Category Archives: Olympic Previews

London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Track and Field

Athletics Preview

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If you are confused by the title of athletics it is more commonly known as Track and Field.  Contested since the first Olympics, the men’s program is the same today as it was in 1956. Women’s competition started in 1928 and has been growing ever since from five events to the current 23.  Six of the current events started in 1996 or later.  The US is the all-time leader in medals with 738 including 311 golds!  It really is an astounding total representing 28% of all medals and 35% of the gold medals.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of 124 athletes, 61 women and 63 men. 44 are returning from Beijing, 21 are returning from Athens, four are returning from Sydney and one is returning from Atlanta.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Athletics
Men:
Abdi Abdirahman*** – Marathon
Kyle Alcorn – 3000m Steeplechase
Ryan Bailey – 100m, 4x100m Relay
Trevor Barron – 20km Race Walk
Lance Brooks – Discus Throw
Donn Cabral – 300m Steeplechase
Christian Cantwell* – Shot Put
Matthew Centrowitz – 1500m
Will Claye – Long Jump, Triple Jump
Kerron Clement* – 400m Hurdles
Ashton Eaton – Decathlon
Sean Furey – Javelin Throw
Justin Gatlin& – 100m, 4x100m Relay
Tyson Gay* – 100m, 4x100m Relay
Marquise Goodwin – Long Jump
Ryan Hall* – Marathon
Trey Hardee* – Decathlon
Reese Hoffa** – Shot Put
Cyrus Hostetler – Javelin Throw
Evan Jager – 3000m Steeplechase
Kibwe Johnson – Hammer Throw
Meb Keflezighi^ – Marathon
Trell Kimmons – 4x100m Relay
Craig Kinsley – Javelin Throw
George Kitchens, Jr. – Long Jump
Alfred “A. G.” Kruger** – Hammer Throw
Erik Kynard – High Jump
Bernard Lagat* – 5000m
Lopez Lomong* – 5000m
Josh Mance – 4x400m Relay
Leo Manzano – 1500m
Tony McQuay – 400m, 4x400m Relay
Aries Merritt – 110m Hurdles
LaShawn Merritt* – 400m, 4x400m Relay
Derek Miles** – Pole Vault
Maurice Mitchell – 200m
Manteo Mitchell – 4x400m Relay
Bryshon Nellum – 400m, 4x400m Relay
Jamie Nieto& – High Jump
Johnny Nunn& – 50km Race Walk
Darvis Patton** – 4x100m Relay
Jeff Porter – 110m Hurdles
Jason Richardson – 110m Hurdles
Dathan Ritzenhein** – 10000m
Khadevis Robinson& – 800m
Michael Rodgers – 4x100m Relay
Jarred Rome* – Discus Throw
Galen Rupp* – 10000m, 5000m
Jeremy Scott – Pole Vault
Duane Solomon – 800m
Wallace Spearmon* – 200m
Nick Symmonds* – 800m
Angelo Taylor*** – 400m Hurdles
Christian Taylor – Triple Jump
Matt Tegenkamp* – 10000m
Michael Tinsley – 400m Hurdles
Brad Walker* – Pole Vault
Jeremy Wariner** – 4x400m Relay
Andrew Wheating* – 1500m
Ryan Whiting – Shot Put
Jesse Williams* – High Jump
Isiah Young – 200m
Jason Young – Discus Throw

