Today what surprised me was that at the age of 40, Ole Bjoerndalen overtook a younger group of competitors and won the gold in Biathlon in the Men's 10k Sprint. Bjoerndalen now has a total of 12 medals which equals an all time record. This is his seventh gold and goes along with his four silvers and one bronze! Bjorn Daehlie, also from Norway has collected 12 medals in his Olympic cross country career as well. Wow!
The Results: Biathlon: Men's Sprint 10 km 1. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen Norway, 24:33.5 2. Dominik Landertinger Austria, 24:34.8 3. Jaroslav Soukup Czech Republic, 24:39.2 | |||||||||
Sunday, August 12, 2012
London Olympics 2012: Day 14
Wrestling
Jordan Burroughs talked the talk and then he backed it up being the first U.S. wrestler to win gold at the London Games. Burroughs overpowered his opponent Iran's Sadegh Goudarzi thus securing a $250,000 pay day from the U.S. It was an emotional victory for the 24 year old who was born in one of the poorest areas in New Jersey. It was years of demanding training that helped him to develop his technique and build his strength, and it was that very passion and strength that brought him the gold.
Men's Freestyle 163lbs.
1. Jordan Burroughs U.S.A.
2. Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi Iran
3. Soslan Tigiev Uzbekistan
3. Denis Tsargush Russia
Track & Field
Renaud Lavillenie of France won the pole vault gold medal Friday with an Olympic record jump of 5.97 meters. He has been the world indoor champion, has been the dominant pole vaulter in 2012.
Men's Pole Vault
1. Renaud Lavillenie France 5.97m OR
2. Bjorn Otto Germany 5.91m
3. Raphael Holzdeppe Germany 5.91m PB
They gave it their best shot and it was an improvement over past years but the Men's U.S. 4x400 meter relay team not only lacked depth but lost the gold to the Bahamas who set a new national record in their country. Even Angelo Taylor's expertise, veteran status, and running anchor wasn't enough to hold off the Bahamians who made a late surge. The U.S. team was plagued by injury after Lashawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner both pulled out before the preliminaries, where Manteo Mitchell ran the last 200 meters of the opening lap with a broken left fibula. So you could say that this silver medal for Manteo Mitchell, Angelo Taylor, Bryshon Nellum, Joshua Mance, and Tony McQuay.
Men's 4x400m Relay
1. Bahamas 2:56.72 NR
2. U.S.A. 2:57.05 SB
3. Trinidad & Tobago 2:59.40 NR
4. Great Britain 2:59.53 SB
5. Russia 3:00.09
6. Belgium 3:01.83
7. Venezuela 3:02.18
8. South Africa 3:03.46 SB
9. Cuba DNF (did not finish)
Carmelita Jeter gave me one of the most captivating moments of these games when she ran anchor in the 4x100 meter relay. She got the baton, and then, the race was on, she ran like her life depended on it, and as she crossed the finish line, she stretched her arm out, baton in hand, and pointed towards the digital clock. And then, the words new world record flashed; she knew before it was even official that something special had happened. It was the first time that any women's relay team had finished in under 41 seconds. These four women, Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, and Carmelita Jeter, also did something that hopefully meant something to all women out there; they worked together, and now they share something that will bond them forever.
Women's 4x100m Relay
1. U.S.A. 40.82 WR
2. Jamaica 41.41 NR
3. Ukraine 42.04 NR
4. Nigeria 42.64 SB
5. Germany 42.67
6. Netherlands 42.70
7. Brazil 42.91
8. Trinidad & Tobago DNF
Jordan Burroughs talked the talk and then he backed it up being the first U.S. wrestler to win gold at the London Games. Burroughs overpowered his opponent Iran's Sadegh Goudarzi thus securing a $250,000 pay day from the U.S. It was an emotional victory for the 24 year old who was born in one of the poorest areas in New Jersey. It was years of demanding training that helped him to develop his technique and build his strength, and it was that very passion and strength that brought him the gold.
Men's Freestyle 163lbs.
1. Jordan Burroughs U.S.A.
2. Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi Iran
3. Soslan Tigiev Uzbekistan
3. Denis Tsargush Russia
Track & Field
Renaud Lavillenie of France won the pole vault gold medal Friday with an Olympic record jump of 5.97 meters. He has been the world indoor champion, has been the dominant pole vaulter in 2012.
Men's Pole Vault
1. Renaud Lavillenie France 5.97m OR
2. Bjorn Otto Germany 5.91m
3. Raphael Holzdeppe Germany 5.91m PB
They gave it their best shot and it was an improvement over past years but the Men's U.S. 4x400 meter relay team not only lacked depth but lost the gold to the Bahamas who set a new national record in their country. Even Angelo Taylor's expertise, veteran status, and running anchor wasn't enough to hold off the Bahamians who made a late surge. The U.S. team was plagued by injury after Lashawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner both pulled out before the preliminaries, where Manteo Mitchell ran the last 200 meters of the opening lap with a broken left fibula. So you could say that this silver medal for Manteo Mitchell, Angelo Taylor, Bryshon Nellum, Joshua Mance, and Tony McQuay.
Men's 4x400m Relay
1. Bahamas 2:56.72 NR
2. U.S.A. 2:57.05 SB
3. Trinidad & Tobago 2:59.40 NR
4. Great Britain 2:59.53 SB
5. Russia 3:00.09
6. Belgium 3:01.83
7. Venezuela 3:02.18
8. South Africa 3:03.46 SB
9. Cuba DNF (did not finish)
Carmelita Jeter gave me one of the most captivating moments of these games when she ran anchor in the 4x100 meter relay. She got the baton, and then, the race was on, she ran like her life depended on it, and as she crossed the finish line, she stretched her arm out, baton in hand, and pointed towards the digital clock. And then, the words new world record flashed; she knew before it was even official that something special had happened. It was the first time that any women's relay team had finished in under 41 seconds. These four women, Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, and Carmelita Jeter, also did something that hopefully meant something to all women out there; they worked together, and now they share something that will bond them forever.
Women's 4x100m Relay
1. U.S.A. 40.82 WR
2. Jamaica 41.41 NR
3. Ukraine 42.04 NR
4. Nigeria 42.64 SB
5. Germany 42.67
6. Netherlands 42.70
7. Brazil 42.91
8. Trinidad & Tobago DNF
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