The big surprise in the Olympic pool tonight was that we had a group of unlikely winners. None from the US Team.
Dmitriy Balandin won Kazakhstan's first ever Olympic Gold in the Men's 200m Breaststroke, but that wasn't the only headline. Josh Prenot won a silver for Team USA, no American man had won a medal in this event since 1992 when Mike Barrowman won Gold in 1992 and Brendan Hansen won bronze in 2004.
Men's 200m Breaststroke
1. Dmitriy Balandin, Kazakhstan, 2.07.46
2. Josh Prenot, USA, 2.07.53
3. Anton Chupkov, Russia, 2.07.70
Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain added a Gold to her Bronze from earlier this week.
Women's 200m Butterfly
1. Mireia Belmonte Garcia, Spain, 2.04.85
2. Madeline Graves, Australia, 2.04.88
3. Natsumi Hoshi, Japan, 2.05.20
At only 18 years of age, Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers captured Gold in one of the marquee swimming events, the 100m free last night. It's the first Australian Gold in the event since 1968, and what's even more impressive is that Chalmers beat several veteran swimmers to do it. This included US swimmer and defending champion, Nathan Adrian who just made it onto the podium with a Bronze. Adrian said he still felt great about getting another medal.
Men's 100m Freestyle
1. Kyle Chalmers, Australia, 47.58
2. Pieter Tmmers, Belgium, 47.80
3. Nathan Adrian, USA, 47.85
Another relay Gold for the US Team was achieved in the pool last night. This time it came from Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, Maya Dirado, and Katie Ledecky. Ledecky has added more hardware to her already successful Rio Games. Dirado now has one of each medal from Rio.
Women's 4x 200m Relay
1. USA 7.43.03 (Team USA: Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, Maya Dirado, and Katie Ledecky)
2. Australia 7.44.87
3. Canada 7.45.39
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Meanwhile, the Men's All Around in Gymnastics took place on Wednesday night and the winner was no surprise. Kohei Uchimura from Japan who has dominated his sport since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing repeated as the All Around Champion. "King Kohei" as he is called sealed the deal with a near flawless high bar routine, 15.8. Uchimura is always humble and said that a team medal means far more to him than an individual medal, and so when his team did just that, one could tell that his happiness was genuine. Silver went to Oleg Verniaiev of Ukraine who led several times during the event. Verniaiev said that Uchimura is one of the gymnasts he admires most, and the two posed for photos together. Max Whitlock from Great Britain became the first British man to win an All Around Medal at the Olympics.
Men's Individual All Around
1. Kohei Uchimura, Japan, 92.365
2. Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine, 92.266
3. Max Whitlock, Great Britain, 90.641
Showing posts with label Allison Schmitt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Allison Schmitt. Show all posts
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Sunday, August 5, 2012
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
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
Thursday, August 2, 2012
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
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
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
London Olympics 2012: Day 4
The history books will no longer just talk about "The Magnificent 7" (a.k.a Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps, Kerri Strug) from the 1996 Atlanta Games; now they will also talk about "The Fab 5" from the 2012 London Games. Team U.S.A. Women's Gymnastics, made up of Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Weiber are only the second U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team to win a team gold medal.They did so in confident fashion beating out the Russian team by more than five points. Only three of their 12 scores during the event scored less than a 15, no other team even came close.
Of winning Olympic gold, Jordyn Wieber said, "The feeling was incredible, to have this gold medal around your neck, it's really an indescribable feeling. It just shows how much of a team we are."
Women's Gymnastics Team Finals
1. U.S.A. 183.596
2. Russia 178.530
3. Romania 176.414
We all knew Michael Phelps was special, talented, gifted, etc., but now he will be remembered not only as a phenomenal swimmer but as the most decorated Olympian of all time. Phelps has won 19 medals, 15 gold, two silver, and two bronze, and he may not be done yet as he still has several more events to compete in.
Phelps tied the record, held by Larisa Latynina, winning a silver medal earlier Tuesday night in the 200m Butterfly, an event he has dominated in for the past decade. Chad le Clos of South Africa ended up out-touching Phelps at the wall; Phelps did the same thing years ago in Beijing to Hungarian swimmer Laszlo Cseh. Le Clos still can't believe he beat Michael Phelps, and says that Phelps is his hero.