Women:
Amy Acuff**** – High Jump
Keshia Baker – 4x400m Relay
Brigetta Barrett – High Jump
Janet Bawcom – 10000m
Amanda Bingson – Hammer Throw
Brittany Borman – Javelin Throw
Tia Brooks – Shot Put
T’erea Brown – 400m Hurdles
Stephanie Brown-Trafton& – Discus Throw
Jillian Camarena-Williams* – Shot Put
Amber Campbell* – Hammer Throw
Michelle Carter* – Shot Put
Emma Coburn – 3000m Steeplechase
Kim Conley – 5000m
Jessica Cosby* – Hammer Throw
Julie Culley – 5000m
Desiree Davila – Marathon
Sharon Day* – Heptathlon
Janay DeLoach – Long Jump
Lashinda Demus& – 400m Hurdles
Diamond Dixon – 4x400m Relay
Allyson Felix** – 100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay, 4x400m Relay
Shalane Flanagan** – Marathon
Hyleas Fountain* – Heptathlon
Bridget Franek – 3000m Steeplechase
Geena Gall – 800m
Kara Goucher* – Marathon
Dawn Harper* – 100m Hurdles
Amy Hastings – 10000m
Chelsea Hayes – Long Jump
Becky Holliday – Pole Vault
Molly Huddle – 5000m
Lacy Janson – Pole Vault
Carmelita Jeter – 100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay
Lolo Jones* – 100m Hurdles
Shalaya Kipp – 3000m Steeplechase
Bianca Knight – 4x100m Relay
Gia Lewis-Smallwood – Discus Throw
Chaunte Lowe – High Jump
Tianna Madison – 100m, 4x100m Relay
Francena McCorory – 400m, 4x400m Relay
Chantae McMillan – Heptathlon
Maria Michta – 20km Race Walk
Georganne Moline – 400m Hurdles
Alysia Montano – 800m
Kara Patterson* – Javelin Throw
Brittney Reese* – Long Jump
Sanya Richards-Ross** – 400m, 200m, 4x400m Relay
Shannon Rowbury* – 1500m
Alice Schmidt* – 800m
Jennifer Simpson – 1500m
Amanda Smock – Triple Jump
Jenn Suhr – Pole Vault
Jeneba Tarmoh – 4x100m Relay
Aretha Thurmond* – Discus Throw
Dee Dee Trotter** – 400m, 4x400m Relay
Morgan Uceny – 1500m
Lisa Uhl – 10000m
Kellie Wells – 100m Hurdles
Lauryn Williams** – 4x100m Relay
Rachel Yurkovich – Javelin Throw
* – Was on team in Beijing
** – Was on team in Beijing and Athens
*** – Was on team in Beijing, Athens, and Sydney
**** – Was on team in Beijing, Athens, Sydney and Atlanta
& – Was on team in Athens
^ – Was on team in Athens and Sydney

Schedule:

Most track events consist of heats, two semifinals, and then a final. Some of the longer races will drop the semifinals or just have a final. In the field events there will be a qualifying round to reach a qualifying score. At least 12 athletes will make the final. In the final there will be three attempts to narrow it to the top eight who will go three more times.

All Times ET
Friday August 3rd
5 AM – Men’s Athletics – Shot Put – Qualification
5:05 AM – Women’s Athletics – Heptathlon – 100m Hurdles
5:25 AM – Women’s Athletics – Triple Jump – Qualification
5:40 AM – Women’s Athletics – 100m – Preliminaries
6:15 AM – Women’s Athletics – Heptathlon – High Jump
6:15 AM – Men’s Athletics – 400m Hurdles – Heats
6:20 AM – Men’s Athletics – Hammer Throw – Qualification
7 AM – Women’s Athletics – 400m – Heats
8 AM – Men’s Athletics – Steeplechase – Heats
2 PM – Women’s Athletics – Heptathlon – Shot Put
2:05 PM – Women’s Athletics – 100m – Heats
2:10 PM – Women’s Athletics – Discus Throw – Qualification
2:50 PM – Men’s Athletics – Long Jump – Qualification
3:05 PM – Men’s Athletics – 1500m – Heats
3:30 PM – Men’s Athletics – Shot Put – Final
3:45 PM – Women’s Athletics – Heptathlon – 200m
4:25 PM – Women’s Athletics – 10,000m – Final

Saturday August 4th
5 AM – Men’s Athletics – 100m – Preliminaries
5:05 AM – Women’s Athletics – Heptathlon – Long Jump
5:20 AM – Women’s Athletics – Pole Vault – Qualification
5:35 AM – Men’s Athletics – 400m – Heats
6:35 AM – Women’s Athletics – Steeplechase – Heats
6:40 AM – Women’s Athletics – Heptathlon – Javelin Throw
7:30 AM – Men’s Athletics – 100m – Heats
12 PM – Men’s Athletics – 20km Walk
2 PM – Men’s Athletics – 400m Hurdles – Semifinals
2:30 PM – Women’s Athletics – Discus Throw – Final
2:35 PM – Women’s Athletics – 100m – Semifinals
2:55 PM – Men’s Athletics – Long Jump – Final
3:05 PM – Women’s Athletics – 400m – Seimfinals
3:35 PM – Women’s Athletics – Heptathlon – 800m
4:15 PM – Men’s Athletics – 10,000m – Final
4:55 PM – Women’s Athletics – 100m – Final

