Olympics Close with a Grand Spectacle

By Scholastic Kid Reporter Grace Choi

The closing ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. Beginning with a countdown from 29, representing the 29th Olympiad, fireworks shaped out numbers as the countdown cruised to 1.

Similar to the opening ceremony, there was a big percussion entrance. There were even 2 huge bed-sized drums suspended in mid-air as two drummers hung on each side of the drum beating with the rhythm of the other synchronized drummers below. As the celebration began, the athletes filed in, walking not in order with their country, but side by side with athletes from other countries.

As people dressed in white made a pathway for the glow-in-the-dark bikes, fireworks blasted up in the air continuously.

"This country did not just make fireworks, they perfected them," said the NBC newscaster.

The closing ceremony was also like a mini-opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics. A double-decker bus (common in London) entered the Bird's Nest carrying a girl holding a soccer ball. This soccer ball turned out in the hands of super star soccer player David Beckham, whose hometown is London.

The double-decker gradually unraveled into a stage where English pop star Leona Lewis performed with Led Zeppelin’s guitarist, Jimmy Page. As the song went on, Beckham unexpectedly rose from another platform from the bus with the soccer ball in hand. He threw it to the crowd where a Chinese volunteer quickly ran to grab this one-in-a-lifetime souvenir.

When the Olympic torch was extinguished it was quickly replaced by a human torch. As about 400 men quickly climbed up the 5 story Memory Tower, they formed a big red cone shaped flame as a remembrance of the 2008 Olympics.

Jackie Chan who sang along with other Chinese pop stars even sang a solo which brought a stadium-full of applause afterward. During all this one-of-a-kind celebration, Michael Phelps was in London getting a start on the London 2012 Olympics. He told his fans there that he'd be racing again in four years and can't wait to be back then.

From these 17 days of international games, Team USA returns home with 110 medals.

(Above: Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the performance for the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, August 24, 2008. Photo: ©Luca Bruno/AP Images)

August 22: Men’s Pole Vault Finals

By Ashlyn Stewart

Steve Hooker, a 26-year-old Australian, had the crowd of 91,000 in Beijing’s Bird's Nest in a frenzy when he cleared his final four heights in the pole vault on his last attempt, including 5.96m/16-6½ to break the Olympic record by a centimeter. 

Winning the gold medal was a life long dream fulfilled. "Being Olympic champion is something that you always dream about as a kid," Hooker said. "It started as a dream and now it's a reality. I still can't believe it. It might take a few days or weeks for it to sink in."

 

Evgeny Lukyanenko of Russia won silver.

Denys Yurchenko of the Ukraine finished with bronze.

USA’s Dereck Miller cleared 18’ 8.5” during his 2nd attempt, but then failed his 3rd attempt of 19’ 1,” giving him 4th place.

 

August 22: Men’s 4X100 Relay Finals

By Ashlyn Stewart

In a blur of speed, Usain Bolt set a world record and won another Olympic gold medal. This time, he shared the gold medal experience with Jamacian teammates by running the third leg of the 4x100 meter relay. Bolt and Asafa Powell blew away the field over the last two legs of the race Friday night, leading Jamaica around the track in 37.10 seconds to break the 16-year-old world record by 0.3 of a second.

It was still a race after Nesta Carterand Michael Frater completed the first two legs. But moments after Frater handed off to Bolt, the race became a rout. And when Bolt handed off to Asafa Powell, his lead became unbeatable. He finished the race crossing the line almost a full second ahead of Trinidad and Tobago's Richard Thompson to secure the Jamaicans another Olympic gold medal.

Trinidad and Tobago’s silver medal was one of two this nation has received during these Beijing Olympics.

Japan finished third. The United States didn't qualify for the relay after dropping the baton in a qualifying round.

Women's 1500m - Kenya takes Gold, Ukraine sweeps/wins silver and bronze

by Elizabeth Conway

Kenya takes Gold and the Ukraine sweeps and wins silver and bronze.  Nancy Jebet Langat:of Kenya, won the gold medal setting a personal best time of 4:00.23.  Iryna Lishchynska took the silver with a time of 4:01.63.  Nataliya Tobias also set a personal best time of 4:01.78 and won bronze medal.

American Shannon Rowbury finished 7th in 4:03.58.  Rowbury dropped from lead pack to finish 7th.
The women's 1500m event was added to the Olympic program in 1972.  No American woman has ever won a medal in this event.

Langat takes world champion Maryam Jamal of Bahrain in last 500m and Jamal falls behind, loses 3 places in last 50m finishing fifth with a time of 4:02.71.  Russian, Yelena Soboleva was suspended for suspected anti-doping and was dropped from Russian team

A Thrilling Victory for Women's 4x400 Relay!

By Danielle Azzolina

What difference can a mere .28 hundredths of a second make?  All the difference in the world if you're Sanya Richards, Monique Henderson, Mary Wineberg and Allyson Felix!  The four women make up the 4x400 relay team for the USA.

Sanya Richards, the last link in the relay team, was behind Russia for the first 300 meters of the race.  It looked like there was no way the USA could catch up.  Then with sheer will and determination to win, Richards sprinted to catch up to and pass Russia's Kapachinskaya to win Olympic Gold for the USA!

The team huddled in celebration.  Their winning time was 3 minutes and 18.54 seconds.

Russia's team won silver with a time of 3:18.82 and bronze went to Jamaica with a time of 3:20.40.

Way to go USA!!

Thorkildsen Defends Javelin Gold!

By Danielle Azzolina

Traveling at around 70 mph the javelin can soar as high as 300 feet into the air before it reaches its final destination on the field.  Weighing no more than about two footballs the 8 foot plus javelin requires an athlete with enormous strength to set it sailing some 280 feet or more!

Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway is that kind of athlete!  The defending gold metal champion won Olympic Gold again at the Bird's Nest.  His throws were amazing!  He set a new world's record of 297 feet, 1 inch.

The silver metal was taken by Kovais of Latvia with a distance of 284 feet, 3 inches. Reigning World Champion Tero Pitkamaki of Finland won the bronze metal with a throw of 282 feet, 8 inches.

Javelin requires strength, skill, agility and balance!  An athlete runs full speed then to an absolute dead stop and with all their might they throw the 8 foot javelin at about 70 mph!  Oh yes, good aim is VERY important too!  Javelin is a really difficult sport to master and a lot of fun to watch.

Men's 5000m Disappointment For USA's Leget

By Danielle Azzolina

Bekele Kenenisa of Ethiopia won the Men's 5000m race Saturday at the Bird's Nest.  His winning time was 12:57.82.

The race started out at a slow pace which is what USA's Bernard Leget likes.  However he was not able to place for a metal in the race.  Leget who once ran for Kenya winning silver in the 1500m in Athens and bronze at the Sydney games said he was proud to be representing the USA , his adopted Country. Leget was a favorite in the race and wanted to win a metal for the USA.

