All posts by Jon Green

From Omaha, Nebraska. On Twitter @MaverickManiacs
Canoeing, London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics

Canoeing Preview

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Canoeing started at the Olympics in 1936 and includes some kayaking events. In the beginning the only events were sprints (and some 10km “marathon” distances) held on calm water. There are still 12 sprint events held at distances of 200m, 500m, or 1000m. The biggest change over the years was the addition of the slalom events which were held in 1972 and then continuously since 1992.  These events involve canoeing down a whitewater section and passing through gates while trying to finish as quickly as possible.  The US has been a middle-of-the-pack country in canoeing with 16 medals, good for 12th all-time.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of seven athletes, five men and two women.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Canoeing
Men:
Casey Eichfeld* – C-1
Eric Hurd – C-2
Jeff Larimer – C-2
Scott Parsons** – K-1
Tim Hornsby – K-1 200m

Women:
Caroline Queen – K-1
Carrie Johnson** – K-1 500m
* – Was part of the team in Beijing
** – Was part of the team in Beijing and Athens

Schedule:

Understanding the various events is pretty easy.  If it’s a C that refers to a canoe. A K refers to a kayak. The number after the letter? That refers to the number of athletes in the boat. Finally if there is a distance at the end that is how long the sprint is. Those without a distance are the downhill slalom events.

In the slalom events there will be two preliminary runs combined to determine who the semifinalists are. After the semifinal run the field will be narrowed to the finalists, and after the final run the semifinal and final runs will be combined to determine the medalists.

In the sprint events the procedures are a bit different as multiple boats will be competing at once. There will be heats to start and if the field is small enough the winners can progress straight to the final. Other boats progress to the semi-finals where they get a 2nd chance to qualify for the final.

All Times ET
Sunday July 29th
8:30 AM – Men’s Canoeing Slalom – C-1 – Heats
9:24 AM – Men’s Canoeing Slalom – K-1 – Heats

Monday July 30th
8:30 AM – Men’s Canoeing Slalom – C-2 – Heats
9:12 AM – Women’s Canoeing Slalom – K-1 – Heats

Tuesday July 31st
8:30 AM – Men’s Canoeing Slalom – C-1 – Semifinal
10:06 AM – Men’s Canoeing Slalom – C-1 – Final

Wednesday August 1st
8:30 AM – Men’s Canoeing Slalom – K-1 – Semifinal
10:15 AM – Men’s Canoeing Slalom – K-1 – Final

Thursday August 2nd
8:30 AM – Men’s Canoeing Slalom – C-2 – Semifinal
9:12 AM – Women’s Canoeing Slalom – K-1 – Semifinal
10:18 AM – Men’s Canoeing Slalom – C-2 – Final
10:57 AM – Women’s Canoeing Slalom – K-1 – Final

Tuesday August 7th
5:07 AM – Women’s Canoeing Sprint – K-1 500m – Heats
6:16 AM – Women’s Canoeing Sprint – K-1 500m – Semifinals

Thursday August 9th
5:08 AM – Women’s Canoeing Sprint – K-1 500m – Final

Friday August 10th
4:30 AM – Men’s Canoeing Sprint – K-1 200m – Heats
6:02 AM – Men’s Canoeing Sprint – K-1 200m – Semifinals

Saturday August 11th
4:30 AM – Men’s Canoeing Sprint – K-1 200m – Final

Past Results:

Casey Eichfeld comes to the Olympics for the 2nd time, but this time in the C-1 instead of the C-2. Last time with Rick Powell he finished 11th in the preliminaries and was eliminated. Their first run was 10th and in qualification position for the semifinals, but a bad 2nd run left them 40 seconds out of 10th.  Eichfeld finished 19th at the latest World Championship.

Scott Parsons’ story in the K1 in Beijing was similar. Parsons had a 1st run that placed him 3rd out of 21 competitors, but a disastrous 2nd run that was over 50 seconds slower saw him miss the top 15 by 44 seconds.  He’ll be hoping to put two clean runs together this time around to hopefully be in position to challenge for a medal.  Things were much better for Parsons in Athens where he improved throughout the competition finishing 14th in the preliminaries but 9th in the semifinals and 6th in the final. Parsons finished 15th in the latest World Championship.

Carrie Johnson competed in the K-1 500m sprint in Beijing and will look to improve upon a decent performance. Her heat went well as she finished 4th and moved on to the semifinals.  Needing to finish in the top 3 of the semifinal to move to the final she finished 4th by half a second.  Johnson had a similar situation in Athens where she finished 4th in her heat by .28 seconds. Hopefully this time she can get to the final.  Johnson finished 2nd in the C Final of the event in the last World Championship.

Caroline Queen did compete in the World Championship as well where she finished 37th in the women’s K-1 competition.

The last American to medal was Rebecca Giddens in the women’s K-1 slalom where she finished 2nd in Athens.

London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Weightlifting

Weightlifting Preview

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Weightlifting has been a part of the Olympics since 1920, but women’s weightlifting didn’t start until 2000. The weight classes have evolved from five men’s events at the start to eight today along with the seven women’s events.  The US has been one of the stronger countries over time, winning 43 medals (2nd only to the Soviet Union’s 62).  The US has struggled to qualify lifters in the last few years with only three going this year compared to six in Beijing and ten in Atlanta.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of three athletes. Kendrick Farris will compete in the men’s 85kg division while Holley Mangold and Sarah Robles will compete in the women’s 75kg division.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Weightlifting
Men:
Kendrick Farris*

Women:
Holley Mangold
Sarah Robles
** – Was on team in 2008

Schedule:

In weightlifting the competitors get three attempts in each of the categories (the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk). Combine the best lifts in each category to get final scores. If there is a tie, the lowest bodyweight of the lifters wins.

All Times ET
Friday August 3rd
5 AM – Men’s 85kg – Group B
7:30 AM – Women’s 75kg – Group B
10:30 AM – Women’s 75kg – Group A
2 PM – Men’s 85kg – Group A

Past Results:

As the only returning competitor from Beijing Kendrick Farris will look to top his 8th place finish. He finished 19th at the latest World Weightlifting Championship. As a team the US has only won two medals since 1984, a bronze and a gold in the inaugural women’s event in Sydney. The US has had three lifters finish 6th in the last two Olympics, but nothing higher than that.

It doesn’t look like the US is a strong competitor in London, but the three athletes will have a chance to put up some good numbers and inspire a stronger team in the future.

London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Volleyball

Volleyball Preview

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Volleyball debuted in 1964, with both a women’s and a men’s competition, and has been a part of the Olympics ever since. It took the US until 1984 to win the first medals, a silver in women’s volleyball and gold in the men’s competition. The US has only won five medals since that Olympics, gold by the men in 1988 and 2008, bronze by the men and women in 1992, and silver by the women in 2008.