Sunday August 5th
6 AM – Women’s Athletics – Marathon
2 PM – Women’s Athletics – 400m Hurdles – Heats
2:05 PM – Men’s Athletics – High Jump – Qualification
2:35 PM – Women’s Athletics – Triple Jump – Final
2:45 PM – Men’s Athletics – 100m – Semifinals
3:15 PM – Men’s Athletics – 1500m – Semifinals
3:20 PM – Men’s Athletics – Hammer Throw – Final
3:40 PM – Men’s Athletics – 400m – Semifinals
4:10 PM – Women’s Athletics – 400m – Final
4:25 PM – Men’s Athletics – Steeplechase – Final
4:50 PM – Men’s Athletics – 100m – Final

Monday August 6th
5 AM – Men’s Athletics – Discus Throw – Qualification
5:05 AM – Women’s Athletics – 100m Hurdles – Heats
5:45 AM – Women’s Athletics – Shot Put – Qualification
5:50 AM – Men’s Athletics – 800m – Heats
6:45 AM – Women’s Athletics – 1500m – Heats
2 PM – Women’s Athletics – Pole Vault – Final
2:15 PM – Women’s Athletics – Shot Put – Final
2:20 PM – Women’s Athletics – 200m – Heats
3:15 PM – Women’s Athletics – 400m Hurdles – Semifinals
3:45 PM – Men’s Athletics – 400m Hurdles – Final
4:05 PM – Women’s Athletics – Steeplechase – Final
4:30 PM – Men’s Athletics – 400m – Final

Tuesday August 7th
5 AM – Women’s Athletics – Javelin Throw – Qualification
5:10 AM – Men’s Athletics – 110m Hurdles – Heats
5:15 AM – Men’s Athletics – Triple Jump – Qualification
5:55 AM – Women’s Athletics – 5000m – Heats
6:50 AM – Men’s Athletics – 200m – Heats
2 PM – Men’s Athletics – High Jump – Final
2:05 PM – Women’s Athletics – Long Jump – Qualification
2:15 PM – Women’s Athletics – 100m Hurdles – Semifinals
2:45 PM – Men’s Athletics – Discus Throw – Final
2:55 PM – Men’s Athletics – 800m – Semifinals
3:25 PM – Women’s Athletics – 200m – Semifinals
4 PM – Women’s Athletics – 100m Hurdles – Final
4:15 PM – Men’s Athletics – 1500m – Final

Wednesday August 8th
5 AM – Men’s Athletics – Pole Vault – Qualification
5 AM – Women’s Athletics – Hammer Throw – Qualification
5:10 AM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – 100m
5:45 AM – Men’s Athletics – 5000m – Heats
6:10 AM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – Long Jump
6:35 AM – Women’s Athletics – 800m – Heats
7:50 AM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – Shot Put
1 PM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – High Jump
2:05 PM – Men’s Athletics – Javelin Throw – Qualification
2:15 PM – Men’s Athletics – 110m Hurdles – Semifinals
2:45 PM – Women’s Athletics – 1500m – Semifinals
3:05 PM – Women’s Athletics – Long Jump – Final
3:10 PM – Men’s Athletics – 200m – Semifinals
3:45 PM – Women’s Athletics – 400m Hurdles – Final
4 PM – Women’s Athletics – 200m – Final
4:15 PM – Men’s Athletics – 110m Hurdles – Final
4:30 PM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – 400m

Thursday August 9th
4 AM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – 110m Hurdles
4:30 AM – Women’s Athletics – High Jump – Qualification
4:55 AM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – Discus Throw
6:35 AM – Men’s Athletics – 4x400m Relay – Heats
7:55 AM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – Pole Vault
1:30 PM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – Javelin Throw
2:20 PM – Men’s Athletics – Triple Jump – Final
2:30 PM – Women’s Athletics – 800m – Semifinals
3 PM – Men’s Athletics – 800m – Final
3:20 PM – Women’s Athletics – 4x100m Relay – Heats
3:55 PM – Men’s Athletics – 200m – Final
4 PM – Women’s Athletics – Javelin Throw – Final
4:20 PM – Men’s Athletics – Decathlon – 1500m

Friday August 10th
2 PM – Men’s Athletics – Pole Vault – Final
2:10 PM – Women’s Athletics – 4x400m Relay – Heats
2:35 PM – Women’s Athletics – Hammer Throw – Final
2:45 PM – Men’s Athletics – 4x100m Relay – Heats
3:05 PM – Women’s Athletics – 5000m – Final
3:40 PM – Women’s Athletics – 4x100m Relay – Final
3:55 PM – Women’s Athletics – 1500m – Final
4:20 PM – Men’s Athletics – 4x400m Relay – Final