At one point in the race Leget attempted to pass a Kenyan runner who then waved his finger in Leget's face seeming to say NO you're not passing me!  I wonder if it was personal?  The Kenyan's aren't too happy that Leget is now running for another country.

The silver metal went to Kenya's Eliud at a time of 13:02.80 and bronze went again to a Kenyan runner, Cherulyot, who came in at 13:06.22.

Two for Kenya in Men's 800m

By Danielle Azzolina

The Men's 800m race was a tight one with the men running as a pack for a while until the bell rang for the last lap.  Then Bungei of Kenya made his move!  Wearing his lucky number of 3 he picked up the pace and moved to a comfortable lead right to the finish line.  Bungei's gold metal time was 1:44.65.

Ismail of the Sudan took the silver with a time of 1:44.70 and Kenya's Yego took the bronze metal with his time of 1:44.82.

August 22: Men’s Decathalon 1500m

By Ahslyn Stewart

In Beijing on Friday night, Bryan Clay won the 2008 Beijing Games decathlon. The final event of the ten in the decathalon event was the grueling 1500 meter run. In this event he finished last in his heat.

"At that point, all I was thinking was, just finish, just finish," he said.  "If you just finish, you're going to get the gold medal. That's all I was thinking. As my legs were getting heavier and heavier, I was thinking, we're getting that much closer to the finish line."

Clay crossed that finish line in 5:06.59. "That's not exactly how I planned it out," Clay said of the 1500m, adding a moment later, "This was the hardest decathlon of my life."

August 23, 2008: American women win another gold in Beach Volleyball

By Allie Sakowicz

With the closing ceremonies just a day away, American beach volleyball players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh took home another gold medal.  They battled through heavy rain to win their second gold medal and 108th consecutive match. 

"I dreamed about rain last night. It could have been 500 degrees or 500 below, and we'd be happy," Walsh said. 

Walsh and May-Treanor plan to take 2009 off while they focus on starting families.  However, they both hope to come back for the 2012 Games in London.  "I'm not done, and I hope Misty isn't done yet, either," Kerri Walsh said. "I can't imagine playing without her." 

Aside from volleyball, Misty May-Treanor will be competing on the seventh season of “Dancing With the Stars” this fall, as confirmed by her husband Matt.

The Chinese women graciously accepted the silver medal after losing to the unstoppable May-Treanor/Walsh duo.

"The American team is better than we are," said silver medalist Tian Jian.  "They are more experienced and stronger.”

We can only hope that Misty & Kerri will compete in London to bring home yet another gold medal for their ever-growing collection!

US Medal Count: 104

Two Medals for Kenya in Men's 800 meters

By Danielle Azzolina

The Men's 800 meter race was a tight one with the men running as a pack for a while until the bell for the last lap.  Then, Bungei of Kenya made his move! Wearing his lucky number 3, he picked up the pace and kept the lead right to the finish, winning the gold medal for Kenya with a time of 1:44.65.

Ismail of the Sudan took the silver with a time of 1:44.70 and Kenya's Yego took the bronze metal with a time of 1:44.82.

Men's 5000m Disappointment for USA's Leget

By Danielle Azzolina

Bekele Kenenisa of Ethiopia won the Men's 5000 meter race Saturday at the Bird's Nest.  His winning time was 12:57.82.

The race started out at a slow pace which is what USA's Bernard Leget likes.  However he was not able to place for any medals in the race. Leget once ran for Kenya—he was born there—and won silver in the 1500 meters at the 2004 Athens games, and bronze at the 2000 Sydney games.  He was hoping to win a medal for the USA, his recently adopted home country.

At one point in the race Leget attempted to pass a Kenyan runner who waved his finger in Leget's face seeming to say "No, you're not passing me!"

I wonder if it was personal?  The Kenyans may not abe happy that Leget is now running for another country.

The silver medal went to Kenya's Eliud at a time of 13:02.80, and bronze went another Kenyan runner, Cherulyot, who came in at 13.06.22.

Portugal Takes Home the Gold in Men's Triple Jump Final

By Eileen Iniguez

In the men's triple jump finals Nelson Evora from Portugul took home the gold medal with a jump distance of 17.67 meters. This gave Portugal their first-ever gold medal in an Olympic field event. Coming in second place was Phillips Idowu from Great Britain who won the silver medal with a distance of 17.62 meters. And last but not least Leevan Sands, who is from the Bahamas, was awarded the bronze medal with a distance of 17.59 meters. The USA did not win any medals in this event.

South Korea Upsets Cuba in Baseball Finals

By Michael Carboni

            South Korea pulled off a 6-4-3 double play in the 9^th inning with the bases loaded to seal the win over Cuba. It was South Korea’s first ever gold medal in baseball.

 

This medal event opened in the 1^st inning with a two run homerun by South Korea’s Lee Seung-yuop putting. Cuba quickly answered back with a solo homerun hit by Michael Enriquez. He was the only Cuban batter to reach base against the unstoppable Ryu (Korea’s pitcher) until the 5^th inning. Cuba scored another run in the seventh, but it was to late Korea already scored making the score 3-2. Cuba was unable to even up the game with the bases loaded in the 9^th. South Korea closed the game with a double play.

 

South Korea went 9-0 in the Beijing Olympics. The last team to go undefeated was Cuba in 1996. Most of the Cubans stood on the medal podium with their heads down. “We faced some great pitching from Korea,” Pacheco (A Cuban Player) said. “ We came looking for the gold, so we’re not totally satisfied but we played with dignity and our heart. That’s why were're still a little satisfied.”

This was the last Olympic appearance for baseball. It has been taken off the Olympic Roster for the 2012 games in London. 

Ethiopia conquers 5000 meter relay

By Kajal Jani

Ethiopia wowed the crowd by winning two medals in the Women's 5000 meter.

Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia won gold with a time of 15:41:40. Meseret Defar, of the same nation, won bronze with a time of 15:44:12. Silver was won by Turkey's Elven Abeylegesse. Her time was 15:42:74.

Fourth and fifth were won by Kenya's Sylvia Kibet and Vivian Cheruiyot. Lillia Shobukova of Russia earned sixth followed by Turkey's Alemitu Bekele in seventh.

Russia Gets Gold!

By Kajal Jani

Russia won the Women's 4x100 meter relay. The team, consisting of Evgeniya Polyakova, Aleksandra Fedoriva, Yulia Gushchina, and Yulia Chermoshanskaya, beat the rest at a time of 42 seconds and 31 milliseconds. This was Russia's best time this season.

Belgium beat the world record with a time of 42:54, which earned them silver.  Nigeria won the bronze medal with a time of 43:04.

Russia was 54 seconds away from tying the world record set by Germany in 1980 at a time of 41:37. But this time, Germany came in fifth place.

Great Britain and Jamaica did not finish because they dropped their batons. Poland was disqualified.

