For the third time this year, Jeremy Wariner couldn’t catch LaShawn Merritt n the men’s 400. Wariner had hoped to join mentor Michael Johnson as the only men to win the 400 back-to-back in the modern Olympics’ 112-year history, but it was clear from the start of the men’s final it wasn’t going to happen.

Merritt took control of the race from the start and held off Wariner and teammate David Neville to run a 43.75 and win the gold. Neville dove across the finish line just behind Wariner, who appeared to slow down as the race ended. Wariner ran a 44.74, Neville a 44.80.

Brad Townsend’s headed down to the media room to hear from all three medalists. We’ll post details as soon as we have them.

Olympic champion Nastia Liukin arrived at D/FW Airport this afternoon.

Here’s the story …
(Photo by Vernon Bryant/Dallas Morning News)
]]> http://beijingsolympics.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/nastia-liukin-is-home/feed/ 0 beinzingolympics2008 082208_nastiaback.jpg http://beijingsolympics.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/another-beach-volleyball-gold/ http://beijingsolympics.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/another-beach-volleyball-gold/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:55:37 +0000 beinzingolympics2008 http://beijingsolympics.wordpress.com/?p=104 ]]>

From the USOC

The U.S. team of Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) won the gold medal in men’s beach volleyball as play concluded at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground Friday afternoon. The pair defeated Brazil’s Fabio Magalhaes and Marcio Araujo 23-21, 17-21, 15-4. The gold is the second for the U.S. in the four times beach volleyball has been on the Olympic program and gives the U.S. sweep of beach gold after Kerri Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.) and Misty May-Treanor (Costa Mesa, Calif.) won yesterday’s women’s final.

Also, as of early this afternoon in Beijing, the U.S. has stretched its lead in overall medals won to 98-83 over China. The Chinese lead in gold medals is an insurmountable 46-29.

To piggyback on Brad’s post about Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser winning gold, Dalhausser’s nickname is “The Thin Beast.”

At an AVP stop in Arlington earlier this year, the P.A. announcer teasingly called him the “Thin, Sexy Beast” becasue he’d just posed for a rather sultry magazine cover.

At 6-9, he’s bald and a dominating presence at the net.

Since pairing with veteran Rogers about three years ago, Dalhausser, 28, has shot up the AVP and international rankings. He became a pro only after struggling to find work after graduating from Central Florida with a business degree.

In other volleyball news, I’m watching the U.S. indoor team take on Russia in a semifinal. The undefeated Americans are closing in on their first medal since 1992. It’s a pretty amazing story, especially considering the tragedy coach Hugh McCutcheon’s family has endured.

Following the men’s and women’s 4 x 100 relay debacles last night, the head of U.S. Track and Field just issued a statement about the performances of the team as well as his views on the overall Olympic effort.

Here it is:

In the last week-plus of Olympic competition in track and field, perception and reality have collided for Team USA.

The perception is that we’ve managed to muck up several key events. Some people have taken that “key event letdown” and applied it, somewhat unfairly, to the entire team.

The reality is that, at the close of competition Thursday night, we had 20 medals, which was exactly twice that of the second-best team. We are likely to match our medal total from the 1996 Olympics Games – one that was considered a huge success for Team USA – and far exceed that of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Our women, in particular, have done extremely well. They already have won eight medals, which more than they won in all of ’96 (seven), 2000 (four) and 2004 (six).

But we won’t have nearly as many gold medals as we’ve won the last two World Championships, and gold is what gets it done.

The other reality is, we could win the gold medal in every single track and field event, but if we don’t win a single thing in the sprints and relays, the public will view our performance as a disaster. When we drop the baton in back-to-back relay races, the public views our performance as a disaster.

The Olympics are about good timing, good luck, good preparation and good execution. All those things have to come together. There is no denying we have had more than our share of bad luck. Several medal-contending athletes got hurt at or right before these Games, but they’re not the only ones. Think Liu Xiang, Susanna Kallur and Paula Radcliffe. The public sometimes sees these things and sees only failure, rather than the nature of the Games.