Saturday August 11th
4 AM – Men’s Athletics – 50km Walk
12 PM – Women’s Athletics – 20km Walk
2 PM – Women’s Athletics – High Jump – Final
2:20 PM – Men’s Athletics – Javelin Throw – Final
2:30 PM – Men’s Athletics – 5000m – Final
3 PM – Women’s Athletics – 800m – Final
3:25 PM – Women’s Athletics – 4x400m Relay – Final
4 PM – Men’s Athletics – 4x100m Relay – Final

Sunday August 12th
6 AM – Men’s Athletics – Marathon

Past Results:

The US won 23 medals in Beijing, 22 in Athens, 16 in Sydney and nine in Atlanta. The US men has medaled in every men’s event except the 20km walk and every women’s event except the 1500m, the 5000m, the 20km walk, the 3000m steeplechase, the triple jump, and the hammer throw.

Here is what the returning Olympians have done in the past:
Men:
Abdi Abdirahman – 15th in 10,000m in Beijing, 15th in 10,000m in Athens, 10th in 10,000m in Sydney
Christian Cantwell – silver in shot put in Beijing
Kerron Clement – silver in 400m hurdles, gold in 4x400m relay in Beijing
Justin Gatlin – gold in 100m, bronze in 200m, and silver in 4x100m relay in Athens
Tyson Gay – DNF in 4x100m Relay and did not make final in 100m in Beijing
Ryan Hall – 10th in marathon in Beijing
Trey Hardee – DNF in decathlon in Beijing
Reese Hoffa – 7th in shot put in Beijing, did not make final in shot put in Athens
Meb Keflezighi – silver in marathon in Athens, 12th in marathon in Sydney
Alfred “A. G.” Kruger – did not make final in Beijing, did not make final in Athens
Bernard Lagat – 9th in 5000m, did not reach final in 1500m in Beijing
Lopez Lomong – Did not reach final in 1500m in Beijing
LaShawn Merritt – gold in 400m, gold in 4x400m relay in Beijing
Derek Miles – 4th in pole vault in Beijing, 7th in pole vault in Athens
Jamie Nieto – 4th in high jump in Athens
Johnny Nunn – 26th in 20km walk in Athens
Darvis Patton – DNF in 4x100m relay, 8th in 100m in Beijing, silver in 4x100m relay in Athens
Dathan Ritzenhein – 9th in marathon in Beijing, DNF in 10,000m in Athens
Khadevis Robinson – did not reach final in 800m in Athens
Jarred Rome – did not reach final in discus throw in Beijing
Galen Rupp – 13th in 10,000m in Beijing
Wallace Spearmon – DSQ in 200m in Beijing
Nick Symmonds – did not reach final in 800m in Beijing
Angelo Taylor – gold in 400m hurdles in Beijing, did not reach final in 400m hurdles in Athens, gold in 400m hurdles in Sydney
Matt Tegenkamp – 13th in 5000m in Beijing
Brad Walker – did not reach final in pole vault in Beijing
Jeremy Wariner – gold in 4x400m relay and silver in 400m in Beijing, gold in 400m and gold in 4x400m relay in Athens
Andrew Wheating – did not reach final in 800m in Beijing
Jesse Williams – did not reach final in high jump in Beijing

Women:
Amy Acuff – did not reach final in high jump in Beijing, 4th in high jump in Athens, did not reach final in high jump in Sydney, did not reach final in Atlanta
Stephanie Brown-Trafton – did not reach final in discus throw in Athens
Jillian Camarena-Williams – 12th in shot put in Beijing
Amber Campbell – did not reach final in hammer throw in Beijing
Michelle Carter – 15th in shot put in Beijing
Jessica Cosby – did not reach final in hammer throw in Beijing
Sharon Day – did not reach final in high jump in Beijing
Lashinda Demus – did not reach final in 400m hurdles in Athens
Allyson Felix – gold in 4x400m relay, silver in 200m in Beijing, silver in 200m in Athens
Shalane Flanagan – bronze in 10,000m in Beijing, did not reach final in 5000m in Athens
Hyleas Fountain – silver in heptathlon in Beijing
Kara Goucher – 10th in 10,000m in Beijing
Dawn Harper – gold medal in 100m hurdles in Beijing
Lolo Jones – 7th in 100m hurdles in Beijing
Kara Patterson – did not reach final in javelin throw in Beijing
Brittney Reese – 5th in long jump in Beijing
Sanya Richards-Ross – gold in 4x400m relay, bronze in 400m in Beijing, DSQ in 4x400m relay, 6th in 400m in Athens
Shannon Rowbury – 7th in 1500m in Beijing
Alice Schmidt – did not reach final in 800m in Beijing
Aretha Thurmond – 10th in discus throw in Beijing
Dee Dee Trotter – did not reach final in 400m in Beijing, 5th in 400m and DSQ in 4x400m relay in Athens
Lauryn Williams – DSQ in 4x100m relay, 4th in 100m in Beijing, silver in 100m and DNF in 4x100m relay in Athens

At the 2011 World Championships the US won 25 medals including 12 golds.