New Kid on the Block, BMX Racing

By Aaron Broder

It all started out in the ‘70s with a bunch of kids in California who wanted to emulate motocross on their bikes. They modified their bikes with 20” wheels and then got together on self-made dirt courses to race against each other. Christened “Bicycle Motocross,” or BMX for short, the sport slowly grew in popularity until it began to split into BMX racing and BMX freestyle. BMX freestyle is a fusion of skateboarding and bike riding, where it is just as important to pull off some tricks as it is to pass the finish line first. Now, nearly 40 years after its origin, BMX Racing has come a long way from home -- all the way to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The women’s BMX race was first on the agenda, and from the second the race started it appeared that Shanaze Reade, the BMX world champion from Great Britain, was going for gold. As many of the racers went down on the turns, Reade sped ahead. Suddenly the French racer Anne-Caroline Chausson moved up  from behind. It was anyone’s game in the seconds that followed. Chausson took opportunity, surging ahead whenever there was an opening, only to have Reade pull ahead less than a second later. It was an incredibly close race until unexpectedly Reade wiped out on the final turn, giving France not only the first Gold medal in BMX racing, but also the Silver. American rider Jill Kintner took advantage of Reade’s mistake and managed to win a Bronze medal.

The men’s competition was much more clear-cut. Although the racers managed to stay close together at the beginning of the race, that all changed at the second turn, when three of the bikers crashed simultaneously The remaining people began to separate. The world champion from Latvia, Maris Strombergs, took the lead, followed by Team USA’s Mike Day and Donny Robinson, who are both from the state of California. Though Day and Robinson tried to pedal ahead of Strombergs, they did not succeed, and instead got the Silver and Bronze medal respectively.

Men’s High Jump Finals

By Joe McIntyre

When Russia asked Andrey Silnov to join their team at the last minute, it was a fortunate move for them as he took the gold from the other competitors in the Men’s High Jump. He brought Russia another gold medal putting them in third behind China in the overall Medal Count. He won it with a jump of 2.36 meters, but fell short at achieving a new world record of 2.42 meters. Currently, his best jump is 2.38 meters.

Taking home the silver medal was Germaine Mason who has only started his jumping career in 2006. He was able to keep up during the first 6 jumps, but lost at the 2.36 meters jump. He’s taking the silver medal home to Great Britain, giving them their 33^rd medal. Yaroslav Rybakov won the bronze medal for Russia.

The United States didn’t qualify for this event, as U.S.A. competitors Dusty Jonas and Jesse Williams hit the pole during the qualifying rounds. Jones missed at 7’ 5 ¾ ˝, and Williams, with the crowd behind him, missed at 7’ 8 ¾ ˝. It will be interesting to see if the Americans will continue their high jump careers and attempt to qualify for the Olympic finals in 2012. Good luck to all in future competitions and congratulations to the medalists!

Men’s Decathlon 400m

By Joe McIntyre

Scholastic News

The first place finisher in the Men’s Decathlon 400m race was Daniel Awde from Great Britain. Although decathletes do not receive gold medals for first place finishes in individual events, he did receive 950 points toward his decathlon total. He is ranked #26 out of 40 competitors after competing in seven events, with three left to go.

The U.S.A. was represented by Bryan Clay who took 10^th place in the 400m decathlon event. This may sound disappointing, but Bryan was awarded 865 points for his effort which helps him maintain his #1 Olympic decathlon ranking after a total of 7 events.

The day before the decathlon began, Bryan sent an update from Beijing on his website saying that: “My practices for a few days have been pretty low key and easy (to get my body ready) and they have been going great!” He is obviously well prepared as he has recorded three 1^st place finished and two 2^nd place finishes (out of a possible seven) as of this writing.   

Of the 24 men’s track and field events on the Olympic schedule, the decathlon is arguably the most challenging competition. Participants perform in 10 events and receive points for each event depending on how they finish. The decathlete with the most points after 10 events is the winner. The decathlon is so difficult that there are not many competitors in this event; so many decathletes are not widely known outside of the field. However, the name “Bryan Clay” may be associated with the title “World’s Greatest Athlete” if he is able to continue his outstanding performance and bring home the gold tomorrow!

European Record Set in Women's Javelin Throw

By  Kid Reporter Joe McIntyre

The javelin throw is a track and field sport that focuses on a person’s throwing ability. The javelin is like a spear, with a sharp edge that digs into the ground. The object is to throw the javelin as far as you can.

The Czech Republic’s Barbora Spotakova, the defending world champion, won the gold medal in the women's javelin throw while setting a new European record at the Beijing Olympics. In her second attempt at an Olympic medal, she had a record throw of 71.42 meters, earning Spotokava a first place finish which gave the Czech Republic gold medal! She dropped to her knees in stunned disbelief as she realized the record-setting distance of her awesome throw. Barbora had been in second place until her next-to-last throw so this was an amazing comeback! She is ranked the second best woman’s javelin thrower of all time.

The silver medal went to Maria Abakumova from Russia. She had a throw of 70.78, which set a national record in her home country. Maria was in the lead until Spotokava won the event on her last throw. Although given a final chance during her sixth and final throw, Maria couldn’t beat Spotokava’s performance, so she was awarded the silver medal. She is ranked the third best woman’s javelin thrower of all time. Russia now has a total of sixteen 2008 Olympic silver medals. Rounding out the top three finishers was Spotokava’s current rival Christina Obergfoll. Christina had beaten Spotokava four times in six head-to-head meetings. Although at the last two world championships she took silver, this time she was a bronze medalist and gave Germany its 31st medal. Her best throw was 66.13 meters, which was not her personal best.

Robles Jumps for the Gold

by Eileen Iniguez

Dayron Robles won the gold medal for Cuba in the men's 110 meter hurdle finals. Robles made his country and family proud. He had a time of 12.93 seconds.

Coming in second place with a time of 13.17 seconds was David Payne from the USA. Also from the USA was third place finisher David Oliver with a time of 13.18 seconds. Robles had a goal to jump for the gold and he definetely succeeded.

Breaking News...Underage Players for China's Women's Gymnastics?

By Michael Geheren

Scholastic News has just learned some breaking news, The International Olympic Committee asked gymnastic officials to investigate the women Chinese gymnasts. USOC rules state that gymnasts must be 16 by the end of the Olympic year. to compete in the games. Three athletes may be as young as 14. He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan, and Yang Tilln all have passports which claims they are 16.

Documents may have turned up that show Kexin is only 14, according to NBC news. If they are in fact under aged the medal count will change in favor of the US. Kexin tipped the scales of a tied gymnastics performance with Nastia Luikin on the uneven bars. Kexin got the gold and Luikin the silver. The Chinese team also edged out Team USA for team gold. Those medals could soon belong to the US.

Scholastic News will have more as it becomes available.

US Men's Beach Volleyball Wins Gold

By Michael Geheren

After three sets in Chaoyang Park, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rodgers from Team USA won the gold medal for Men's Beach Volleyball.

This is a 3rd US Gold medal in this sport. It is the first time that both the men's and women's beach volleyball teams both won gold.