Men's 200m Butterfly
rank lane
1 5 Chad le Clos South Africa 1:52.96
2 6 Michael Phelps U.S.A. 1:53.01
3 4 Takeshi Matsuda Japan 1:53.21
4 7 Dinko Jukic Austria 1:54.35
5 2 Tyler Clary U.S.A. 1:55.06
6 8 Velimir Stjepanovic Serbia 1:55.07
7 1 Pawel Korzeniowski Poland 1:55.08
8 3 Yin Chen China 1:55.18
Later that same night, Phelps swan the anchor leg of the 4x200m Relay, and that's where he broke Latynina's record walking away with his first gold from these Games. Lochte swam first followed by newcomer to the U.S. team, Conor Dwyer, and then Ricky Berens. Phelps had quite a lead over his closest competitor, France, and he closed the deal by swimming the fastest split of the relay. Phelps' teammates say that they didn't even know he had broke the medal record until he told them when the race was over. And should he not win anymore medals, Phelps said he would be okay with that.
Men's 4x200m Relay
rank lane
1 4 U.S.A. 6:59.70
2 5 France 7:02.77
3 7 China 7:06.30
4 3 Germany 7:06.59
5 6 Australia 7:07.00
6 2 Great Britain 7:09.33
7 1 South Africa 7:09.65
8 8 Hungary 7:13.66
I loved this article from the "Today Show": Phelps' Teammates Had No Idea He Set Olympic Record
19 year old Chen Ruolin defended her Olympic title in the Synchronized 10m Platform, but this time, with a different partner, 19 year old Wang Hao, and Chen is favored to repeat gold in the Individual event as well. Their dives were far more dynamic than other team; although, the Mexican team of veteran Paola Espinosa and 15 year old newcomer Alejandra Orozco Loza had a great night as well, and should not be overlooked.
Women's Synchronized 10m Platform
1. Chen Ruolin/ Wang Hao China 368.40
2. Paola Espinosa/ Alejandra Orozco Loza Mexico 343.32
3. Meaghan Benfeito/ Filion Roseline Canada 337.62
Allison Schmitt won her first gold medal last night, and set an Olympic record in the 200m free. The free spirit, training partner of Phelps, and self professed high fiver is proof that a positive attitude pays off.
Women's 200m Freestyle
rank lane
1 5 Allison Schmitt U.S.A. 1:53.61 OR
2 3 Camille Muffat France 1:55.58
3 4 Bronte Barratt Australia 1:55.81
4 8 Missy Franklin U.S.A. 1:55.82
5 6 Frederica Pellegrini Italy 1:56.73
6 2 Veronika Popova Russia 1:57.25
7 7 Caitlin McClatchey Great Britain 1:57.60
8 1 Kylie Palmer Australia 1:57.68
As allegations against Chinese swimmer Shiwen Ye continue to build, she continues to add gold medals to her arsenal. The 16 year old won the 200m individual medley in 2:07.57, an Olympic record. The performance follows her win women's 400 individual medley gold Saturday, in which she set a world record of 4:28.43. She dropped five seconds off her previous personal best, which she swam at 14 years of age. Why all the suspicion? Ye swam her final 50m in the 400m im faster than the male gold medalist in the same event, Ryan Lochte. In addition to that fact is that China has been there, done that before when it comes to doping allegations when many Chinese athletes tested positive for performance enhancing drugs including steroids and testosterone in the 90's. Overshadowed by all this is the fact that Coutts picked up another medal, and U.S. swimmer Caitlin Leverenz picked up a bronze medal.
Women's 200m Individual Medley
rank lane
1 4 Shiwen Ye China 2:07.57 OR
2 5 Alicia Coutts Australia 2:08.15
3 3 Caitlin Leverenz U.S.A. 2:08.95
4 7 Stephanie Rice Australia 2:09.55
5 6 Ariana Kukors U.S.A. 2:09.83
6 8 Kirsty Coventry Zimbabwae 2:11.13
7 1 Hannah Miley Great Britain 2:11.29
8 2 Katinka Hosszu Hungary 2:14.19
Of winning Olympic gold, Jordyn Wieber said, "The feeling was incredible, to have this gold medal around your neck, it's really an indescribable feeling. It just shows how much of a team we are."
Women's Gymnastics Team Finals
1. U.S.A. 183.596
2. Russia 178.530
3. Romania 176.414
We all knew Michael Phelps was special, talented, gifted, etc., but now he will be remembered not only as a phenomenal swimmer but as the most decorated Olympian of all time. Phelps has won 19 medals, 15 gold, two silver, and two bronze, and he may not be done yet as he still has several more events to compete in.
Phelps tied the record, held by Larisa Latynina, winning a silver medal earlier Tuesday night in the 200m Butterfly, an event he has dominated in for the past decade. Chad le Clos of South Africa ended up out-touching Phelps at the wall; Phelps did the same thing years ago in Beijing to Hungarian swimmer Laszlo Cseh. Le Clos still can't believe he beat Michael Phelps, and says that Phelps is his hero.