The Team:

The US team is made up of twelve men and twelve women. Each team has five returning players from Beijing and the men have two returners from Athens while the women have four returners.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Volleyball
Men:
Matthew Anderson
Sean Rooney*
David Lee*
Richard Lambourne*
Paul Lotman
Donald Suxho&
William Priddy**
Brian Thornton
Russell Holmes
Clay Stanley**
David McKienzie
David Smith

Women:
Danielle Scott-Arruda***
Tayyiba Haneef-Park**
Lindsey Berg**
Tamari Miyashiro
Nicole Davis*
Jordan Larson
Megan Hodge
Christa Harmotto
Logan Tom***
Foluke Akinradewo
Courtney Thompson
Destinee Hooker
* – Was on team in Beijing
& – Was on team in Athens
** – Was on team in Beijing and Athens
*** – Was on team in Beijing, Athens, and Sydney

Schedule:

In the Olympics the volleyball competitions take the form of a six-team group stage followed by an eight team tournament. The top four teams in each group will advance.

All times ET
Saturday July 28th
3 PM – USA Women’s Volleyball vs. South Korea

Sunday July 29th
11:45 AM – USA Men’s Volleyball vs. Serbia

Monday July 30th
11:45 AM – USA Women’s Volleyball vs. Brazil

Tuesday July 31st
11:45 AM – USA Men’s Volleyball vs. Germany

Wednesday August 1st
3 PM – USA Women’s Volleyball vs. China

Thursday August 2nd
3 PM – USA Men’s Volleyball vs. Brazil

Friday August 3rd
3 PM – USA Women’s Volleyball vs. Serbia

Saturday August 4th
11:45 AM – USA Men’s Volleyball vs. Russia

Sunday August 5th
3 PM – USA Women’s Volleyball vs. Turkey

Monday August 6th
3 PM – USA Men’s Volleyball vs. Tunisia

Tuesday August 7th
8 AM – 4 PM – USA Women’s Volleyball – Quarterfinals

Wednesday August 8th
9 AM – 4:30 PM – USA Men’s Volleyball – Quarterfinals

Thursday August 9th
10 AM – 2:30 PM – USA Women’s Volleyball – Semifinals

Friday August 10th
10 AM – 2:30 PM – USA Men’s Volleyball – Semifinals

Saturday August 11th
6:30 AM – 1:30 PM – USA Women’s Volleyball – Medal Round

Sunday August 12th
4:30 AM – 8 AM – USA Men’s Volleyball – Medal Round

Past Results:

In Beijing the US men went undefeated and won the gold medal, their first medal in 16 years. They did finish 6th at last year FIVB World Cup, so the pressure will be on for them to try to reach the medal stand again in London. The women won their first medal in 16 years when they won the silver in Beijing, and they kept their momentum up winning the silver at the FIVP World Cup and were the only team to beat the champions, Italy.

The best Olympic finishes from teams in the tournament are:
Men:
Argentina-3rd (1988)
Australia-8th (2000)
Brazil-1st (1992, 2004)
Bulgaria-2nd (1980)
Germany-9th (2008)
Great Britain-1st Olympics
Italy-2nd (1996, 2004)
Poland-1st (1976)
Russia-2nd (1996)
Serbia-5th (2008)
Tunisia-9th (1984)
United States-1st (1984, 1988, 2008)

Women:
Algeria-11th (2008)
Brazil-1st (2008)
China-1st (1984,2004)
Dominican Republic-11th (2004)
Great Britain-1st Olympics
Italy-5th (2004, 2008)
Japan-1st (1964, 1976)
Russia-2nd (2000, 2004)
Serbia-5th (2008)
South Korea-3rd (1976)
Turkey-1st Olympics
United States-2nd (1984, 2008)

London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Tennis

Tennis Preview

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Tennis was an original Olympic sport and even included women’s tennis as early as 1900, however in 1924 it was dropped. That absence would last over 60 years as it didn’t return until 1988. It has remained every since and will add mixed doubles this year.  The US has dominated tennis and has won 32 medals and 17 gold medals. 10 of those gold medals have come since 1988, 42% of the golds in this era.  While that all is true, the US has only won one gold medal since Sydney, a women’s doubles gold for Serena and Venus Williams in Beijing.  The world has definitely caught the US in tennis.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of twelve athletes, six men and six women. Five of the athletes return from Beijing, five of the athletes were on the team in Athens, and two of them were on the team in Sydney.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Tennis
Men:
Ryan Harrison – Singles
John Isner – Singles and Doubles
Andy Roddick& – Singles and Doubles
Donald Young – Singles
Bob Bryan** – Doubles
Mike Bryan** – Doubles

Women:
Varvara Lepchenko – Singles
Christina McHale – Singles
Serena Williams^ – Singles and Doubles
Venus Williams*** – Singles and Doubles
Liezel Huber* – Doubles
Lisa Raymond& – Doubles
* – Was on team in Beijing
& – Was on team in Athens
** – Was on team in Beijing and Athens
^ – Was on team in Beijing and Sydney
*** – Was on team in Beijing, Athens, and Sydney

Schedule:

First of all you might have noticed that there was no Americans listed as mixed doubles. This is not because the Americans won’t be competing in mixed doubles, just because the teams won’t be announced until at the Olympics. Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymond won the mixed doubles competition at Wimbledon, so I would imagine they are a good bet to be the US team.

Singles competitions will be a six-round tournament (64 competitors), doubles is a five-round tournament (32 competitors) and mixed doubles is a four-round tournament (16 competitors). The matches are best-of-three sets, the finals for men’s singles and doubles is best-of-five sets. There are no tiebreakers in the final sets of matches.

All Times ET
Saturday July 28th
6:30 AM – Tennis – Men’s Singles – Round of 64, Women’s Singles – Round of 64, Men’s Doubles – Round of 32, Women’s Doubles – Round of 32

Sunday July 29th
6:30 AM – Tennis – Men’s Singles – Round of 64, Women’s Singles – Round of 64, Men’s Doubles – Round of 32, Women’s Doubles – Round of 32

Monday July 30th
6:30 AM – Tennis – Men’s Singles – Round of 32, Women’s Singles – Round of 32, Men’s Doubles – Round of 16, Women’s Doubles – Round of 16

Tuesday July 31st
6:30 AM – Tennis – Men’s Singles – Round of 32, Women’s Singles – Round of 32, Men’s Doubles – Quarterfinals, Women’s Doubles – Quarterfinals

Wednesday August 1st
6:30 AM – Tennis – Men’s Singles – Round of 16, Women’s Singles – Round of 16, Mixed Doubles – Round of 16

Thursday August 2nd
6:30 AM – Tennis – Men’s Singles – Quarterfinals, Women’s Singles – Quarterfinals, Men’s Doubles – Semifinals, Women’s Doubles – Semifinals, Mixed Doubles – Quarterfinals

Friday August 3rd
6:30 AM – Tennis – Men’s Singles – Semifinals, Women’s Singles – Semifinals, Mixed Doubles – Semifinals

Saturday August 4th
6:30 AM – Tennis – Women’s Singles – Medal Round, Men’s Doubles – Medal Round, Mixed Doubles – Bronze Final

Sunday August 5th
6:30 AM – Tennis – Women’s Doubles – Medal Round, Men’s Singles – Medal Round, Mixed Doubles – Final

Past Results:

The US has some competitors with rich Olympic history, and some that will be looking to create some for the first time. On the men’s side Andy Roddick is the only returning singles player, having played in Athens. Roddick advanced to the Round of 16 in Athens, but has struggled to compete at the highest level since then. John Isner is the American who is ranked highest in the world, but having only advanced to one quarterfinal at a major, it’d be a surprised to see him threaten for a medal in London.