"This is the biggest match of my life," said "The Professor," Todd Rogers.

The star of the game was Phil "The Thin Beast" Dalhausser, the number one ranked men's beach volleyballer in the world.

The US got was behind in the first set for the entire game. The pulled ahead  18 - 17, before winning the first set. They lost the second set by 4 points. In the last set, however, they pulled ahead early and stayed ahead, ending the game 15-4.

Rodgers' wife in the stadium to cheer him on. Rogers said he that he practices with her on his home  volleyball court.

Also in the crowd were the Women's beach volleyball winners Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

The final medal count as of 11:30 PM Central Time was USA, 30 Golds, 35 Silvers, and 34 Bronze making a total of 99 Medals. China has 46 Golds, 15 Silvers, and 22 Bronze making total of 83 medal, and coming in 3rd is Russia with a total of 52 Medals.

Women's 200 Meter Final

By Eileen Iniguez

It was an exciting event for Veronica Cambell Brown from Jamaica who won the women's 200 meter finals taking home the gold medal.

Following closely in second was Allyson Felix from the USA with a time of 21.93 seconds taking home the silver medal.

And in third place, also from Jamaica, was Kerron Sterwart winning the bronze. She had a time of 22.00 seconds. Jamaica is the first country since the USA in 1988 to win all four track and field events.

USA Sweeps Gold, Silver, and Dives for Bronze Medal - Men's 400 Meter Final

By Elizabeth Conway

The US Sweeps the 400 meter Men's Final once again, as they did in Athens in 2004.  The race had plenty of action and excitement.  It was over in 43 seconds!  LaShawn Merritt won the Gold Medal, running a personal best of 43.75 seconds.  NBC said "this makes Merritt the 5th fastest quarter miler of all time."  When Merritt was asked how he felt about beating Jeremy Wariner; the gold medalist in this event in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Merritt said, "I did what I said I was going to do." 

Jeremy Wariner, though disappointed, won the Silver Medal with a time of 44.74 seconds.  Wariner qualified for the Beijing games finishing second to Merritt at the Olympic trials in Eugene Oregon.  Wariner has now been second to Merritt three times in 2008. "I will settle for second.  I really don't care.  I have a relay to get ready for," Wariner said when interviewed by NBC after the race. When asked about his coaching change, Wariner ended the interview saying "we are done" and walked off.  Obviously the commentator struck a sore spot with Wariner.  On January 29, Wariner split with his long time coach Clyde Hart over a contract dispute.

David Neville won the Bronze Medal with a time of 44.80 seconds.  He e dove over the finish line to win the Bronze.  When interviewed by NBC, Neville  stated that his dive was "a sacrifice for glory." Neville noticed that the only way he would take third place was to dive to edge out his competition for the Bronze medal.

Jelimo First Woman to Win Gold Medal for Kenya

By Kid Reporter Ethan White

Pamela Jelimo of Kenya won the gold in the women’s 800 meter race on Monday. Jelimo is the first Kenyan woman to win a gold medal in the 800.  She passed her teammate Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei (who placed in second) on the first lap. Hansna Benhassi from Morocco came in third with a time of 1:56.73.  It was an exciting win for Jelimo--she is the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal for Kenya. Quite an accomplishment for an athlete running in their first Olympic games ever.

Belarus Hammers its Way to Gold

By Kid Reporter Caitlin Wardlow

Aksana Miankova of Belarus gets gold in the women's hammerthrow competition.  She broke the Olympic record on her fifth try, throwing for a record 76.34 meters. Coming in second was Yipsi Moreno of Cuba.  This is Moreno's second sliver medal in the hammerthrow, she won her first at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Crowd favorite Zhang Wenxiu of China won the bronze.

 

The Olympic hammerthrow competition works like this. Athletes throw a "hammer" which is a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and a handle. They spin around in a circle 3 or 4 times while circling the hammer over their heads to gain momentum, and then release the hammer on their final turn. The person who throws the hammer the farthest distance wins.

No Americans qualified for this event.

Jamaica Continues to Stride for Gold

By Kid Reporter Caitlin Wardlow

Melaine Walker of Jamaica won the womens 400 meter hurdles, and set a new Olympic record in the process. Walker took the gold just minutes after fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt completed his historic run. 

Coming up behind Walker was Sheena Tosta of the US who took silver, and Tasha Danvers-Smith of Great Britain won the bronze.

At the end of the race, Walker was way ahead of the other runners as she crossed the finish line.  In an interview after the race she said "Jamaica is great right now. I'm proud of every single soul."

Even though she didn't get the gold, American Tosta was happy with the way the race finished. When asked after the race about her performace she smiled and said " I was very pleased with the results."

The US continues to lead the medal count with 85.

"Lightening" Bolt Streaks Across the Finish Line

By Kid Reporter Caitlin Wardlow

For the second time in these Olypmic games, Usain "Lightening" Bolt of Jamaica has broken a world record.  He is the only man to accomplish this since Carl Lewis did it back in 1984. Bolt finished the race in 19.30 seconds to capture the gold medal, in what one the announcers called "the greatest performance ever seen in a track and field event."

The silver and bronze medals were not decided as easily. Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles and Wallace Spearmon of the US were first decided as the silver and bronze medalists.  They were on the track taking their victory laps with Bolt when word came that they were disqualifying Spearmon for stepping over  the line of his assigned running lane.  That would move Shawn Crawford of the US into third place.  Spearmon protested the call and while the officials were reviewing the tapes they discovered that silver medalist Martina also stepped out of his lane which disqualified him as well.  That moved Crawford into second place and put Walter Dix of the US on the podium with bronze.

Michael Johnson, former world record holder for the 200 meter race, was there to see his record broken.  He cheered and clapped for the Jamaican when he won the race.

After the race, while taking his victory lap, Bolt looked into the camera and declared "I am number one, I am number one!"

PHOTO: Jamaica's Usain Bolt crosses the finish line to win the gold in the men's
200-meter final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at
the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008.

Credit:
©David Phillip/AP Images

American Women Divers Make a Splash in Platform Semifinals

By Valirie Morgan

Can you imagine jumping from a platform with a height equivalent to a three story building, straight into a pool of water at around 35 miles per hour? That's what platform divers do, adding twists and flips to this already astonishing feat.

In the women's diving platform semifinals, American Laura Wilkinson was the US top pick to qualify. Her Olympic roommate and fellow team member Haley Ishimatsu was also expected to make it to the finals.

Wilkinson started off with an average dive and score. Ishimatsu began round one with a great performance. Canada's Emilie Heymans began the round with the highest degree of difficulty on her dive, executing it perfectly. China's Chen Ruolin, only 15 years old, showed off her talent with a great dive, as did her teammate Wang Xin.

At round two, Wilkinson's dive was inconsistent. She couldn't pull her legs up fast enough and ended up with her legs apart and a sloppy entry into the water. Heymans began the round with a handstand, racking up the difficulty points yet again. By round three, Wilkinson was pulling herself together, clearly overcoming her tricep injury and making a splash in the top 10.