Men's 200m Butterfly
rank lane
1 5 Chad le Clos South Africa 1:52.96
2 6 Michael Phelps U.S.A. 1:53.01
3 4 Takeshi Matsuda Japan 1:53.21
4 7 Dinko Jukic Austria 1:54.35
5 2 Tyler Clary U.S.A. 1:55.06
6 8 Velimir Stjepanovic Serbia 1:55.07
7 1 Pawel Korzeniowski Poland 1:55.08
8 3 Yin Chen China 1:55.18
Later that same night, Phelps swan the anchor leg of the 4x200m Relay, and that's where he broke Latynina's record walking away with his first gold from these Games. Lochte swam first followed by newcomer to the U.S. team, Conor Dwyer, and then Ricky Berens. Phelps had quite a lead over his closest competitor, France, and he closed the deal by swimming the fastest split of the relay. Phelps' teammates say that they didn't even know he had broke the medal record until he told them when the race was over. And should he not win anymore medals, Phelps said he would be okay with that.
Men's 4x200m Relay
rank lane
1 4 U.S.A. 6:59.70
2 5 France 7:02.77
3 7 China 7:06.30
4 3 Germany 7:06.59
5 6 Australia 7:07.00
6 2 Great Britain 7:09.33
7 1 South Africa 7:09.65
8 8 Hungary 7:13.66
I loved this article from the "Today Show": Phelps' Teammates Had No Idea He Set Olympic Record
19 year old Chen Ruolin defended her Olympic title in the Synchronized 10m Platform, but this time, with a different partner, 19 year old Wang Hao, and Chen is favored to repeat gold in the Individual event as well. Their dives were far more dynamic than other team; although, the Mexican team of veteran Paola Espinosa and 15 year old newcomer Alejandra Orozco Loza had a great night as well, and should not be overlooked.
Women's Synchronized 10m Platform
1. Chen Ruolin/ Wang Hao China 368.40
2. Paola Espinosa/ Alejandra Orozco Loza Mexico 343.32
3. Meaghan Benfeito/ Filion Roseline Canada 337.62
Allison Schmitt won her first gold medal last night, and set an Olympic record in the 200m free. The free spirit, training partner of Phelps, and self professed high fiver is proof that a positive attitude pays off.
Women's 200m Freestyle
rank lane
1 5 Allison Schmitt U.S.A. 1:53.61 OR
2 3 Camille Muffat France 1:55.58
3 4 Bronte Barratt Australia 1:55.81
4 8 Missy Franklin U.S.A. 1:55.82
5 6 Frederica Pellegrini Italy 1:56.73
6 2 Veronika Popova Russia 1:57.25
7 7 Caitlin McClatchey Great Britain 1:57.60
8 1 Kylie Palmer Australia 1:57.68
As allegations against Chinese swimmer Shiwen Ye continue to build, she continues to add gold medals to her arsenal. The 16 year old won the 200m individual medley in 2:07.57, an Olympic record. The performance follows her win women's 400 individual medley gold Saturday, in which she set a world record of 4:28.43. She dropped five seconds off her previous personal best, which she swam at 14 years of age. Why all the suspicion? Ye swam her final 50m in the 400m im faster than the male gold medalist in the same event, Ryan Lochte. In addition to that fact is that China has been there, done that before when it comes to doping allegations when many Chinese athletes tested positive for performance enhancing drugs including steroids and testosterone in the 90's. Overshadowed by all this is the fact that Coutts picked up another medal, and U.S. swimmer Caitlin Leverenz picked up a bronze medal.
Women's 200m Individual Medley
rank lane
1 4 Shiwen Ye China 2:07.57 OR
2 5 Alicia Coutts Australia 2:08.15
3 3 Caitlin Leverenz U.S.A. 2:08.95
4 7 Stephanie Rice Australia 2:09.55
5 6 Ariana Kukors U.S.A. 2:09.83
6 8 Kirsty Coventry Zimbabwae 2:11.13
7 1 Hannah Miley Great Britain 2:11.29
8 2 Katinka Hosszu Hungary 2:14.19
Monday, July 30, 2012
London Olympics 2012: Day 2
The story of day two of competition at this Olympics is that Jordan Wieber will not compete in the Women's Gymnastics All Around. Yes, you heard right, the defending world all around champion will not compete and the reason may surprise you. It was not a gymnast from another country who dashed Wieber's chances, it was not her closest competitor on the U.S. team Gabby Douglas. Instead it was her close friend, Aly Raisman.