The doubles team of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan have played at the highest level for years and won titles at each of the majors. They won the bronze in Beijing after losing to Roger Federer’s doubles team and lost in the quarterfinals in Athens. They are helped by the fact that since they both are Americans, they can play with their usual partner.

On the women’s side Venus and Serena are the returning singles players, with Serena the one currently playing at a top level. Venus has been recovering from an injury and is less likely to advance in London. Both Venus and Serena lost in the quarterfinals in Beijing, but Venus has a longer history having made the round of 16 in Athens and winning gold in Sydney. Serena missed the Athens Olympics with an injury, but when the sisters played together in Beijing and Sydney they won the women’s doubles gold. They’ve only lost three sets in their ten Olympic matches.

They will see a challenge from their American counterparts of Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond. Both Huber and Raymond have been to one Olympics and made it to the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles competition. Raymond did it in 2004, Huber in 2008. Huber and Raymond have reached the 1st place ranking in the WTA double’s standings, but lost to Venus and Serena in the semifinals at Wimbledon earlier this month. That matchup could happen again in the Olympics for a gold medal if they are drawn on opposite sides of the draw.

It looks like the US is a good bet to medal at the Olympics, potentially even winning more than two in doubles and Serena looks like a favorite in singles. After winning just two medals in Beijing and one in Athens the US looks ready to reach Sydney and Atlanta (three medals) levels or maybe even the four they won in Seoul. Mixed doubles is a real mystery without any teams at this point, but if the US could medal in that they may even win five medals for the first time since mixed doubles was last included in 1924.

Basketball, London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics

Basketball Preview

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Basketball at the Olympics is a sport the US has traditionally dominated and still does in many ways. The US men have medaled at every Olympics they have been to and only missed out on gold three times (one of those the controversial 1972 loss to the Soviets). The women have a similar dominant history having won six of the nine golds since it started in 1976. The US lost the original competition to the Soviet Union, didn’t compete in 1980 at the boycotted Moscow games, and lost to the Unified Team in 1992 where they got bronze.

The Team:

The US team is made up of twelve men and twelve women. Each team has five returning players from Beijing and the men have two returners from Athens while the women have four returners.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Basketball
Men:
Carmelo Anthony**
Kobe Bryant*
Tyson Chandler
Anthony Davis
Kevin Durant
James Harden
Andre Iguodala
LeBron James**
Kevin Love
Chris Paul*
Russell Westbrook
Deron Williams*
Coach – Mike Krzyzewski*

Women:
Seimone Augustus*
Sue Bird**
Swin Cash&
Tamika Catchings**
Tina Charles
Sylvia Fowles*
Asjha Jones
Angel McCoughtry
Maya Moore
Candace Parker*
Diana Taurasi**
Lindsay Whalen
Coach – Geno Auriemma
* – Was on team in Beijing
& – Was on team in Athens
** – Was on team in Beijing and Athens

Schedule:

In the Olympics the basketball competitions take the form of a six-team group stage followed by an eight team tournament. The top four teams in each group will advance.

All Times ET

Saturday July 28th
11:45 AM – USA Women’s Basketball vs. Croatia

Sunday July 29th
9:30 AM – USA Men’s Basketball vs. France

Monday July 30th
5:15 PM – USA Women’s Basketball vs. Angola

Tuesday July 31st
5:15 PM – USA Men’s Basketball vs. Tunisia

Wednesday August 1st
5:15 PM – USA Women’s Basketball vs. Turkey

Thursday August 2nd
5:15 PM – USA Men’s Basketball vs. Nigeria

Friday August 3rd
5:15 PM – USA Women’s Basketball vs. Czech Republic

Saturday August 4th
9:30 AM – USA Men’s Basketball vs. Lithuania

Sunday August 5th
11:45 AM – USA Women’s Basketball vs. China

Monday August 6th
5:15 PM – USA Men’s Basketball vs. Argentina

Tuesday August 7th
9 AM – 5:15 PM – USA Women’s Basketball – Quarterfinals

Wednesday August 8th
9 AM – 5:15 PM – USA Men’s Basketball – Quarterfinals

Thursday August 9th
12 PM – 4 PM – USA Women’s Basketball – Semifinals

Friday August 10th
12 PM – 4 PM – USA Men’s Basketball – Semifinals

Saturday August 11th
6 AM – 10 AM – USA Women’s Basketball – Medal Round

Sunday August 12th
6 AM – 10 AM – USA Men’s Basketball – Medal Round

Past Results:

The US men won gold in Beijing after silver in Athens and gold in Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney. The US women have won gold at the last four Olympics.  The men won gold in the 2010 FIBA World Championship after winning bronze in 2006. The women had the same result winning the gold in 2010 and bronze in 2006.

The best Olympic finishes from teams in the tournament are:
Men:
Argentina-1st (2004)
Australia-4th (1988, 1996)
Brazil-3rd (1948, 1960, 1964)
China-8th (1996, 2004, 2008)
France-2nd (1948, 2000)
Great Britain-20th (1948)
Lithuania-3rd (1992, 1996, 2000)
Nigeria-1st Olympics
Russia-8th (2000)
Spain-2nd (1984, 2008)
Tunisia-1st Olympics
United States-1st (13 times, most recently 2008)

Women:
Angola-1st Olympics
Australia-2nd (2000, 2004, 2008)
Brazil-2nd (1996)
Canada-4th (1984)
China-2nd (1992)
Croatia-1st Olympics
Czech Republic-5th (2004)
France-5th (2000)
Great Britain-1st Olympics
Russia-3rd (2004, 2008)
Turkey-1st Olympics
United States-1st (6 times, most recently 2008)

London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Swimming

Swimming Preview

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Swimming of course is one of the most prominent summer Olympic sports and one the US does extremely well at.  It has been an Olympic sport since the first modern Olympics and has included women’s events since 1912. The program has expanded all the way to 34 events from the original four (only the 100m freestyle remains).  The US has won an astounding 489 medals in swimming, approximately 1 in every 3. This includes 214 golds, 43.7% of the total awarded and more than all the other countries (excluding Australia and Russia) combined. Wow. Safe to say that Swimming is dominated by the US.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of 49 athletes, 25 women and 24 men. 18 of the athletes were on the team in Beijing, eight were on the team in Athens and two were on the team in Sydney.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Swimming
Men:
Nathan Adrian* – 100m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Ricky Berens* – 200m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle Relay, 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Clark Burckle – 200m Breaststroke
Tyler Clary – 200m Butterfly, 200m Breaststroke
Connor Dwyer – 400m Freestyle, 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Anthony Ervin^ – 50m Freestyle
Jimmy Feigen – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Andrew Gemmell – 1500m Freestyle
Matt Grevers* – 100m Backstroke, 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Brendan Hansen** – 100m Breaststroke
Charlie Houchin – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Connor Jaeger – 1500m Freestyle
Cullen Jones* – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Jason Lezak** – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Ryan Lochte** – 200m Freestyle, 200m Backstroke, 200m Individual Medley, 400m Individual Medley, 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Tyler McGill – 100m Butterfly
Matt McLean – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Alex Meyer – 10km Open Water
Michael Phelps*** – 200m Individual Medley, 400m Individual Medley, 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly, 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Eric Shanteau* – 100m Breaststroke
Davis Tarwater – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Nick Thoman – 100m Backstroke
Peter Vanderkaay** – 400m Freestyle
Scott Weltz – 200m Breaststroke