However, Ishimatsu was doing poorly, going downhill from a solid beginning. Both Chinese women, Chen and Wang, kept their dives consistent and their scores high. Australia's Alex Croak, who competed in the Sydney 2000 Olympics in gymnastics, began the semifinals with average dives. She could not keep up with the competition, and quickly dropped out of the top ten.

At the end of the semifinals, the results showed that Chen Ruolin of China claimed the top spot with a score of 444.60. Paola Espinosa of Spain took second, Wang Xin of China third, Emilie Heymans of Canada fourth, and Tatiana Ortiz of Mexico took fifth. American Laura Wilkinson finished sixth, qualifying for the finals.

"It wasn't a great semifinals, it was kind of okay, a little medium," Wilkinson said. "I was really happy with that ending. It made me feel good."

When asked about how her tricep injury affected her performance, she said it was mostly her mindset that held her back.

"I think [my injury] was fine. I think it was more my brain, you know, just waking up," she said. "I needed a little confidence, but it was definitely a good warmup for tonight's finals."

United States's Haley Ishimatsu finished 14th in her first Olympic semifinals, unable to qualify for the finals. As she was interviewed by NBC's Andrea Kremer, she choked back tears, forcing herself to overcome her grief and speak on national TV.

"Of course I'm disappointed [about being unable to qualify, but it's a great experience. I'm just glad to be here," Ishimatsu said. "Now I know what it feels like. I had a lot of fun."

Ishimatsu also bravely pledged to be back in 2012 for the London Olympic Games.

Men’s Beach Volleyball Team Moves to Finals

By Joe Wlos

Americans Todd Rogers and Philip Dalhausser won their semi-final match in beach volleyball, guaranteeing a chance for the gold in the final match on Thursday. They easily defeated opponents Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro from the Republic of Georgia, who will play in another match for the bronze.

"I'll always take a beat down versus a tight match. We've had plenty of those," Rogers said, referring to the many close calls they’ve had in Beijing.

The Georgian team has had a miraculous Olympics. After their country was engaged in armed conflict with Russia, many analysts believed that the Georgian government would pull all of its athletes out of the games, but they stayed to compete. Although Gomes and Terceiro weren’t ranked well in the tournament, they still have the chance to carry on Georgia’s strong showing this year.

In the other semifinal match, defending gold medalists Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos of Brazil faced off against their own countrymen for a chance to defend their title against the Americans. Surprisingly, Marcio Araujo  and Fabio Magalhaes, also of Brazil, beat their higher ranked competitors and squashed their hopes of once again winning the gold.

The two Brazillian teams know each other well and are friends. "We couldn't allow ourselves to think it was Ricardo and Emanuel on the other side of the net -- that would be too emotional. We just had to play a really excellent match,” said Magalhaes.

Araujo and Magalhaes will play on Thursday against Rogers and Dalhausser in the finals, while Rego and Santos attempt to win a bronze against long shot Georgians Gomes and Terceiro.

America’s medal count stands at 82, with 26 of those gold.

Japan Beats Australia in Softball; Will Face USA for Gold

By Gabrielle Aiardo

5:00 p.m. August 20, 2008 game 31: Japan vs. Australia

Japan vs. Australia! We’re almost near the end with the 2008 Olympic softball games.

The game finished with a close Japan-4 and Australia-3. Yukiko Veno pitched for Japan. The four talented players on the Japanese team that scored home runs were Rei Nishiyama, Satoko Nabuchi, Megu Hirose, and Mashumi Mashina. The pitchers for Australia were Justine Smethurst and Tanya Harding. Kerry Wyborn scored 1 run and Stacy Porter scored 2.

Tomorrow (Thursday), Japan will face the U.S. for the final game to see who wins the Gold Medal. Team USA has won all three golds for softball since the sport was first played at this level in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. This will be the last year for softball. It was deleted from the games because of American dominance.

Two of Team USA's top players, Cristl Bustos, catcher, and Jennie Finch, pitcher, hope to see softball voted back into the games.

"It’s definitely something that we think about all the time," Bustos told Scholastic News. "Especially when we’re going on tour and you see all the little girls in the stands and they come up and tell you their dream is to be where we’re at." 

"I think we’re going into this hoping that this is not the last," Finch said. "But for now it is and I think for us it’s using this Beijing world class stage to really showcase our sport and prove again to the world that we deserve to be in the Olympics and we belong in the Olympics."

PHOTO: From left, Cristl Bustos, catcher; Gabbyliz Machado, kid reporter; Jennie Finch, pitcher; and Rudy Marschke, kid reporter, at the Olympic Media Summit in Chicago in April. Photo by Suzanne Freeman

Aussie Softball Wins Out Over Canada

By Gabrielle Aiardo

Noon August 20 game 30: Canada vs. Australia:

This exciting softball game ended up with Canada scoring 2 runs and Australia winning with 5 home runs. The Canada softball team’s pitcher was Lauren Bay Regula. The Canadian’s 3 runs were scored by Jennifer Salling, Melanie Matthews, and Sheena Lawrick. Australia’s pitchers were Melanie Roche, and Tanya Harding.

The three girls who scored the home runs were Sandy Lewis with 1 home run, Danielle Stewart with 2 and Belinda Write, also with 2.

Australia will be competing in the 5:00 softball game tonight against Japan. We will see what happens then!

Are You a Phelps Phan?

Tell us what you think about today's top story!

After winning his eighth gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, swimmer Michael Phelps broke the record for the number of gold medals won at one Olympics. Before Phelps won eight, swimmer Mark Spitz won seven in 1972. Phelps now has a total of 14 gold medals! Is Michael Phelps the greatest Olympic athelete of all time? Why or why not?

Photo: ©Martin Bureau/AFP/NewsCom

Parallel Bars' Comeback Kid

By Daniel Azzolina

For Li Xiaopeng from China it was all about redemption!  Thought to be done, finished in the sport, he had something to prove.   Because of his disappointing performance at the 2004 Olympics after winning gold at the 2000  games, people thought it was over for Xiaopeng. But they were wrong!

He was amazing on the Parallel Bars.  In one move, he sailed 3/4 of the way down the bars! His dismount was flawless too.  He received a 16.450 to win the gold medal for China and to show everyone who counted him out that they were so wrong!

Yoo Wonchu from Korea won the silver medal.  He had so many flips and a trick not often seen that he reminded me of a toy I have.  It's a character on a string, when you squeeze the sides it flips and twirls all around like crazy. Except this is a real person. He was awesome!  His score was 16.25.

Bronze was history making.  Anton Fokin from Ubekistan won his country's very first gold medal!  He did a very hard double front somersault landing which he was able to stick.  His score was 16.20.

29-year-old Xu Huang from China had a great routine but then he slipped when he came down on the bars and had big deductions. His score of 15.7 got him sixth place.

