Jill and I haven’t talked it about much, but China’s divers have been freaking amazing in the Beijing Olympic games. Much like the amazing Chinese men’s gymnastics team, the Chinese divers seem like they are from another planet.
Congrats to all of the Chinese divers for having a phenomenal showing at the Olympics. What have you thought about their diving? Has it been amazing or is this just a down year for diving in other countries?
Last month I interviewed Nancilea Foster, who is competing in Beijing in the 3m springboard diving event. I’m happy to report that she’s in the finals, having qualified in 4th place. At one point, she was in 3rd, so a medal is not totally out of the picture. Tune in tomorrow night to see how she does.
Late night on NBC you can watch women’s volleyball and women’s 100m breaststroke semifinals. During the day tomorrow, it’s women’s water polo, men’s beach volleyball and more qualifying rounds for swimming. Then in primetime, Michael Phelps his march towards Olympic history in the 200m free. Teammates Aaron Peirsol and Natalie Coughlin have a chance to medal in the men’s and women’s 100m. Also on during primetime, U.S. women’s beach volleyball with Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, the men’s team gymnastics final, and the men’s 10m synchro platform diving final.
MSNBC is broadcasting a full day tomorrow, as well, including women’s tennis, women’s handball, women’s basketball, women’s water polo and women’s volleyball. (Incidentally, U.S. women’s water polo is pursuing their third straight Olympic gold medal.) Men’s badminton (where U.S. competitor Raju Rai may actually have a chance), weightlifting and men’s archery are also available for viewing.
CNBC will be showing men’s beach volleyball, boxing, and women’s softball.
USA is broadcasting women’s beach volleyball, rowing, men’s tennis (featuring Wimbledon champion Rafael Nedal), women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball.
Oxygen will be covering gymnastics and equestrian.
Online, you can see archery, badminton, basketball, fencing, handball, field hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball, tennis, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling.
All Olympic athletes are special, but we all know some are more exciting than others (who else was on the Olympic gymnastics team with Mary Lou Retton?). So, here are ten U.S. Olympic athletes that you should definitely watch.
1. Michael Phelps— Could potentially be one of the biggest stories of the China Olympics. Will he break Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals in one Olympics? Will he tie his own record of eight medals (6 gold, 2 bronze) that he set at the Athens Olympics in 2004?
2. Shawn Johnson— She just might join the ranks of other women’s gymnastic greats Mary Lou Retton and Carly Patterson, who won all-around championships at the Olympics. At 16, she is the reigning world all-around champion.
3. Dara Torres— Dara hopes to increase the oldest age of the oldest gold medalist in swimming from 33 to 41 (she set the previous record at the Sydney Olympics). She also hopes to add to her current 9 Olympic medals.
4. The Lopez Family— Steven, Mark and Diana Lopez are siblings from Sugarland, Texas who will all be competing in TaeKwondo at the Summer Olympics. Even more amazing, they’re coached by older brother Jean. They are the first three siblings since 1904 to make an Olympic team. Since they won’t be competing against each other, they could conceivably bring home three gold medals.
5. Allyson Felix— The 22 year old track and field darling will be going for three gold medals. In the current climate of track and field, where the sport is reeling from recent performance-enhancing drug scandals, Felix has signed up for the enhanced testing program to prove that she is running clean.
6. Sheila Taormina— Sheila Taormina has already set a record before she even competes in Beijing. She’s the first woman to compete in four Olympics in three different sports. At this summer’s China Olympics, she’ll be competing in modern pentathlon. Previously, she has competed in swimming and triathlon. In 1996, she won a gold medal as part of the women’s 4×200 relay team. Taormina, age 39, will be joined on the U.S. Women’s Pentathlon team by teenage phenom Margaux Isaksen, who is only 16.
7. U.S. Women’s Softball Team— The U.S. Women’s Softball team, including several familiar faces from former Olympic teams, will be going for its fourth consecutive gold medal. Team member Laura Berg was on each of the previous winning teams and hopes to add to her collection of gold medals.
8. Lopez Lomong— You MUST visit his website. Lomong has an unbelievably inspiring story. A former “lost boy” of the Sudan, Lomong escaped from the Sudan and was relocated to the United States where he attended Northern Arizon University and began running track. Lomong will compete in the 1,500 m race in Beijing.