Women:
Cammile Adams – 200m Butterfly
Haley Anderson – 10km Open Water
Alyssa Anderson – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Elizabeth Beisel* – 200m Backstroke, 400m Individual Medley
Rachel Bootsma – 100m Backstroke
Natalie Coughlin** – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Claire Donahue – 100m Butterfly
Missy Franklin – 100m Freestyle, 200m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke, 4x100m Freestyle Relay, 4×200, Freestyle Relay
Jessica Hardy – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Kathleen Hersey* – 200m Butterfly
Kara Lynn Joyce** – 50m Freestyle
Ariana Kukors – 200m Individual Medley
Breeja Larson – 100m Breaststroke
Micah Lawrence – 200m Breaststroke
Katie Ledecky – 800m Freestyle
Caitlin Leverenz – 400m Individual Medley, 200m Individual Medley
Lia Neal – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Lauren Perdue – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Allison Schmitt* – 200m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle Relay, 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Rebecca Soni* – 100m Breaststroke, 200m Breaststroke
Chloe Sutton* – 400m Freestyle
Dana Vollmer& – 100m Butterfly, 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Shannon Vreeland – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Amanda Weir& – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Kate Ziegler* – 4x200m Freestyle Relay
* – Was on team in Beijing
** – Was on team in Beijing and Athens
*** – Was on team in Beijing, Athens, and Sydney
& – Was on team in Athens
^ – Was on team in Sydney

Schedule:

Most swimming events will consist of a round of heats, then a round of two semifinals, and then the final. Some of the events don’t have a semifinal round. Your time is compared to the other swimmers at that round, not just those in your heat. So the top 16 times of everyone in the heats advances and the top 8 times of everyone in the semifinals advances. The 10km open water races consist of only a final.

All Times ET
Saturday July 28th
5 AM – Men’s Swimming – 400m Individual Medley – Heats
5:26 AM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Butterfly – Heats
5:47 AM – Men’s Swimming – 400m Freestyle – Heats
6:17 AM – Women’s Swimming – 400m Individual Medley – Heats
6:52 AM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Breaststroke – Heats
7:16 AM – Women’s Swimming – 4x100m Freestyle Relay – Heats
2:30 PM – Men’s Swimming – 400m Individual Medley – Final
2:40 PM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Butterfly – Semifinals
2:49 PM – Men’s Swimming – 400m Freestyle – Final
3:09 PM – Women’s Swimming – 400m Individual Medley – Final
3:30 PM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Breaststroke – Semifinals
3:50 PM – Women’s Swimming – 4x100m Freestyle Relay – Final

Sunday July 29th
5 AM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Backstroke – Heats
5:20 AM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Freestyle – Heats
5:51 AM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Breaststroke – Heats
6:13 AM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Backstroke – Heats
6:33 AM – Women’s Swimming – 400m Freestyle – Heats
7:05 AM – Men’s Swimming – 4x100m Freestyle – Heats
2:30 PM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Butterfly – Final
2:37 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Freestyle – Semifinals
2:48 PM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Breaststroke – Semifinals
3:08 PM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Breaststroke – Final
3:15 PM – Women’s Swimming – 400m Freestyle – Final
3:25 PM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Backstroke – Semifinals
3:44 PM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Backstroke – Semifinals
3:54 PM – Men’s Swimming – 4x100m Freestyle – Final

Monday July 30th
5 AM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Freestyle – Heats
5:25 AM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Butterfly – Heats
5:49 AM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Individual Medley – Heats
2:30 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Freestyle – Semifinals
2:41 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Freestyle – Final
2:49 PM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Backstroke – Final
2:56 PM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Backstroke – Final
3:13 PM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Breaststroke – Final
3:30 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Butterfly – Semifinals
3:51 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Individual Medley – Semifinals

Tuesday July 31st
5 AM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Freestyle – Heats
5:25 AM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Butterfly – Heats
5:47 AM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Breaststroke – Heats
6:17 AM – Men’s Swimming – 4x200m Freestyle Relay – Heats
2:30 PM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Freestyle – Semifinals
2:39 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Freestyle – Final
2:47 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Butterfly – Final
2:55 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Butterfly – Semifinals
3:17 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Breaststroke – Semifinals
3:39 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Individual Medley – Final
3:47 PM – Men’s Swimming – 4x200m Freestyle Relay – Final

Wednesday August 1st
5 AM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Freestyle – Heats
5:20 AM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Backstroke – Heats
5:47 AM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Breaststroke – Heats
6:14 AM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Individual Medley – Heats
6:39 AM – Women’s Swimming – 4x200m Freestyle Relay – Heats
2:30 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Breaststroke – Final
2:38 PM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Freestyle – Semifinals
2:47 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Backstroke – Semifinals
3:09 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Butterfly – Final
3:17 PM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Freestyle – Final
3:24 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Breaststroke – Semifinals
3:36 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Individual Medley – Semifinals
3:57 PM – Women’s Swimming – 4x200m Freestyle Relay – Final

Thursday August 2nd
5 AM – Men’s Swimming – 50m Freestyle – Heats
5:27 AM – Women’s Swimming – 800m Freestyle – Heats
6:21 AM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Butterfly – Heats
6:46 AM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Backstroke – Heats
2:30 PM – Men’s Swimming – 50m Freestyle – Semifinals
2:38 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Breaststroke – Final
2:46 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Backstroke – Final
2:54 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Backstroke – Semifinals
3:16 PM – Men’s Swimming – 200m Individual Medley – Final
3:34 PM – Women’s Swimming – 100m Freestyle – Final
3:51 PM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Butterfly – Semifinals

Friday August 3rd
5 AM – Women’s Swimming – 50m Freestyle – Heats
5:23 AM – Men’s Swimming – 1500m Freestyle – Heats
6:50 AM – Women’s Swimming – 4x100m Medley Relay – Heats
7:04 AM – Men’s Swimming – 4x100m Medley Relay – Heats
2:30 PM – Women’s Swimming – 200m Backstroke – Final
2:38 PM – Men’s Swimming – 100m Butterfly – Final
2:45 PM – Women’s Swimming – 800m Freestyle – Final
3:09 PM – Men’s Swimming – 50m Freestyle – Final
3:25 PM – Women’s Swimming – 50m Freestyle – Semifinals

Saturday August 4th
2:30 PM – Women’s Swimming – 50m Freestyle – Final
2:36 PM – Men’s Swimming – 1500m Freestyle – Final
3:07 PM – Women’s Swimming – 4x100m Medley Relay – Final
3:27 PM – Men’s Swimming – 4x100m Medley Relay – Final

Thursday August 9th
7 AM – Women’s Swimming – 10km Open Water

Friday August 10th
7 AM – Men’s Swimming – 10km Open Water

Past Results:

The US won 31 medals in Beijing including 12 golds. This was even better than the 28 medals in Athens, but fell short of the 33 in Sydney. The US has medaled in every women’s event at least once during the last three Olympics with the exception of the 10km open water race (22nd in the inaugural race in Beijing) and the 200m Freestyle (best finish was 4th in Beijing). The US medaled in every men’s event at least once during the last three Olympics except for the 10km open water race where the US finished 8th in Beijing.