For Yang Taeyoung of Korea the fact that he did not medal must have really stung. Taeyoung at the last Olympics was not given the correct starting points for the difficult routine he was doing.  That fact caused his score to be lower than it should have been and probably cost him a medal in the games. 

There's so much excitement and happiness, but also heartbreak at these Games.  We are so compelled to watch all these things happen in front of our eyes and they seem to happen with each and every sport. That sure true on parallel bars Tuesday night!

China Dominates Olympic Diving

By Mariam El Hasan

China again dominated Olympic diving as He Chong won the gold medal in the Men’s Springboard Diving Finals on Tuesday. This means that the Chinese have won a total of six gold medals in diving. They are expecting to take away two more in the Men’s and Women’s platform competitions.

 No one was even close to defeating He Chong, who gained a total of 572.90 points. His average score was 95 points per dive, which is unbelievable. Yet he made it look easy as he casually listened to his ipod in between dives. He took a bow after each dive as Women’s diving medal winners Guo Jingjing and  Wu Minxia watched from the bleachers.

The silver medal winner was Alexandre Despatie from Canada. He had also won the silver medal in Athens in 2004. He recently broke his foot, however that didn’t stop him from succeeding in the Olympics and scoring a total of 536.65 points.  Despatie is known for setting a Diving World Record that is recorded in the Guiness Book of World Records when he was only 13 years old. He achieved this because he scored perfect tens in the Commonwealth Games. 

The winner of the bronze medal was Qin Kai of China. He has already won the Gold medal in these games for the Synchronized Diving competition. He acted very graciously and hugged Alexandre Despatie after Despatie beat his own score. That is a great example of good sportsmanship for everyone.

Bahrain wins first Gold Medal in History

By Joe McIntyre

Rashid Ramzi earned the country of Bahrain its first ever gold medal in history when he won the Men’s 1500-meter dash. This was a dream come true for Ramzi, since he didn’t even qualify for the finals in this event when he competed in the 2004 Olympics.

It was an exciting race: Ramzi ran the first 1200 meters in the middle of the pack and then made his move by sprinting past the other competitors, including Asbel Kiprop and fellow teammate Belal Mansoor Ali. He then had a clear lead to the finish line.

The silver medal went to Kiprop. This must be a disappointment to him since the 1500 m is his specialty and he had taken 1st in the All-Africa Games.  Nicholas Willas, from New Zealand, took home the bronze medal.

This is the first step in Ramzi’s plan as he hopes to become the second runner to win gold in both the 1500 m and the 800 m at the same Olympic Games.  We’ll be watching the Men’s 800 m race on Wednesday to see if he can pull it off!

Unfortunately for the USA, no Americans made the finals.  Bernard Lagat won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics for the 1500 m while representing his native country of Kenya.  He obtained dual citizenship and represented the USA in Beijing. America’s hope for a medal for the 400m disappeared when Lagat lost during the qualifier by only two one hundredths of a second.

High Bar Silver for America's Jonathan Horton

By Danielle Azzolina

USA's Jonathan Horton showed why he has the nick name "X-Games"—because he is known to be fearless!

Horton was both fearless and amazing on the high bar during Tuesday's gymnastic's competition in Beijing. Adding a third flip to his already difficult routine on the last night of competition took guts! The audience gasped and cheered wildly with each flip knowing how difficult and risky it was.

Horton also had the hardest dismount in the competition and landed it with just a slight hop.  Everyone was sure they had just watched a gold metal performance. When Horton's score of 16.175 was shown on the board you could hear booing from the audience.  Why?  Because China's Kai Zou, who had preformed earlier, received a 16.200 and the crowd believed Horton deserved better.

Zou's performance was also excellent and exciting to watch.  Zou took risks in his performance as well, with difficult moves. He dismount, too, had a slight hop like Horton's.

Judges awarded Horton four 9.30 marks a 9.10 and a 9.20 while Zou received 8.80,8.70,9.00, two 9.10 and one 9.20. In the end, it came down to the starting points which indicate how difficult a routine is originally listed. That gave Zou the edge to win the gold. A very happy and proud Horton took silver.

Horton attributes his sense of confidence during competition with all the work he does during the school competing in NCAA events. He talked to Scholastic News Online at the Olympic Media Summit in Chicago in April about his training regime.

"With so many competitions every weekend from the time you’re a freshman to a senior you have so much experience in competing, that you become comfortable with everything that you’re doing," he said.  "By the time you get to competition like the U.S. Championships or the Olympic trials even, you have so much experience that you become so confident you don’t even stress out that much before competition any more because you become so comfortable with what you’re doing.

Fabian Hambuechen from Germany won the bronze.  Fabian had some errors while preforming his routine and recieved a score of 15.875.

Igor Cassina from Italy the defending Olympic champion and world cup holder made errors in his routine and had a hop on his landing.  His final score was 15.657.  Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands slipped and fell from the bar. Until then his routine was awesome!  His score, 15.00.

Another athelete who fell from the bar was Yann Cucherat from France who received 14.825. The two gymnasts from Japan Takuya Nakase and Hiroyuki Tomita were hoping to win a metal for their country but walked away empty handed.  Tomita is a three -ime world champion, but has never received a metal in Olympic competition.  Tomita earned 15.225 and Nakase a 15.450.

Unlike other sports, where there's always next year, in the Olympics four years is a long time, especially since in these Olympics the athelets seem to be preforming at older ages.  To so many the journey has been life long!  The Olympic games are all they have thought about and strived for their entire lives and then in a few minutes  for some it's all over, for others it is just beginning.

PHOTO: Kid Reporter Gabbyliz Machado and gymnast Jonathan Horton at the Olympic Media Summit in Chicago in April 2008. Photo by Suzanne Freeman

Shawn Gets the Gold

By Caitlin Wardlow

Shawn Johnson reined as champion of the balance beam on Tuesday in Beijing! Getting her first gold, Johnson beamed with happiness as her scores were posted on the board. Coming in second, Shawn's teammate Nastia Liukin, took silver. Cheng Fei of China won the bronze.

After the event, Bob Costas of NBC news interviewed this champion from West Des Moines, Iowa.

"The USA represented well," she said. "We came home with all of our medals and we feel really proud and honored." 

When she saw the replay of the event, she saw her parents hold each other in tears after she won gold. 

"It meant the world to me that they were there," she said. "They are my biggest fans and supporters."

Shawn hopes to compete again in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Total US Medal count is now at 79.

Estonian Wins Big in Olympic Men's Discus

By Kayla Gough

Gerd Kanter, from the small country of Estonia took the gold with a discus throw of 225 feet, 9 inches. It is the first gold medal for Estonia during the Beijing games and it came on a national festival day in the country. He was world champion in 2007 and favored to win in the Olympics.

“I knew the pressure was on me not to break down,” Kanter said.

Taking silver Piotr Malachowski of Poland threw his discus 222 feet 6 inches. Throwing for the bronze was Virgiljus Alekna from Lithuania with 222 feet 5 inches.