Here are the medals won by Olympians in their events
Men:
400m – LaShawn Merritt – silver
1500m – Matthew Centrowitz – bronze
5000m – Bernard Lagat – silver
110m hurdles – Jason Richardson – gold
4x400m relay – LaShawn Merritt – gold
high jump – Jesse Williams – gold
triple jump – Christian Taylor – gold, Will Claye – bronze
decathlon – Trey Hardee – gold, Ashton Eatin – silver

Women:
100m – Carmelita Jeter – gold
200m – Carmelita Jeter – silver, Allyson Felix – bronze
1500m – Jennifer Simpson – gold
110m hurdles – Dawn Harper – bronze
400m hurdles – Lashinda Demus – gold
4x100m relay – Bianca Knight, Allyson Felix, Carmelita Jeter – gold
4x400m relay – Sanya Richards-Ross, Allyson Felix, Francena McCorory, Keshia Baker – gold
long jump – Brittney Reese – gold
shot put – Jillian Camarena-Williams – bronze

Look for the US to approach and probably surpass the 20 medal mark again in London.

London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Water Polo

Water Polo Preview

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Water polo began as an Olympic sport in 1900, but didn’t feature women’s water polo until 2000.  The US has medaled in women’s water polo each year since it was started including silvers in Beijing and Sydney. The US Men have won 9 medals, but three of those were in 1904 when only US teams competed. The Us won silver in Beijing, their first medal since 1988, and haven’t won gold since 1904.

The Team:

The US teams consist of 13 men and 13 women.  16 of the athletes are returning from Beijing, nine are returning from Athens and three are still with the team from Sydney.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Water Polo
Men:
Merrill Moses*
Peter Varellas*
Peter Hudnut*
Jeff Powers**
Adam Wright**
Shea Buckner
Layne Beaubien**
Tony Azevedo***
Ryan Bailey***
Timothy Hutten*
Jesse A. Smith**
John Mann
Chay Lapin

Women:
Elizabeth Armstrong*
Heather Petri***
Melissa Seidemann
Brenda Villa**
Lauren Wenger*
Maggie Steffens
Courtney Mathewson
Jessica Steffens*
Elsie Windes*
Kelly Rulon&
Annika Dries
Kami Craig*
Tumuaialii Anae
* – 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:

The water polo tournament for both genders will start with a group stage of round robin play. The men’s competition features two groups of six, the women’s competition has two groups of four. In the men’s tournament the top four in each group move onto the quarterfinals, while in the women’s tournament all eight will go into the quarterfinals.

All times ET
Sunday July 29th
2:40 PM – USA Men’s Water Polo vs. Montenegro – Group Stage

Monday July 30th
2:40 PM – USA Women’s Water Polo vs. Hungary – Group Stage

Tuesday July 31st
2:40 PM – USA Men’s Water Polo vs. Romania – Group Stage

Wednesday August 1st
1:20 PM – USA Women’s Water Polo vs. Spain – Group Stage

Thursday August 2nd
1:20 PM – USA Men’s Water Polo vs. Great Britain – Group Stage

Friday August 3rd
2:40 PM – USA Women’s Water Polo vs. China – Group Stage

Saturday August 4th
2:40 PM – USA Men’s Water Polo vs. Serbia – Group Stage

Sunday August 5th
9:50 AM – USA Women’s Water Polo – Quarterfinals

Monday August 6th
10:30 AM – USA Men’s Water Polo vs. Hungary – Group Stage

Tuesday August 7th
9:10 AM – USA Women’s Water Polo – Semifinals

Wednesday August 8th
9:30 AM – USA Men’s Water Polo – Quarterfinals

Thursday August 9th
1:40 PM – USA Women’s Water Polo – Medal Round

Friday August 10th
9:20 AM – USA Men’s Water Polo – Semifinals

Sunday August 12th
9:30 AM – USA Men’s Water Polo – Medal Round

Past Results:

In Beijing the US men went 4-1 in the group stage to get a bye into the top spot in the semifinals. They beat Serbia in the semifinals but were knocked off by Hungary in the final to win the silver medal. The US women went 2-1 to win their group and advance to the semifinals where they beat Australia. In the final they had clawed back from a 4-2 deficit to tie the Netherlands at 8, but a late goal gave the Dutch the gold medal.