Here is what the returning Olympians have done in the past
Nathan Adrian – Gold in 4x100m freestyle relay in Beijing
Ricky Berens – Gold in 4x200m freestyle relay in Beijing
Anthony Ervin – Gold in 50m freestyle and silver in 4x100m freestyle relay in Sydney
Matt Grevers – Silver in 100m backstroke, gold in 4x100m freestyle relay and gold in 4x100m individual medley relay in Beijing
Brendan Hansen – 4th in 100m breaststroke in Beijing… silver in 100m breaststroke and bronze in 200m breaststroke in Athens
Cullen Jones – Gold in 4x100m freestyle relay in Beijing
Jason Lezak – Gold in 4x100m individual medley relay, gold in 4x100m freestyle relay, and bronze in 100m freestyle in Beijing
Ryan Lochte – Gold in 200m backstroke, bronze in 200m individual medley, bronze in 400m individual medley, and gold in 4x200m freestyle medley in Beijing… silver in 200m individual medley, gold in 4x200m freestyle relay in Athens
Michael Phelps*** – Gold in 200m freestyle, gold in 100m butterfly, gold in 200m butterfly, gold in 200m individual medley, gold in 400m individual medley, gold in 4x100m freestyle relay, gold in 4x200m freestyle relay, gold in 4x100m individual medley in Beijing… bronze in 200m freestyle, gold in 100m butterfly, gold in 200m butterfly, gold in 200m individual medley, gold in 400m individual medley, gold in 4x200m freestyle relay, gold in 4x100m individual medley relay and bronze in 4x100m freestyle relay in Athens… 5th in 200m butterfly in Sydney
Eric Shanteau – 10th in 200m breaststroke in Beijing
Peter Vanderkaay – bronze in 200m freestyle, 4th in 400m freestyle, 11th in 1500m freestyle, gold in 4x200m freestyle in Beijing… gold in 4x200m freestyle relay in Athens

Elizabeth Beisel – 5th in 200m backstroke, 4th in 400m individual medley in Beijing
Natalie Coughlin – Bronze in 100m freestyle, gold in 100m backstroke, bronze in 200m individual medley, silver in 4x100m freestyle relay, bronze in 4x200m freestyle relay, and silver in 4x100m individual medley relay in Beijing… bronze in 100m freestyle, gold in 100m backstroke, silver in 4x100m freestyle relay, gold in 4x200m freestyle relay, silver in 4x100m individual medley relay in Athens
Kathleen Hersey – 8th in 200m butterfly in Beijing
Kara Lynn Joyce – 6th in 50m freestyle, silver in 4x100m freestyle relay, silver in 4×100 individual medley relay in Beijing… 5th in 50m freestyle, 5th in 100m freestyle, silver in 4x100m freestyle relay, silver in 4x100m individual medley relay in Athens
Allison Schmitt – 9th in 200m freestyle, bronze in 4x200m freestyle relay in Beijing
Rebecca Soni – silver in 100m breaststroke, gold in 200m breaststroke, silver in 4x100m individual medley in Beijing
Chloe Sutton – 22nd in 10km open water in Beijing
Dana Vollmer – 6th in 200m freestyle, gold in 4x200m freestyle relay in Athens
Amanda Weir – silver in 4x100m freestyle relay and silver in 4x100m individual medley relay in Athens
Kate Ziegler – 14th in 400m freestyle and 10th in 800m freestyle in Beijing

At the 2011 World Aquatic Championships the US won 29 medals including 16 golds. The 10km open water male swimming, Alex Meyer, even finished in 4th missing a medal by two seconds.

Here are the medals won by Olympians in their events
Men:
200m freestyle – Ryan Lochte – gold
200m backstroke – Ryan Lochte – gold, Tyler Clary – bronze
100m butterfly – Michael Phelps – gold, Tyler McGill – bronze
200m butterfly – Michael Phelps – gold
200m individual medley – Ryan Lochte – gold, Michael Phelps – silver
400m individual medley – Ryan Lochte – gold
4x100m freestyle relay – bronze (Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak, Nathan Adrian)
4x200m freestyle relay – gold (Michael Pehlps, Ricky Berens, Ryan Lochte)
4x100m individual medley relay – gold (Nick Thoman, Michael Phelps, Nathan Adrian)

Women:
800m freestyle – Kate Ziegler – bronze
200m backstroke – Missy Franklin – gold
100m breaststroke – Rebecca Soni – gold
200m breaststroke – Rebecca Soni – gold
100m butterfly – Dana Vollmer – gold
200m individual medley – Ariana Kukors – bronze
400m individual medley – Elizabeth Beisel – gold
4x100m freestyle relay – silver (Natalie Coughlin, Missy Franklin, Jessica Hardy)
4x200m freestyle relay – gold (Missy Franklin, Allison Schmitt)
4x100m individual medley relay – gold (Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer, Missy Franklin)

Clearly the US will win a lot of medals in London. It’s just a question of which swimmers and which events.

London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Shooting

Shooting Preview

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Shooting was held at the 1st Olympics and all Olympics since then with the exception of 1904 and 1928. Women’s shooting began in 1984 with three events and is now up to six.  Some women have competed in men’s events in the past, including a couple of medal winners.  The US is the all-time leader with 103 medals including 50 golds (more than the next two countries combined).

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of 14 men and six women.  Nine of the athletes were part of the team in Beijing, six were part of the team in Athens, four were part of the team in Sydney and one was part of the team in Atlanta!  Lots of Olympic experience in this group.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Shooting
Men:
Matt Emmons** – 10m air rifle & 50m rifle three positions
Jonathan Hall – 10m air rifle
Michael McPhail – 50m rifle prone
Eric Uptagrafft – 50m rifle prone
Jason Parker*** – 50m rifle three positions
Daryl Szarenski*** – 10m air pistol
Jason Turner** – 10m air pistol
Emil Milev – 25m rapid fire pistol
Keith Sanderson* – 25m rapid fire pistol
Nick Mowrer – 50m pistol
Walton Eller*** – double trap
Josh Richmond – double trap
Vincent Hancock* – skeet
Frank Thompson – skeet

Women:
Jamie Gray – 10m air rifle & 50 m rifle three positions
Sarah Scherer – 10m air rifle
Amanda Furrer – 50m rifle three positions
Sandra Uptagrafft – 25m pistol
Corey Cogdell* – trap
Kim Rhode**** – skeet
* – Was part of the team in Beijing
** – Was part of the team in Beijing and Athens
*** – Was part of the team in Beijing, Athens, and Sydney
**** – Was part of the team in Beijing, Athens, Sydney, and Atlanta

Schedule:

I’ll try to explain the different events now.

