The Olympics Are Coming!
I've been watching tons of Olympic trials coverage, and I can't wait for July 27th to get here! I've heard so many great stories already. Here are a few of my favorites:
5-time Olympic swimmer, mother, model, TV personality, and motivational speaker. And if that wasn't enough, she's swimming this week for a sixth Olympic berth at age 45. WHAT?!?! (PS. If you didn't catch the math, that means her first Olympic race was in 1984. As in 28 years ago. As in before I was born. Beastmode!)
Basically, she's my hero. Through it all, "I still have a passion for the sport of swimming," she said. "I have so many people come up to me and say I'm inspiring them to do things that they thought they couldn't do because they were too old, or that they put off because they couldn't find a balance in their life to do it," Torres said. Well, she's inspiring me! I want to have that competitive spirit at her age. So amazing! I'll be cheering loud for her whether she makes the team or not. Go Dara! Check out this article:
Dara Torres
5-time Olympic swimmer, mother, model, TV personality, and motivational speaker. And if that wasn't enough, she's swimming this week for a sixth Olympic berth at age 45. WHAT?!?! (PS. If you didn't catch the math, that means her first Olympic race was in 1984. As in 28 years ago. As in before I was born. Beastmode!)Basically, she's my hero. Through it all, "I still have a passion for the sport of swimming," she said. "I have so many people come up to me and say I'm inspiring them to do things that they thought they couldn't do because they were too old, or that they put off because they couldn't find a balance in their life to do it," Torres said. Well, she's inspiring me! I want to have that competitive spirit at her age. So amazing! I'll be cheering loud for her whether she makes the team or not. Go Dara! Check out this article:
Torres continues quest for sixth Olympic berth
Bryan Clay
It's easy to forget that these crazy, amazing athletes are human. They are so incredible, but sometimes you have an off day. After winning the gold medal four years ago in the Beijing Olympics in the decathlon and hoping to become the first man to medal in 3 consecutive Olympics, Bryan Clay didn't make the Olympic team. He stumbled and pushed over the ninth hurdle and scratched on all three discus throws, an event he holds the decathlon world record in. Even though he wasn't going to make the Olympic team, he finished the competition and shook all the competitors hands. Very classy guy. I can't imagine the disappointment after all the past successes and expectations on such a public stage. He handled himself very well and is a great representative of his sport and USA.
If you don't love what you do, you won't do it with much conviction or passion.-Bryan Clay
Brendan Hansen, Eric Shanteau, Peter Vanderkaay, Ryan Lochte & Michael Phelps
They're all heading back to the Olympics. Each of these swimmers has been to at least one Olympics. WOW! That's mighty impressive considering how deep the US team is. I had no idea so many swimmers competed in the Trials. Today, I watched 13 heats of 10 swimmers in the men's 100m backstroke. They whittle that down to the 10 men in the finals, and only 2 go on to compete in London. No pressure there, right? Yikes!
Hansen, who retired from the sport after the
Beijing Games but couldn't
stay away, made his comeback worthwhile by winning the 100-meter
breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic trials Tuesday night. He was one of the
world's top breaststrokers leading up to both Athens and Beijing, but
has yet to win an individual gold. His arch
nemesis, Kosuke Kitajima, of Japan was in the stands watching. Kitajima
has won gold in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke in both of the last
Olympics. Hansen even had Kitajima's yell after winning those races in
Athens as his alarm clock ringtone for awhile. Big time rivalry, and I'm
looking forward to seeing in play out in London.
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| Brendan Hansen |
Four years ago, Shanteau beat out Hansen for an individual spot on the
team shortly after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. He put off
treatment until after the games and has been healthy ever since. Such an inspirational story, and he's still at the top of his game. So happy for Eric!
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| Eric Shanteau |
In other finals on the opening night of the trials, Peter Vanderkaay became a three-time Olympian by winning the 400 free. In an interview after the race, Peter said, "Making that third team wasn't any easier." I can't imagine swimming that competitively for so long. And he's still one of the world leaders in that event. Very, very impressive, Peter. I'm cheering for you!
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| Peter Vanderkaay |
Ryan Lochte is dominating everyone in the world, even Michael Phelps. This will be his third Olympics. He has worked his butt off the last four years since Beijing, and it's definitely showing. I'm so impressed with his confident, yet humble attitude. He knows what he has to do, and he does it. He is in the media's eye, but he doesn't make a big deal about it. He just shows up to race and gets it done. He has already beaten Phelps twice in these Trials, and I sure hope they both make it to the finals in all the same races in London. You can bet I'll be screaming and jumping up and down in front of my TV.
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| Lochte vs Phelps |
This will be number four for Phelps, who became the first American male
swimmer to qualify for a fourth Olympic team. If he swims on all three American relays, as expected, that adds up to
eight events — the number of golds he captured in 2008 to eclipse Mark Spitz's
iconic Olympic record. He talked about slowing down after Beijing, but he is clearly ready to compete and retire in style. He's amazing at what he does, and I can't wait to see all the close and crazy races in London!
If you want to hear about other inspirational athletes and performances, you'll have to check in later. I'm sure to be inspired every time I turn on the TV, so get ready for all things Olympic the next 2 months. I'M SO EXCITED!!! I can hardly contain myself. Just ask Katy, she'll tell you it's true. I get all giddy every time a commercial comes on for the Olympics, let alone qualifiers. So, go check out some Olympic trials coverage any night this week on NBC, NBC Sports or online.