In Athens the US men struggled to a 2-3 finish in the group stage and finished 7th. The women fared better and won their group before losing to Italy in the semifinals and winning the bronze against Australia in the final.

In Sydney the men qualified to the quarterfinals by finishing 4th in their group but a loss to Russia sent the US into the classification tournament where they finished 6th. The US women finished 2nd in their group and reached the final against Australia where they lost 4-3.

The US men finished 4th at the latest Water Polo World League tournament and 6th at the 2011 World Aquatic Championship. The US women finished 6th at the World Aquatic Championship as well, but they did win the 2010 Water Polo World Cup.

London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Sailing

Sailing Preview

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Sailing started at the first Olympics, but was rained out in 1896 and not held in 1904. Ever since then it’s been a mainstay of the Summer Olympics. Sailing was gender-neutral until 1988 when the competition was split into the men’s and women’s events we see today. The US is the all-time leader in medals with 59 and that includes 19 golds. Olympic sailing is divided into different “classes”.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of 16 athletes, seven women and nine men. Six are returning from Beijing and one is returning from Athens.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Sailing
Men:
Graham Biehl* – Men’s 470
Robert Crane – Laser
Brian Fatih – Men’s Keelboat
Stuart McNay* – Men’s 470
Mark Mendelblatt& – Men’s Keelboat
Trevor Moore – 49er
Zach Railey* – Finn
Erik Storck – 49er
Bob Willis – Men’s Windsurf

Women:
Debbie Capozzi* – Elliott 6m
Amanda Clark* – Women’s two-person dingy
Farrah Hall – Women’s Windsurf
Sarah Lihan – Women’s two-person dingy
Paige Railey – Laser Radial
Anna Tunnicliffe* – Elliott 6m
Molly Vandemoer – Elliott 6m
* – 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.

All of the events save one are Fleet racing. In fleet racing there will be a set of 10 races (one event has 15) in which the first boat gets one point, the 2nd two, and so on. Your worst race is dropped and the top ten advance to the medal race. In the medal race the points are doubled and added to the previous total. The lowest total wins.

In the one match racing event, there are twelve teams entered so each team will compete against each other in the group stage. The winner gets a point, a draw is worth a half-point. The top eight move onto a knockout stage. There will be a series of races in the knockout stage with three points needed to win the matchup.

Classes:
470 Class – 4.7 meter long boat (470)
Laser – Very simple boat, small
Keelboat/Star – Designed for two
49er – Two handed, two person crew. Very advanced boat.
Windsurf/RS:X – It’s not a boat, but more of a surfboard with a sail attached.
Finn – Was designed specifically for the Olympics, single handed.
Laser Radial – Shorter mast and smaller sail than the Laser.
Elliott 6m – Better designed for the match racing.

All Times ET
Sunday July 29th
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 1
8:30 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 2
8:30 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Round Robin
8:35 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 1
9:50 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 2

Monday July 30th
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 1
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 1
7:05 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 1
7:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 2
8:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 2
8:20 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 2
9 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 3
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Round Robin
9:05 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 3
10:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 4
10:20 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 4

Tuesday July 31st
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 3
7 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 3
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 5
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 1
7:05 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 5
7:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 4
7:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 2
8:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 6
8:20 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 6
8:30 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Round Robin
9 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 3
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 1
9:05 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 4
9:45 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 2
10:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 4

Wednesday August 1st
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 5
7 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 5
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 3
7:05 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 5
7:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 6
7:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 4
8:15 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 6
8:20 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 6
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Round Robin
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 3
9:45 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 4

Thursday August 2nd
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 7
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 1
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 7
7:05 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 7
7:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 8
8:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 8
8:20 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 8
8:30 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 2
8:30 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Round Robin
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 3
9:45 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 4
11 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 3
11:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 4

Friday August 3rd
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 9
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 7
7 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Race 1
7:05 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 3
7:05 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 9
8:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Race 10
8:15 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Race 2
8:20 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 4
8:20 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Race 10
8:30 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 8
8:30 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 9
8:35 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 7
9:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 10
9:50 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 8
10:00 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 11

Saturday August 4th
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 9
7 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 7
7:05 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 9
7:45 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 8
8:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Race 10
8:20 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Race 10
9 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 5
9 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 7
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Round Robin
9:05 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Race 3
9:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 8
10:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 6
10:20 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Race 4