Raisman outscored Weiber in the floor exercises which was the U.S. team's final rotation. When Weiber saw her name drop to third below Raisman and Douglas, she burst into tears. So for U.S. gymnastics fan everywhere, this is bittersweet. Having even some more time to think about all of this, why does World Gymnastics have this ridiculous world, who is to say that the top five gymnasts in the world cannot be from the game country, and so, if Jordyn Weiber was within that top 24 then why shouldn't she be allowed to compete for that medal? Why are we being so unfair? How is this helping to advance the sport which, if anything, has dwindled in popularity? It has grown in talent, so let us reward truly, the most talented.
I love this chart which shows you exactly who qualified for what events: Women's Gymnastics All Around and Individual Events
Not only did Dana Vollmer complete a comeback eight years in the making but she won the gold and set a new world record in the Women's 100m Butterfly on Sunday night. In 2004 at the Athens games, an impressionable 16 year old Vollmer won a relay gold. Four years later, that all changed when Vollmer failing to qualify for the Beijing games.
She says that missing those games forced her to rethink her training and how she felt about swimming, a sport that was once so fun for her. That time must have made all the difference because besides being the first woman to swim a 100m fly in under 56 seconds, she did it all with one of her two swimming caps coming off in the first 50 meters.
Women's 100m Butterfly
rank lane
1 4 Dana Vollmer U.S.A. 55.98 WR
2 7 Lu Ying China 56.87
3 5 Alicia Coutts Australia 56.94
4 6 Sarah Sjostrom Sweden 57.17
5 8 Ilaria Bianchi Italy 57.27
6 3 Jeanette Ottesen Gray Denmark 57.35
7 2 Claire Donahue U.S.A. 57.48
8 1 Ellen Gandy Great Britain 57.26
For anyone who is a fan of U.S. Swimming, I am sure the biggest question that came out of Sunday night was who decided the start order for the Men's 4x100m relay? I do not consider myself an expert in swimming, although I do think I at least know a little bit about just about everything and anything. Even I know that Ryan Lochte should not have swam the anchor leg of that relay. He is not considered to be one of swimming's sprinters; he swims the 200m, the 400m, etc. He does not swim the 50m or the 100m. Looking at the four athletes who raced last night: Nathan Adrian, Michael Phelps, Cullen Jones, and Lochte; Lochte probably should have swam second. Adrian was good in that first position, and Jones does well in the third or fourth position, as does Phelps really. Next time a relay comes around, maybe the U.S. coach could consult with us.
Men's 4x100m Relay
rank lane
1 6 France 3:09.93
2 5 U.S.A. 3:10.38
3 3 Russia 3:11.41
4 4 Australia 3:11.63
5 1 South Africa 3:13.45
6 2 Germany 3:13.52
7 8 Italy 3:14.13
8 7 Belgium 3:14.40
Thirty year old Brendan Hansen said that the bronze medal he won in Sunday's 100 Breaststroke is the shiniest bronze medal he's even seen. He finally got his revenge on longtime Japanese rival Kosuke Kitajima who was shut out of the medals.
“I really wanted to say I was gonna do something and follow through with it,” said the 30-year-old. “That bronze medal tonight did that. This is probably my favorite medal that I’ve ever gotten in the Olympics. And probably the hardest one that I had to work for.”
Men's 100m Breaststroke
rank lane
1 4 Cameron van der Burgh South Africa 58.46 WR
2 6 Christian Sprenger Australia 58.93
3 8 Brendan Hansen U.S.A. 59.49
4 1 David Gyurta Hungary 59.53
5 7 Kosuke Kitajima Japan 59.79
6 3 Brenton Rickard Australia 59.87
7 5 Fabio Scozzoli Italy 59.97
8 2 Giedrius Titenis Lithuania 1:00.84
Allison Schmitt, Michael Phelps' training partner, and some say, the reason he loosened up with his swimming in the past few years picked up a silver medal in the 400m free.