The 29-year-old Kantor is a new, young star in Estonia. He will receive 100,000 euros upon his return and will most likely carry the country's flag in the closing ceremonies.

The discus throw is one of the original sports from the ancient Greek Olympics. Competitors throw with a whirling movement a disk that is 8.6 in. in diameter. It  is thicker in the centre than at the perimeter and  must weigh at least 4.4 lbs for men's events. Women throw a disc of 2.2 lbs.

American Women Track Stars Experience Major Upset

By Valirie Morgan

On a night where two American women were favored for the gold, major disappointment for the United States prevailed. In the women's 400 meter final, American Sanya Richards was the top pick for first place. Richards, the United States record holder and top runner in the world in this event three years in a row, was matched up against Christine Onuruogo of Great Britain, the world champion and Richards's biggest threat. When the starting gun went off, Richards took off like a speeding bullet, heading straight to the front of the pack. She was well ahead of the competition until the last 100 meters, when she began to lose power and Onuruogo bolted ahead of her. Richards crossed the finish line to claim her bronze medal, with Christine Onuruogo taking the gold with a time of 49.62 seconds. Shericka Williams of Jamaica finished second for a silver medal. One of the NBC commentators on the race called this finish the "biggest upset of the games so far."

"I'm so disappointed...I've worked so hard. I felt great coming off the turn, midway down my right leg cramped and I couldn't pull it through," Richards said. "This has never happened to me, but I'm happy to have the bronze."

The second women's final of the night, the 100 meter hurdles, ended with as big of a shock as the event before it. American Lolo Jones, competing in her first Olympics at age 26, was favored for the gold. She went to Louisiana State University on a track scholarship, and has won the world, indoor, and US trials title in this event this year.

At the beginning of the race, Jones sped to the front position with a clear quest for gold. She cleared every hurdle flawlessly until she came upon the ninth hurdle. Her foot barely skimmed the top of the hurdle, knocking it over and costing her a moment's hesitance while the other athletes maintained their speed. The defeated expression on her face showed that she understood she had lost the race. She ran across the finish line, falling into the kneeling position on the track in disbelief.

"It's heartbreaking. I felt the gold around me, but it's hurdles, and if you can't finish the race, you're not supposed to be the champion," Jones admitted. "The hurdles were coming up so fast. Normally, I can get my rhythm perfectly, but I couldn't today."

American Dawn Harper finished first with a time of 12.54 seconds.

"I was very confident in what I had to do," Harper said.

She was followed by Australian Sally McLellan with the silver, and Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep with the bronze. Lolo Jones finished seventh.

U.S. and China women tie in uneven bars, but gold goes to China

By Grace Choi

The nail-biting tie between 16-year-old He Kexin and 18-year-old Nastia Liukin on the uneven bars turned out to be a controversial decision.  Kexin, from China, and Liukin, U.S.A., both had the same difficulty rate of 7.7, resulting in the tie of 16.725 points.  Because of a three-step tie breaking method, Kexin was awarded a gold medal and Liukin silver.  Liukin was obviously not happy about this decision.

"I had the same exact score, and that's what makes it a little harder to take,” she said.  He Kexin and Nastia Liukin both have very different styles of routines. Kexin was more like a firecracker, while Liukin’s routine was described as graceful and smooth.  Yang Yilin, also from China, came in 3rd for a bronze medal with the score of 16.650.

A Chinese ring gymnast, Chen Yibing was "unreachable" point-wise, after acing all of his positions.  After his routine it was already predicted that Yibing would take home the gold medal. Yibing scoring 16.600 came in front of another fellow Chinese, Yang Wei, scoring 16.425. Wei is taking home his last silver medal for his career in the Olympics.  Oleksandr Voribiov, a Ukrainian gymnast scored 16.150 putting him in 3rd place.

Finally on the men's vaults, Russian Anton Golotsutskov received a bronze medal with the score of 16.475. Thomas Bouhail from France earned a score of 16.537 points for a silver medal.  The gold went to Leszek Blanik of Poland who scored 16.537 points.

As for the medal count, America so far leads with 22 gold medals, 24 silver medals and 36 bronze for a total of 72 medals.

A Sweeping Win

By Scholastic Kid Reporter Allison Tam

What would be the best thing a team can do in the Olympics? Win all the medals. That’s exactly what happened tonight! American track and field athletes swept the men’s 400 mete hurdles. Angelo Taylor won the gold medal, followed by Kerron Clement with the silver and Bernshaw Jackson with the bronze. This was the first time Americans swept this sport since the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Hurdling is a very hard race. It requires strength, agility, and perseverance. The hurdles are 3 feet tall and 30 feet apart. The hurdler must keep their stride consistent and barely clear hurdles to keep their momentum. Although knocking down a hurdle is allowed, it slows down hurdler’s rhythm.

Taylor’s performance was impressive, despite a lagging start that made me think he would lose the race. In no time, the adrenaline must have started rushing through him, because suddenly he took off like a rocket. He paces his strides perfectly and cleared the hurdles swiftly. At the 150 meter mark, he left everyone behind. He maintained his lead all the way. Approaching the finish line, he threw up his hands in thrill. He finished with 47.79 seconds followed by Clement and Jackson.

Taylor won a gold medal in the same category in 2000 at the Sidney Olympics, but he didn’t qualify for the finals in 2004 at the Athens Olympics. Now he’s back. He is the first person to win a gold medals in the 400 meter hurdles eight years apart since track great Edwin Moses.

After the race, Taylor said, "I feel so blessed. My luck ran out in 2004, I didn’t even make it to the final and this year I barely made the team. It all came together. I’m so happy."

Silver medalist, Clement couldn’t keep his excitement bottled up. "It wasn’t my time for the Gold, but I’m still happy to be a part of history. I’m happy just to be a part of the American sweep." This race is a historic American victory. But no one could describe it better than Jackson, "In track and field, Americans are the best. And we proved it here tonight."

(Photo: United States' hurdlers from left: Kerron Clement, silver, Bershawn Jackson, bronze, and Angelo Taylor, gold, celebrate after the men's 400-meter hurdles final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 18, 2008. Credit:
©Mark J. Terrill/AP Images)

Golden Girls Reach Match for Gold

By Kid Reporter Brittney Sheena

Beach volleyball Americans Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor celebrated a one year anniversary of being undefeated by winning their 107th consecutive match in the semi-finals over Brazil.

Walsh and May-Treanor were actually teamed up... by their parents. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Walsh was playing indoor volleyball and May-Treanor was at the beach. When both failed to medal with their respective teammates, their parents had the great idea of getting the girls to play together. Walsh moved to the beach and the rest is history.

Following Sydney, they worked, they trained, they went to Athens, and won gold.

Their next goal, winning back to back gold Olympic medals in beach volleyball, a feat never reach by any men's or women's teams. They are now just one match away.

Misty May-Treanor had a cold and a fever. Looking at her play, you could not tell [she was sick] as she spiked and dove for the points.