In the men’s and women’s 200, I’m not sure there was any stopping the Jamaican juggernaut, at least not when it comes to gold medals. Nobody from any country was going to beat 9.69 and 19.30. The women’s 200 was won in the fastest time this century.

The relays and the overall perception of our weak points are another matter.

I have received emails from people across the country, particularly about the relays. They all say more or less the same thing: the dropped batons were reflective of a lack of preparation, lack of professionalism, and of leadership. I agree. Dropping a baton isn’t bad luck, it’s bad execution. Responsibility for the relay debacle lies with many people and many groups, from administration to coaches to athletes. That’s why, when these Games are completed, we will conduct a comprehensive review of all our programs. It will include assessments from inside and outside the USATF family, and included in the assessment will be the way in which we select, train and coach our relays.

Ultimately, the athletes on the track are the only ones who can successfully pass the stick around the track. But they need the proper leadership and preparation. These are professional athletes who are the best in their field, and anybody who ever ran a high school relay cringes when that baton hits the track. It reminds me of NBA players who have horrendous free-throw percentages. All it takes is repetition, preparation and focus to make a free throw. The same goes for baton-passing. As an organization, we owe it to our athletes to provide the preparation they need to succeed. We will do everything we can to figure out what went wrong and to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

In the next three days, I will watch the remainder of track competition as a fan and as the person responsible for leading the programs that produce the World’s #1 Track & Field Team. When the men’s marathon concludes on Sunday, we’ll still be the World’s #1 Team in terms of medal count. We can be a much better team. And we will be.
(Erich Schlegel/Dallas Morning News)

This from the Associated Press:

BEIJING — Despite persistent questions about the ages of several members of the Chinese women’s gymnastics team that won the gold medal, the International Olympic Committee said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated and believes the controversy will be “put to rest.”

The IOC asked the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate “what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies,” spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. But all of the information the Chinese gymnastics federation has presented so far supports its insistence that its athletes were old enough to compete.

“We believe the matter will be put to rest and there’s no question … on the eligibility,” Davies said. “The information we have received seems satisfactory in terms of the correct documentation — including birth certificates.”

The rain has stopped in Parker, clearing the way for a parade. Olympic champion Nastia Liukin will be the guest of honor in her hometown on Aug. 30.

Here’s the story.
(Photo by Vernon Bryant/Dallas Morning News)
]]> http://beijingsolympics.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/nastia-liukin-parade-rescheduled-for-aug-30/feed/ 0 beinzingolympics2008 082208_carly.jpg http://beijingsolympics.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/nbc-shows-no-nba-love/ http://beijingsolympics.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/nbc-shows-no-nba-love/#comments Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:44:55 +0000 beinzingolympics2008 http://beijingsolympics.wordpress.com/?p=94 ]]> I hate to be cynical about this but I have to ask: “Would NBC be showing the U.S. Olympic basketball team more live love if the network was still broadcasting NBA games?”

Cynically, I’d have to say, “You bet your David Stern voodoo doll.”

Broadcasting this morning’s U.S.- Argentina semi-final game on NBC via a one-hour tape delay cannot be excused. Did the world really need an extra hour of Today fluff. Everyone who would rather watch Al Roker than Kobe Bryant raise your hand.

The basketball team has been buried for no reason.

I watched the game on one of NBC’s cable channels. Now I am watching it again. If you didn’t get to watch it live you have a legitimate beef with NBC.
(Tom Fox/Dallas Morning New

The world’s fastest man added another gold medal, helping Jamaica win the 4×100 relay. Here’s the AP story …

BEIJING — Three races. Three wins. Three world records.OK, so Usain Bolt won’t take home eight gold medals from these Olympics, the way Michael Phelps did. That’s simply because there weren’t enough races.

OK, so Bolt won’t go down as winning any dramatic, neck-and-neck races, the way Phelps did. That’s because his only competition was the clock.

But Bolt certainly won’t be overshadowed by anyone at these Beijing Games — not after wrapping up one of the most amazing performances in Olympic history, regardless of sport, by leading Jamaica to a 400-meter relay victory Friday in 37.10 seconds.

“It’s wonderful,” Bolt said. “You can’t explain the feeling you feel after the greatest Olympics ever.”