10m air rifle – 10m distance, standing position, air rifle with max. weight of 12.13 lb
50m rifle prone – 50m distance, prone position, .22 long rifle
50m rifle three positions – 50m distance, prone, standing, and kneeing positions, .22 long rifle
10m air pistol – 10m distance, standing position, one hand using .177 caliber air pistol
25m rapid fire pistol – 25m distance, standing position, one hand raise from 45 degree position and fire quick five shots at target
50m pistol – 50m distance, standing position, one hand using .22 caliber pistol
double trap – shotgun to shoot clay disks which are shot to left and right of center, one shot at each target
skeet – shotgun to shoot at targets launched from two machines at differing heights (singles and doubles)
25m pistol – 24m distance, standing position, one hand using .22 caliber pistol
trap – shotgun to shoot clay disks which are shot at varying distances and speed

The events will start with a qualification round where all shooters will compete. The top shooters will compete in the final where they will take a few additional shots and add that total to their qualifying total to get their final total.

All Times ET
Saturday July 28th
3:15 AM – Women’s Shooting – 10m Air Rifle – Qualification
6 AM – Women’s Shooting – 10m Air Rifle – Final
7 AM – Men’s Shooting – 10m Air Pistol – Qualification
10:30 AM – Men’s Shooting – 10m Air Pistol – Final

Sunday July 29th
4 AM – Women’s Shooting – Skeet – Qualification
9 AM – Women’s Shooting – Skeet – Final

Monday July 30th
4 AM – Men’s Shooting – 10m Air Rifle – Qualification
4 AM – Men’s Shooting – Skeet – Qualification
7:15 AM – Men’s Shooting – 10m Air Rifle – Final

Tuesday July 31st
4 AM – Men’s Shooting – Skeet – Qualification
9 AM – Men’s Shooting – Skeet – Final

Wednesday August 1st
4 AM – Women’s Shooting – 25m Pistol – Qualification
10:30 AM – Women’s Shooting – 25m Pistol – Final

Thursday August 2nd
4 AM – Men’s Shooting – Double Trap – Qualification
5:30 AM – Men’s Shooting – 25m Rapid Fire Pistol – Qualification
10 AM – Men’s Shooting – Double Trap – Final

Friday August 3rd
4 AM – Men’s Shooting – 50m Rifle Prone – Qualification
5:30 AM – Men’s Shooting – 25m Rapid Fire Pistol – Qualification
7 AM – Men’s Shooting – 50m Rifle Prone – Final
9:30 AM – Men’s Shooting – 25m Rapid Fire Pistol – Final

Saturday August 4th
4 AM – Women’s Shooting – 50m Rifle Three Position – Qualification
4 AM – Women’s Shooting – Trap – Qualification
7:45 AM – Women’s Shooting – 50m Rifle Three Position – Final
10 AM – Women’s Shooting – Trap – Final

Sunday August 5th
4 AM – Men’s Shooting – 50m Pistol – Qualification
7:30 AM – Men’s Shooting – 50m Pistol – Final

Monday August 6th
4 AM – Men’s Shooting – 50m Rifle Three Position – Qualification
8:45 AM – Men’s Shooting – 50m Rifle Three Position – Final

Past Results:

Matt Emmons comes to the Olympics looking to win another medal after winning the silver in the 50m rifle prone in Beijing and the gold in the 50m rifle prone in Athens. Emmons won the bronze at the World Shooting Championship in 2010. Jason Parker didn’t make any finals in Beijing but finished 7th in the 10m air rifle in Athens. Daryl Szarenski has not made a final in the Olympics in his three trips, but he did finish 13th in Athens in the 10m air pistol.

Jason Turner will look to defend and improve upon his bronze medal in Beijing in the 10m air pistol, while Keith Sanderson will look to medal after finishing 5th despite an Olympic record in qualification period of the 25m rapid fire pistol. Walton Eller is the defending Olympic champion in double trap and set an Olympic record with his qualifying and final scores in Beijing. Vincent Hancock also won a gold in Beijing, the gold in skeet with Olympic records in qualifying and for his final score.

Corey Cogdell was the bronze medalists in trap in Beijing while Kim Rhode was the silver medalist in skeet. She was the gold medalist in double trap in Athens, the bronze medalist in double trap in Sydney and won gold in Atlanta in double trap. Rhode did win the gold at the 2010 World Shooting Championship and looks ready to challenge for the gold in London.

The US won six medals in Beijing and brings back all of those competitors. The six was as many as the US won in Athens and Sydney combined, but it looks the US has a chance to hit that mark again in London.

London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Rowing

Rowing Preview

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Rowing has been a part of every Olympics, though it was not held in 1896 due to bad weather. Women’s rowing didn’t begin until 1976, and has six events compared to the eight the men have.  The US has more medals than any other country, 84 including 31 golds.  All rowing races are 2000m long and have six boats racing at a time. The difference between the events is what type of boat is used and the number of rowers.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of 24 men and 20 women. 13 of the 24 athletes were part of the team in Beijing and two were around back in 2004 in Athens.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Rowing
Men:
Ken Jurkowski* – Single Sculls
Tom Peszek – Coxless Pair
Silas Stafford – Coxless Pair
Anthony Fahden – Lightweight Four
Nick LaCava – Lightweight Four
Will Newell – Lightweight Four
Robin Prendes – Lightweight Four
Charlie Cole – Four
Scott Gault* – Four
Glenn Ochal – Four
Henrik Rummel – Four
Peter Graves – Quadruple Sculls
Elliot Hovey* – Quadruple Sculls
Alex Osborne – Quadruple Sculls
Wes Piermarini* – Quadruple Sculls
David Banks – Eight
Jake Cornelius – Eight
Grant James – Eight
Ross James – Eight
Steve Kasprzyk – Eight
Giuseppe Lanzone* – Eight
Will Miller – Eight
Brett Newlin* – Eight
Zach Vlahos – Eight

Women:
Gevvie Stone – Single Sculls
Sara Hendershot – Pair
Sarah Zelenka – Pair
Kristin Hedstrom – Lightweight Double Sculls
Julie Nichols – Lightweight Double Sculls
Margot Shumway – Double Sculls
Sarah Trowbridge – Double Sculls
Natalie Dell – Quadruple Sculls
Megan Kalmoe* – Quadruple Sculls
Kara Kohler – Quadruple Sculls
Adrienne Martelli – Quadruple Sculls
Erin Cafaro* – Eight
Caryn Davies** – Eight
Susan Francia* – Eight
Caroline Lind* – Eight
Esther Lofgren – Eight
Eleanor Logan* – Eight
Meghan Musnicki – Eight
Taylor Ritzel – Eight
Mary Whipple** – Eight
* – Was part of the team in Beijing
** – Was part of the team in Beijing and Athens
& – Was part of the team in Athens

Schedule:

I’ll try to explain the different events now.