May-Treanor wore a special gift that may have given her extra motivation. Debbie Green, a member of the 1984 Olympic Squad that won silver, sent May-Treano a special necklace was sent to her that had both the Olympic and volleyball symbols tied into the design.

Walsh and May-Treanor easily won the first set 21-12, but trailed early in the second.

The Brazilians, Talita Rocha and Renata Riberio actually led for the first half of the second set.

"The best part of the match for us was the beginning of the second set, but to win we had to be perfect," said Riberio. " We will be cheering for them in the finals. I hope they will because they are the best."

Next, the golden girls will meet the Chinese duo of Tian Jia and Wang Jie in their home court in the finals.

"We've accomplished one goal-to get to the gold medal match-but we're not done yet," Walsh said. "We want to get out there and kick butt against the Chinese on their home soil."

American Throws Discus for Gold

By Kid Reporter Kayla Gough

Olympic women's discus thrower Stephanie Brown Trafton threw an amazing 212 feet and 5 inches in her first attempt this evening. No other athlete could matcher Brown Tafton's first throw, and she took the first gold medal for the American team.

Understandably, she was happy. "I came to the Bird's Nest to lay a golden egg, and that's what I did," Brown Trafton said. "I am surprised we haven't won more gold. But you know what? I hope this sets a trend."

Discus is an unusual sport of strength, speed, grace, and fancy footwork. Imagine twisting a string super tight, (everybody at some point in their life has done that,) then letting it untwist. Well, that's basicailly what it is, only you're throwing a heavy disk (plus, you get to make loud yells in the process.)

China Wins Gold in Women's Trampoline

By Kid Reporter Shelby Fallin

When you are on your trampoline in the backyard, you never think about what you are doing as being an Oympic sport.

Tonight competitors participated in the Women's Olympic Trampoline finals. First off was Ekaterina Khilko from Uzbekistan--she won the bronze.

Later, Karen Cockburn of Canada began her routine.  She had a tough time getting started. As she jumped, it seemed as if she was as high as the rafters in the building. She completed nearly perfect triple flips in the air.

Russian gymnast Irina Karavaeva, seemed to lose control of her routine as she fell backward off the mat.

The final participant was Wenna He of China, as if they were saving the best for last. She flipped and twirled in the air nearly flawlessly. She accomplished back layouts and several tripple flips. China ended up with the gold, and Canadian Cockburn took the silver.

Men's Long Jump Finals

By: Michael Geheren

Men's Long Jump is really self-explanatory. The runner runs as fast as possible and then reaches the sand and jumps. This is event was held at the Bird's Nest, China's iconic stadium.

Panama has never won a gold medal in any Olympics, but Monday night was a brand new story.

Irving Saladino won the long jump with a leap of 8.43 Meters, or 27 Feet and 4.5 Inches . Saladino was the 2007 World Champion. Coming in second with a silver was Khotso Mokoena of South Africa with 8.24 meters. Ibrahim Camejo of Cuba grabbed the Bronze with a jump of 8.20 meters. No Americans made it to the final round of the Men's Long Jump.

Kenya Doesn't Sweep Steeplechase As Expected

By: Michael Geheren

Steeplechase was founded in 1850 as a horse racing event, then was changed to running. It is about 2 Miles or 3000 Meters. Each lap has four hurdles with one having a 12 foot long water pool after one of the jumps.

Each runner has 28 Hurdles and 7 water jumps. Winners in the mens race have been from Kenya since Los Angles olympics in 1984. Extending that streak Brimin Kiprop Kipruto, who won the event in 8 Minutes and 10.34 Seconds. It was expected that Kenya would get all the medals but finishing at just over 8 Minutes, Mahiedine Mekhissi Benabbad from France took silver. Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong took the bronze. The only American in the final, Anthony Famiglietti, finished 13th.

Nadal Takes Gold and Steals World Ranking

By Joe Wlos

Spaniard Rafael Nadal easily captured his country’s first Olympic gold medal in tennis and finally overtook Roger Federer of Switzerland in the World Rankings. The final match, against Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, was only three sets long. It was a far cry from the epic battles tennis fans have come to expect from final matches of major tournaments, which are normally dominated by Nadal and Federer. 

American James Blake lost his bronze medal match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic who has had a surprisingly good showing in Beijing. Djokovic won in a huge upset against Federer in the semi-finals.

Federer has had a disappointing year, losing both the Wimbledon and French Open to Nadal. He was the number one ranked player for over four years and dominated tennis much like Tiger Woods dominates golf. Many tennis fans and his competitors consider him the greatest player alive. That’s why Nadal is astonished by his own achievements against Federer.

“Nowhere in my best dreams can I imagine something like what I did this year, so I want to enjoy these moments, no?" Nadal said.

Elena Dementieva of Russia won the gold for women’s singles, easily beating fellow Russian Dinara Safina. Vera Zvonareva completed Russia’s sweep of the medals, defeating her Chinese opponent for the bronze. Russia is the first country to sweep the medal stand in tennis since 1908.

The dynamic Williams sisters took the gold for women’s doubles, adding another gold medal for the United States and for their own collection. They won the gold eight years ago in Sydney, but did not compete in 2004 because of injuries.  Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain came in second and Chinese players Yan Zi and Zheng Jie took the bronze.

Although Federer was shut out of the men’s singles, he and Swiss partner Stanislas Wawrinka won the gold in men’s doubles tennis. Sweden's Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson took the silver and American brothers Mike and Bob Bryan won the bronze.

China Wins Gold & Bronze in Women's Diving

By Mariam El Hasan

Everyone was watching Guo Jingjing, the Chinese Olympic diver on Sunday Night during the Women’s Springboard diving finals.  She is a spectacular diver and the most popular female athlete in China. She has earned millions of dollars through endorsement deals and for modeling in China.  There was a lot of pressure on her to win, and she really lived up to the hype.

Every time that she dived, she did it with near perfection. The audience roared as if she were a rock star! Each time she came out of the pool, she thanked supporters with a bow.  She already won a gold medal in these games when she competed in the synchronized diving event with Wu Minxia. Over the years, she has earned a total of six gold medals as an Olympic diver and has tied her friend Wu Minxia and Greg Louganis for earning the most Olympic medals in diving. Her final score was 415.35 points.

Guo Jinjing said that Julia Pakhalina from Russia, was her main competition, however, the Russian won the silver medal. She is a very talented diver and earned a total of 398.60 points. Guo’s friend and synchronized swim partner, Wu Minxia, from China came in third place with 389.85 and  won the bronze medal.

Nancilea Foster, and American diver came in eighth place. She has an amazing story. It is remarkable that she even made it to the Olympic games considering the horrible diving accident that she survived. When she was only 14 years old, she hit her head on the diving board and lost seven teeth, fractured her jaw and shattered her cheek and sinus bones.   She didn’t let this accident stop her. She said that this accident made her realize how much she wanted to continue competing. Christina Loukas, the other American diver, placed ninth  out of 12 swimmers in the finals.