9. Laura Wilkinson— Laura Wilkinson is one of the United States’ best chances for gold in platform diving. After winning the gold in Sydney, Wilkinson was disappointed with a fifth place finish in Athens. However, she easily made the 2008 team and is looking really strong. Although she will be quite a bit older than many of the other competitors, she is working on some extremely complex dives and plans to go out with a bang at the Beijing Olympics. She will be retiring after the Games.
10. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh— They’ll be seeking to win the first back-to-back gold medals in beach volleyball. They’re coming into the Olympics with a 101-match winning streak and have won 18 tournaments in a row.
Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing US Olympics Springboard diver Nancilea Foster.
Your bio on your website says you started diving when you were five years old. What was it that lead you to diving at such a young age?
I started in Gymnastics, and the transition to diving was a natural one. I did both for a short time, but decided I liked diving more.
How long have you been diving competitively? Have you always competed in springboard?
I dove tower when I was younger. At first I loved it because it was so exciting, but as time went on I started to get really scared of it. I eventually decided I would rather just focus on 3m.
When did you make the decision to aim for the Olympics?
In January of 2003. My childhood coach Ken Armstrong (who was also the National Head Coach at the time) asked me to consider taking a year off to train for Athens in 2004. It was an amazing opportunity I couldn’t pass up, and the first time I had ever really allowed myself to dream that big.
It’s obvious that divers have to be in great shape. Other than spending time diving, how do you train?
We spend alot of time doing what we call “dryland.” This includes doing many repetitions of somersaults onto mats as well as conditioning and other forms of strength training such as pilates.
What is the most exciting thing about being an Olympian?
Everything so far!! The opportunity to represent my country on the world’s biggest stage is such an honor. I am also excited about the opportunities it will bring to share what I am passionate about.
Will you get any time to sightsee in Beijing? If so, what are you looking forward to seeing?
We will probably get to a little. We are getting there early so we can be fully adjusted to the time change. I would love to see the Great Wall. Shopping in China is also lots of fun.
Will any of your family or friends be able to go to Beijing with you? Who are your biggest supporters?
My husband, Matthew Foster, my mom, JoAnn Underwood, my brother, Grant Underwood and his girlfriend, Holly. These are definitely among my biggest supporters, along with the rest of my family and my church.
Do you have a competition day routine that you follow? Any special rituals?
I usually try to keep things similar to a regular day. In between dives I like to listen to music, read my Bible, or color. These things can help me stay calm and help me stay occupied during the down time.
Will you continue to compete after Beijing?
I’m not really sure. I know I will take a break after the Games.
When you’re done diving, what do you want to do with your time?
Again, I’m not exactly sure. I would love to get more involved with the non-profit Organization that I currently work with—International Cultural Exchange, or ICx. They work to provide “friendship families” for international students who are studying in the US. It provides a great opportunities for both the students and their families.
I know that your faith is very important to you. How does it change who you are as a diver?
My faith is central to every aspect of my life, especially my diving. Knowing that Jesus loves me regardless of whether I perform my best or my worst is very freeing and comforting.
Thank you very much, Nancilea, for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to answer these questions. Our prayers and very best wishes go with you as you head to Beijing.
I don’t know about you, but I thought the Olympic Trials were the final hurdle for athletes wanting to attend the Olympics, and for some sports that may be true. But not for all of them. Take gymnastics, for example. When the gynmastics Olympic Trials were held recently, two gymnasts were chosen to head to Beijing. But ten others were chosen to head to attend a final selection camp being held later this month.
Similarly, this weekend is the second of a two-part selection process for U.S. divers. Those who came in first in last month’s “trials” automatically qualified to attend the Beijing Olympics as long as they are prepared at the final selection camp, which is being held this week. The top six finishers in each event qualify to attend the camp, where the second person who will compete at the Olympics in each event will be chosen.
Some sports, on the other hand, give you an automatic ticket to Beijing. Track and field and swimming are two of those. Top finishers automatically fill open slots for the Olympic team.
So, do the trials mean what you’d think they mean? Maybe. No matter what the sport or the process, the trials are a step towards Olympic dreams.