First of all in rowing there is a person known as the coxswain. The coxswain coordinates steering and timing
Single Scull – One person boat, two oars. The oars are attached to the boat (otherwise it would be pretty impossible).
Coxless Pair – Two person boat, two oars. One person is rowing on each side. The boat does not have a coxswain.
Coxless Four – Four person boat, four oars. No coxswain. There is steering done with a cable attached to the rudder and a foot.
Lightweight Coxless Four – Same as coxless four but with smaller rowers. No one over 160lb, average max is 154lb.
Quadruple Scull – Four person boat, eight oars.
Eight – Eight rowers, eight oars, AND a coxswain (hence the nine person teams).
Double Sculls – Two person boat, four oars. No coxswain.
Lightweight Double Sculls – Same as double sculls but limit on weight is 130lb max and an average of 126lb.

In each event there will be heats, and repechages to qualify boats for the next rounds. Each event will have a final A where the top 6 boats race for medals. There will also be finals B, C, etc. to help determine the lower positions.

All Times ET
Saturday July 28th
4:30 AM – Women’s Rowing – Pair – Heats
4:50 AM – Women’s Rowing – Quadruple Sculls – Heats
5:10 AM – Men’s Rowing – Eight – Heats
6 AM – Men’s Rowing – Lightweight Four – Heats
6:30 AM – Men’s Rowing – Quadruple Sculls – Heats
7 AM – Men’s Rowing – Pair – Heats
7:30 AM – Men’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Heats
8:30 AM – Women’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Heats

Sunday July 29th
4:40 AM – Men’s Rowing – Lightweight Four – Repechage
4:50 AM – Men’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Repechage
5:20 AM – Women’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Repechage
5:40 AM – Women’s Rowing – Lightweight Double Sculls – Heats
6:50 AM – Women’s Rowing – Eight – Heats

Monday July 30th
4:30 AM – Women’s Rowing – Pair – Repechage
4:40 AM – Women’s Rowing – Quadruple Sculls – Repechage
4:50 AM – Men’s Rowing – Eight – Repechage
5 AM – Men’s Rowing – Quadruple Sculls – Repechage
5:10 AM – Men’s Rowing – Pair – Repechage
5:20 AM – Women’s Rowing – Double Sculls – Heats
5:40 AM – Men’s Rowing – Four – Heats

Tuesday July 31st
4:50 AM – Women’s Rowing – Lightweight Double Sculls – Repechage
4:50 AM – Women’s Rowing – Double Sculls – Repechage
5 AM – Men’s Rowing – Four – Repechage
5:50 AM – Women’s Rowing – Eight – Repechage
6 AM – Men’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Quarterfinals
6:40 AM – Women’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Quarterfinals
7:40 AM – Men’s Rowing – Lightweight Four – Semifinals

Wednesday August 1st
4:30 AM – Men’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Semifinals
5:10 AM – Women’s Rowing – Pair – Final
5:20 AM – Women’s Rowing – Quadruple Sculls – Final
5:30 AM – Men’s Rowing – Eight – Final
5:40 AM – Men’s Rowing – Quadruple Sculls – Semifinals
6 AM – Men’s Rowing – Pair – Semifinals

Thursday August 2nd
4:30 AM – Women’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Semifinals
5 AM – Men’s Rowing – Lightweight Four – Final
5:10 AM – Men’s Rowing – Four – Semifinals
5:30 AM – Women’s Rowing – Lightweight Double Sculls – Semifinals
7:30 AM – Women’s Rowing – Eight – Final

Friday August 3rd
4:30 AM – Men’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Final
5:10 AM – Men’s Rowing – Quadruple Sculls – Final
5:20 AM – Men’s Rowing – Pair – Final
5:30 AM – Women’s Rowing – Double Sculls – Final

Saturday August 4th
4:30 AM – Women’s Rowing – Single Sculls – Final
5 AM – Women’s Rowing – Lightweight Double Sculls – Final
5:30 AM – Men’s Rowing – Four – Final

Past Results:

First let’s look at how the rowers who have been to the Olympics before did. Ken Jurkowski competed in single sculls last time and did not medal. Scott Gault competed in quadruple sculls and finished 5th in the medal final. Elliot Hovey and Wes Piermarini competed together in double sculls and did not medal. Giuseppe Lanzone and Brett Newlin competed together in fours and did not medal.

Megan Kalmoe competed in double sculls and finished 5th in the medal final. Erin Cafaro, Caryn Davies, Susan Francia, Caroline Lind, and Eleanor Logan competed together in eights, where they won the gold medal. Mary Whipple was part of the eights team in Athens which won the silver medal.

In Beijing the US medaled in men’s eight (bronze), women’s single sculls (silver), and women’s eight (gold). In Athens it was men’s eight (gold) and women’s eight (silver), and in Sydney they won men’s coxless pair (silver), women’s lightweight double sculls (bronze), and women’s coxless pair (bronze). Needless to say the US will be expecting to win a couple of medals and looks like a real strong competitor in the two eight competitions. At the 2011 World Rowing Championship the US did not medal in men’s rowing but won gold in the women’s eight and the silver in the women’s quadruple sculls.

Judo, London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics

Judo Preview

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Judo has been a part of the games since 1972 and women’s judo was added in 1992. The US has only won ten medals during that entire period, far behind the leader, Japan, who has 65 medals. The US has earned a single medal in each of the last two Olympics after going without a medal in Sydney.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of only five athletes, there men and two women, down from ten in Beijing and twelve in Athens. Only one of the athletes, Travis Stevens, has represented the US before at the Olympics.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Judo
Men:
Nick Delpopolo – -73kg
Travis Stevens* – -81kg
Kyle Vashkulat – -100kg

Women:
Marti Malloy – -57kg
Kayla Harrison – -78kg
** – Was on team in 2008

Schedule:

Judo is run in a knockout format and does feature a Repechage (think loser’s bracket). The winner of the matches between the four losers of the quarterfinals will face off against the losers of the semifinals to determine the two bronze medalists in each event.

All Times ET
Monday July 30th
4:30 AM – Men’s 73kg – Round of 64, 32, 16, and Quarterfinals
4:30 AM – Women’s 57kg – Round of 32, 16, and Quarterfinals
9 AM – Men’s 73kg – Semifinals, Bronze Medal Finals
9 AM – Women’s 57kg – Semifinals, Bronze Medal Finals
11 AM – Women’s 57kg – Gold Medal Final
11:10 AM – Men’s 73kg – Gold Medal Final

Tuesday July 31st
4:30 AM – Men’s 81kg – Round of 64, 32, 16, and Quarterfinals
9 AM – Men’s 81kg – Semifinals, Bronze Medal Finals
11:10 AM – Men’s 81kg – Gold Medal Final

Thursday August 2nd
4:30 AM – Men’s 100kg – Round of 64, 32, 16, and Quarterfinals
4:30 AM – Women’s 78kg – Round of 32, 16, and Quarterfinals
9 AM – Men’s 100kg – Semifinals, Bronze Medal Finals
9 AM – Women’s 78kg – Semifinals, Bronze Medal Finals
11 AM – Women’s 78kg – Gold Medal Final
11:10 AM – Men’s 100kg – Gold Medal Final

Past Results:

Travis Stevens lost in the Round of 16 of the judo tournament in Beijing and then was knocked out in repechage round 3. He was the furthest advancing American in the field. In 2004 the best finish for the US was by Jimmy Pedro who won a bronze medal with a strong repechage after losing in the Round of 16. At Sydney the best finish was by Pedro as well who lost the bronze medal match.