Sunday August 5th
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 12
7 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 9
7:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 13
7:45 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 10
8 AM – Men’s Sailing – Star – Medal Race
9 AM – Men’s Sailing – Finn – Medal Race
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Race 5
9 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 9
9:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Race 10
10:30 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Race 6

Monday August 6th
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 7
8 AM – Women’s Sailing – Laser Radial – Medal Race
8:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 8
9 AM – Men’s Sailing – Laser – Medal Racer
10 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 14
10:45 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Race 15

Tuesday August 7th
7 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 9
7:05 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Race 7
8 AM – Men’s Sailing – RS-X – Medal Race
8:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 10
8:20 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Race 8
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – RS-X – Medal Race
10 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Quarterfinals

Wednesday August 8th
7 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Race 9
8 AM – Men’s Sailing – 49er – Medal Race
8:15 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Race 10
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Quarterfinals

Thursday August 9th
7 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Semifinals
8 AM – Men’s Sailing – 470 – Medal Race
10 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Sail Off

Friday August 10th
8 AM – Women’s Sailing – 470 – Medal Race
9 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Semifinals

Saturday August 11th
7 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Bronze Match
8:05 AM – Women’s Sailing – Elliott 6m – Gold Match

Past Results:

In Beijing Stu McNay and Graham Biehl were together in the 470, just like this time, and finished 13th. They did have some good races including two they won though. If they could keep up the pace they set from races six through 9 in Beijing (two wins, a fourth and a sixth) they would be right near the top.

Zach Railey competed in the finn event and finished a solid 2nd. He will be a real threat in that competition again in London. Amanda Clark competed on the 470 in Beijing and will be back in London, though with a different teammate. Clark finished in 12th in Beijing. Anna Tunnicliffe competed in the laser radial in Beijing and came with the gold medal, but will be in the new elliott 6m competition in London. She’ll team with Debbie Capozzi who was part of a team which finished 8th in Beijing in the kneelboat.

Mark Mendelblatt is back in the Olympics for the first time since Athens, where he finished 8th.  The US won two medals in Athens after winning four in Sydney.

At the World Championships in 2011 the US won three medals. Paige Railey won the bronze in laser radial, Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Fatih won the bronze in star, and the team of Anna Tunnicliffe, Deborah Capozzi, and Molly Vandemoer won the gold in the elliott 6m.  Other top ten finishes came from Zach Railey in finn (9th) and Erik Storch and Trevor Moore in 49er (9th).

Field Hockey, London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics

Field Hockey Preview

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Field Hockey was held in 1908 and 1920 but didn’t fully take its place in the Olympics until 1928. The women’s version of things didn’t start until 1976. The US didn’t qualify for the men’s tournament this year, so only the women’s team will be participating. The US has won two medals in field hockey and one of them was when the men’s tournament in 1932 only had three teams. The US “won” bronze of course. The women’s team did make the 1984 bronze medal match and won the bronze on penalty strokes. The US women’s team made the Beijing Olympics, an accomplishment as they hadn’t made the Olympics since 1996. Now they look to build on that experience.

The Team:

The US Team is made up of 16 women, seven of whom were with the team in Beijing.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Field Hockey
Melissa Gonzalez
Rachel Dawson*
Michelle Vittese
Amy Swensen*
Keli Smith Puzo*
Paige Selenski
Julia Reinprecht
Katie O’Donnell
Michelle Kasold
Caroline Nichols*
Katie Reinprecht
Claire Laubach
Katelyn Falgowski*
Shannon Taylor
Kayla Bashore-Smedley*
Lauren Crandall*
* – Was on team in 2008 – Beijing

Schedule:

There will be a five game group stage followed by a tournament amongst the four teams which finish in the top two spots of the two groups. Wins are worth three points and draws a single point in the group stage.

All Times ET
Sunday July 29th
4:15 PM – Women’s Field Hockey vs. Germany – Group Stage

Tuesday July 31st
2 PM – Women’s Field Hockey vs. Argentina – Group Stage

Thursday August 2nd
5:45 AM – Women’s Field Hockey vs. Australia – Group Stage

Saturday August 4th
2 PM – Women’s Field Hockey vs. New Zealand – Group Stage

Monday August 6th
5:45 AM – Women’s Field Hockey vs. South Africa – Group Stage

Wednesday August 8th
3:30 AM – 3 PM – Women’s Field Hockey – Classification 9-10, 7-8, Semifinal #1, Semifinal #2

Saturday August 10th
3:30 AM – 3 PM – Women’s Field Hockey – Classification 11-12, 5-6, Bronze Medal, Gold Medal

Past Results:

The US didn’t do horribly at the last Olympics as they managed to draw three of their five games, win one other, and only lose to the group winner Germany. The US did beat Argentina at the latest Pan American Games, a good result considering Argentina won the bronze in the last Olympics and won the latest women’s hockey world cup. The US missed out on the last world cup because of a loss to Argentina 7-6 on penalty strokes at the Pan American Cup.