Women's 400m Freestyle
rank lane
1 4 Camille Muffat France 4:01.45 OR
2 5 Allison Schmitt U.S.A. 4:01.77 AR
3 8 Rebecca Adlington Great Britain 4:03.01
4 2 Lotte Friis Denmark 4:03.98
5 1 Frederica Pellegrini Italy 4:04.50
6 3 Coralie Balmy France 4:05.95
7 7 Brittany Maclean Canada 4:06.24
8 6 Lauren Boyle New Zealand 4:06.25
*U.S. Women's Soccer advanced to the semi
Raisman outscored Weiber in the floor exercises which was the U.S. team's final rotation. When Weiber saw her name drop to third below Raisman and Douglas, she burst into tears. So for U.S. gymnastics fan everywhere, this is bittersweet. Having even some more time to think about all of this, why does World Gymnastics have this ridiculous world, who is to say that the top five gymnasts in the world cannot be from the game country, and so, if Jordyn Weiber was within that top 24 then why shouldn't she be allowed to compete for that medal? Why are we being so unfair? How is this helping to advance the sport which, if anything, has dwindled in popularity? It has grown in talent, so let us reward truly, the most talented.
I love this chart which shows you exactly who qualified for what events: Women's Gymnastics All Around and Individual Events
Not only did Dana Vollmer complete a comeback eight years in the making but she won the gold and set a new world record in the Women's 100m Butterfly on Sunday night. In 2004 at the Athens games, an impressionable 16 year old Vollmer won a relay gold. Four years later, that all changed when Vollmer failing to qualify for the Beijing games.
She says that missing those games forced her to rethink her training and how she felt about swimming, a sport that was once so fun for her. That time must have made all the difference because besides being the first woman to swim a 100m fly in under 56 seconds, she did it all with one of her two swimming caps coming off in the first 50 meters.
Women's 100m Butterfly
rank lane
1 4 Dana Vollmer U.S.A. 55.98 WR
2 7 Lu Ying China 56.87
3 5 Alicia Coutts Australia 56.94
4 6 Sarah Sjostrom Sweden 57.17
5 8 Ilaria Bianchi Italy 57.27
6 3 Jeanette Ottesen Gray Denmark 57.35
7 2 Claire Donahue U.S.A. 57.48
8 1 Ellen Gandy Great Britain 57.26
For anyone who is a fan of U.S. Swimming, I am sure the biggest question that came out of Sunday night was who decided the start order for the Men's 4x100m relay? I do not consider myself an expert in swimming, although I do think I at least know a little bit about just about everything and anything. Even I know that Ryan Lochte should not have swam the anchor leg of that relay. He is not considered to be one of swimming's sprinters; he swims the 200m, the 400m, etc. He does not swim the 50m or the 100m. Looking at the four athletes who raced last night: Nathan Adrian, Michael Phelps, Cullen Jones, and Lochte; Lochte probably should have swam second. Adrian was good in that first position, and Jones does well in the third or fourth position, as does Phelps really. Next time a relay comes around, maybe the U.S. coach could consult with us.
Men's 4x100m Relay
rank lane
1 6 France 3:09.93
2 5 U.S.A. 3:10.38
3 3 Russia 3:11.41
4 4 Australia 3:11.63
5 1 South Africa 3:13.45
6 2 Germany 3:13.52
7 8 Italy 3:14.13
8 7 Belgium 3:14.40
Thirty year old Brendan Hansen said that the bronze medal he won in Sunday's 100 Breaststroke is the shiniest bronze medal he's even seen. He finally got his revenge on longtime Japanese rival Kosuke Kitajima who was shut out of the medals.
“I really wanted to say I was gonna do something and follow through with it,” said the 30-year-old. “That bronze medal tonight did that. This is probably my favorite medal that I’ve ever gotten in the Olympics. And probably the hardest one that I had to work for.”
Men's 100m Breaststroke
rank lane
1 4 Cameron van der Burgh South Africa 58.46 WR
2 6 Christian Sprenger Australia 58.93
3 8 Brendan Hansen U.S.A. 59.49
4 1 David Gyurta Hungary 59.53
5 7 Kosuke Kitajima Japan 59.79
6 3 Brenton Rickard Australia 59.87
7 5 Fabio Scozzoli Italy 59.97
8 2 Giedrius Titenis Lithuania 1:00.84
Allison Schmitt, Michael Phelps' training partner, and some say, the reason he loosened up with his swimming in the past few years picked up a silver medal in the 400m free.
Women's 400m Freestyle
rank lane
1 4 Camille Muffat France 4:01.45 OR
2 5 Allison Schmitt U.S.A. 4:01.77 AR
3 8 Rebecca Adlington Great Britain 4:03.01
4 2 Lotte Friis Denmark 4:03.98
5 1 Frederica Pellegrini Italy 4:04.50
6 3 Coralie Balmy France 4:05.95
7 7 Brittany Maclean Canada 4:06.24
8 6 Lauren Boyle New Zealand 4:06.25
*U.S. Women's Soccer advanced to the semi
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