The women’s best finish in Beijing came from Ronda Rousey who made the quarterfinals before losing and then made the bronze medal match where she won the bronze. In 2004 the women only had two competitors win a single match, none making it past the 2nd round of the repechage. Back in 2000 the best finish by an American was four women who made it to round two of the repechage. Rousey’s medal is the only one in women’s judo for the Americans.

At the 2011 World Judo Championship Kayla Harrison earned the only medal for the US, a bronze. She also earned the only US medal in the 2010 version when she won the gold medal. She is a real threat for a medal in London, maybe even the first gold for the US in Judo. Marti Malloy made it to the semifinals of the World Championship, but she lost in the semifinal and again in the bronze medal match.

Nick Delpopolo lost in the 1st round at the World Championship, but his opponent made it to the final eight before losing. Travis Stevens lost in the 1st round as well, as did Kyle Vashkulat.

If the US could win two medals in London, likely both on the women’s side, it would be the first time since 1988 that the US won two medals.

Gymnastics, London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics

Gymnastics Preview

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Gymnastics is one of the original Olympic events and has been contested at every modern Olympics. Artistic gymnastics was the original form and women started competing in 1928. Rhythmic gymnastics was added in 1984 and trampoline was added in 2000. The Men’s program took on it’s current form in 1932 and remains unchanged since then. The women’s form reached it’s current look in 1960. The Us trails only the Soviet Union in medals in artistic gymnastics having won 95 medals and 30 golds. The US has never medaled in rhythmic gymnastics or trampoline.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of six men and seven women.  Only one of the competitors, Jonathan Horton, has been to the Olympics before.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Gymnastics
Men:
Jake Dalton – Artistic
Jonathan Horton* – Artistic
Danell Leyva – Artistic
Sam Mikulak – Artistic
John Orozco – Artistic
Steven Gluckstein – Trampoline

Women:
Gabrielle Douglas – Artistic
McKayla Maroney – Artistic
Alexandra Raisman – Artistic
Kyla Ross – Artistic
Jordyn Wieber – Artistic
Julie Zetlin – Rhythmic
Savannah Vinsant – Trampoline
* – Was part of team in Beijing

Schedule:

Artistic gymnastics will start with a qualification round where the team’s individuals will compete on all the apparatus. This will qualify eight teams for the team final, 24 gymnasts for the individual all-around final, and eight athletes per apparatus for the individual apparatus finals. The team final will see only three members per team compete on each apparatus.  The qualification day is obviously most important for individuals trying to get into the finals for their events, while the top teams should be fairly safe to make the team final.

Rhythmic gymnastics starts with all individuals competing in a qualification round each taking their turn on the four apparatus. After this round only the top 10 move on the final. In the final they will compete on each apparatus again and the best combined score wins.

Trampoline gymnastics starts with a qualification round with two routines. The first routine is restricted in difficulty and aims for execution. The second routine is where the competitors can show off the most difficult moves.  The top eight combined scores from the two routines will advance to the final. In the final there is a routine of ten skills that will provide the final scores.

All Times ET
Saturday July 28th
6 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Qualification – Subdivision 1
10:30 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Qualification – Subdivision 2
3 PM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Qualification – Subdivision 3

Sunday July 29th
4:30 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Qualification – Subdivision 1
6:15 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Qualification – Subdivision 2
9:45 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Qualification – Subdivision 3
11:30 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Qualification – Subdivision 4
3 PM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Qualification – Subdivision 5

Monday July 30th
11:30 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Team Final

Tuesday July 31st
11:30 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Team Final

Wednesday August 1st
11:30 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around

Thursday August 2nd
11:30 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around

Friday August 3rd
9 AM – Men’s Trampoline Gymnastics – Qualification
10:35 AM – Men’s Trampoline Gymnastics – Final

Saturday August 4th
9 AM – Women’s Trampoline Gymnastics – Qualification
10:35 AM – Women’s Trampoline Gymnastics – Final

Sunday August 5th
9 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Floor Exercise Final
9:50 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Vault Final
10:41 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Pommel Horse Final

Monday August 6th
9 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Rings Final
9:50 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Uneven Bars Final
10:41 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Vault Final

Tuesday August 7th
9 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Parallel Bars Final
9:47 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Balance Beam Final
10:37 AM – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – Horizontal Bar Final
11:23 AM – Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – Floor Exercise Final

Thursday August 9th
7 AM – Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around – Qualification – Rotation 1
8:18 AM – Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around – Qualification – Rotation 2

Friday August 10th
7 AM – Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around – Qualification – Rotation 3
8:18 AM – Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around – Qualification – Rotation 4

Saturday August 11th
8:30 AM – Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around – Final – Rotation 1
9:03 AM – Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around – Final – Rotation 2
9:37 AM – Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around – Final – Rotation 3
10:10 AM – Women’s Rhythmic Gymnastics – Individual All-Around – Final – Rotation 4

Past Results:

The men’s team has the only returning competitor, Jonathan Horton, who was the leading competitor for the men in Beijing. Horton led the US team to a 3rd place finish and the bronze medal and then finished 9th in the individual all-around and won a silver on the horizontal bar.

At the 2011 World Championships the US won the bronze medal, narrowly missing out on the silver by just .01 points. China was a strong 1st, but it showed the US has a real chance to improve on their bronze medal from Beijing. John Orozco might be this year’s Horton. He finished 5th in the individual all-around at the world championship, the 2nd best American being Danell Leyva finishing 24th. Horton narrowly missed out on the individual all-around, finishing 5th in the world in the qualification round, but behind Leyva and Orozco. Jake Dalton made the floor final and finished 9th, Horton made the rings final, finishing 7th, and John Orozco made the horizontal bar final, finishing 8th. Danell Leyva won the US a gold when he won the parallel bars final.

Steven Gluckstein will be looking to improve on 2008 when the men’s trampoline competitor for the United States finished in 15th place.

The women’s team brings back no competitors from Beijing and has big shoes to fill considering the remarkable success that was found there. The US women at Beijing won the silver in the team event and took the top two spots in the indvidual all-around (Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson). Johnson and Liukin also went one-two in the balance beam and two-there in the floor event. Liukin also added a silver in the uneven bars. The eight medals followed six medals in Athens, but just one in Sydney. The good news for the US is that the women’s team is the defending all-around champion at the world championship. They also won the individual all-around (Jordyn Wieber) and vault (McKayla Maroney). Wieber also won the bronze in the balance beam and Alexandra Raisman won the bronze in the floor excercise. Raisman was a point out of the bronze in the individual all-around and had narrowly qualified for the event over Gabrielle Douglas. The competition for the two-per country spots in the individual all-around on both the men’s and women’s teams will make the qualification round very important and exciting in London. It will take a strong effort to match the eight medals from Beijing, but don’t put it past this incredibly talented group.

The US was unable to qualify a rhythmic gymnast in 2008 and finished 15th in 2004. Julie Zetlin finished 35th in the qualification at the World Championship. In trampoline the Us finished 13th in Beijing and 14th in Athens. Both Zetlin in the rhythmic competition and Savannah Vinsant in the trampoline competition will be seeking the first medal for the US in those disciplines.