It would be surprising to see the US medal in London, especially with a group that finished 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 10th at the latest World Cup. Still, the US has shown the ability to compete internationally and should be a tough opponent in London.

Diving, London 2012, Olympic Previews, Olympics

Diving Preview

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Diving became an Olympic sport in 1904 and has included women’s diving since 1912. Olympic diving remained unchanged from 1928 to 1996 with only the 10m platform and 3m springboard events for men and women. In 2000 they added synchronized versions of each event which brings us to the eight events we have today. By medal count the US is the dominant country in diving having won 48 of the 106 gold medals and 131 of the 320 medals in total.  This doesn’t reflect the current state of diving though. The US hasn’t won a men’s diving medal since 1996 and hasn’t won a women’s medal since 2000.

The Team:

This year’s team is made up of 11 athletes, five men and six women. Four are returning divers from Beijing and one was with the team in Athens and Sydney as well.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

USA Diving
Men:
Chris Colwill* – 3m springboard
Troy Dumais*** – 3m springboard, 3m synchronized springboard
David Boudia* – 10m platform, 10m synchronized platform
Nick McCrory – 10m platform, 10m synchronized platform
Kristian Ipsen – 3m synchronized springboard

Women:
Cassidy Krug – 3m springboard
Christina Loukas* – 3m springboard
Katie Bell – 10m platform
Brittany Viola – 10m platform
Kelci Bryant – 3m synchronized springboard
Abby Johnston – 3m synchronized springboard
* – 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

Schedule:

The individual events will involve a preliminary round, a semifinal round, and a final round. The synchronized events involve only a final round. Each round involves six dives for men and five for women, with the scores for advancement coming from only the current round.

All Times ET
Sunday July 29th
10 AM – Women’s Diving – Synchronized 3m Springboard – Final

Monday July 30th
10 AM – Men’s Diving – Synchronized 10m Platform – Final

Wednesday August 1st
10 AM – Men’s Diving – Synchronized 3m Springboard – Final

Friday August 3rd
9:30 AM – Women’s Diving – 3m Springboard – Preliminary Round

Saturday August 4th
9:30 AM – Women’s Diving – 3m Springboard – Semifinals

Sunday August 5th
2 PM – Women’s Diving – 3m Springboard – Final

Monday August 6th
2 PM – Men’s Diving – 3m Springboard – Preliminary Round

Tuesday August 7th
5 AM – Men’s Diving – 3m Springboard – Semifinal
2 PM – Men’s Diving – 3m Springboard – Final

Wednesday August 8th
2 PM – Women’s Diving – 10m Platform – Preliminary Round

Thursday August 9th
5 AM – Women’s Diving – 10m Platform – Semifinal
2 PM – Women’s Diving – 10m Platform – Final

Friday August 10th
2 PM – Men’s Diving – 10m Platform – Preliminary Round

Saturday August 11th
5 AM – Men’s Diving – 10m Platform – Semifinal
3:30 PM – Men’s Diving – 10m Platform – Final

Past Results:

While the US hasn’t medaled in over a decade, there have been some competitive moments.  The men’s and women’s synchronized springboard teams both finished 4th in Beijing. Chris Colwill finished 12th in the 3m springboard final, but was in 6th after the semifinal. Troy Dumais finished 6th in that same event. David Boudia was 10th in the 10m platform final, but was 5th in the semifinals.

Christina Loukas, the only returning woman, was 9th in the 3m springboard final, and 7th in the semifinals. Any of these divers could conceivably have a good event and challenge for a medal.

Dumais finished 6th in the 3m springboard in Athens and Sydney. Hopefully this time he can break out of his run of 6’s.

At the 2011 World Championships the US saw some good results by their divers. Dumais finished 5th in his 3m springboard competition, but David Boudia won the silver in the 10m platform competition.  Nick McCrory was also strong and finished 6th.  The 3m synchronized springboard team of Dumais and Kristian Ipsen finished in 4th and 10m synchronized platform team of Boudia and McCrory finished 5th after a 2nd place showing in the preliminary round.  On the women’s side Christina Loukas finished 4th in the 3m springboard competition.  While the US only won one medal in the World Championship, it seems they might be in contention for several in London.

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)