Fantastic Filly

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By winning the Preakness Stakes, Rachel Alexandra became a symbol of equality in sports to many sports fans. Who are your sports heroes?

Photo: Jason Reed/Reuters

League of Her Own

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Mackenzie Brown is one of the many kids who participate in Little League baseball around the world. For them, playing baseball is an important activity. What activities and sports do you participate in?

Photo: Tim Farrell/Newark Star-Ledger

Connecticut Women Complete Perfect Season

The women of the University of Connecticut were unbeatable all season. And on Tuesday night, they sealed a perfect record—and a national championship—with a victory over the Louisville Cardinals, 76-54.

In the final game of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in St. Louis, the Huskies (39-0) dominated the Cardinals (34-5) from the opening tip to the closing buzzer. That’s nothing new for the Connecticut women—they won every game they played this season by double digits, the first time that’s happened in college basketball.

On Tuesday night, though, nothing the Huskies did in their previous 38 games mattered. If they lost, they would finish the season as runners-up to the national championship.

But Connecticut came to play. Offensively, the Huskies outshot and outrebounded the Cardinals. On defense they never let Louisville get more than a three-point lead.

At the 4:03 mark of the first half, Louisville led 9-6. But once the Huskies went ahead 11-9 a minute and a half later, they never looked back—their largest lead was 26 points, and they cruised to their sixth national women’s basketball championship and third undefeated season.

For the players, winning meant joining the ranks of national champions—and finally being able to enjoy their accomplishments.

“We can finally breathe,” Huskies senior point guard Renee Montgomery said. “Everything we won—the Cancun tournament, the regular season, Big East—we couldn't be too excited because we had another game to follow up. So I think this is the first time we actually can just stop and really enjoy the win for more than a couple of days.”

For their part, the Louisville women did their best to contain the unstoppable Huskies. And whether it was butterflies from playing in the national title game or just running out of gas after a long season, the Cardinals weren’t able to match Connecticut’s skill.

After the game, Louisville coach Jeff Walz praised his team’s tempo and intensity. But, he said, it all came down to missing shots that his players normally make.

“Hey, you know, it's the big stage," Walz said. "It was our first time playing in a championship game. We have nothing to be disappointed about. We're going to hold our heads up high and we're grateful to be here. We have so much to be proud of.”

--Dante A. Ciampaglia

Photo: Jeff Roberson/AP Images

Tar Heels Are Champs!

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Did you watch the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament? What team were you rooting for? What team do you think as the best shot at winning the national championship next season? Why?

Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters

Why I Love the Final Four!

By Sean Coffey

Well, it’s here. The second most televised event of the year: The Final Four.

Personally, this is one of my favorite times of year, because you have the Final Four, followed by The Masters Golf Tournament and the beginning of Major the League Baseball season concurrently.

Millions of people all around the U.S. savor the head to head battles of the four best college basketball teams in the country. This year, the resurgent Villanova Wildcats have surprised everyone in their march to the Final Four. The team rolled right over UCLA and Duke, while Michigan State, led by Tom Izzo, beat the number one overall seeded Louisville Cardinals. In addition, both UConn and the University of North Carolina are in, both top seeded in their division.

Personally, this year’s tournament and last year’s tournament have somewhat put a damper on my love for college basketball. Since the 11 seeded George Mason Patriots made the final four in 2006, there really have not been any “Cinderella” basketball teams in the championship battles. 

Last year, for the first time ever, all four of the top seeded teams made the final four. I think that the point of the final four is to excite people with the hope of an upset. Unfortunately, that hope seems to be diminishing with each new season.

Nevertheless, the Final Four remains one of the most beloved events of the entire year, one that people, myself included, look forward to all year long.

From a viewer’s standpoint, the passion of every single game, especially in the Final Four when the stakes are the highest, truly symbolizes the love of the game that all of these young men from these four teams share. 

Final Four Are In!

March Madness has come to an end and it’s time for the final four college basketball teams to compete and determine the champion.  The madness began with 64 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams; in April, it comes down to the Final Four.

On Saturday, April 4, the Connecticut Huskies will face the Michigan State Spartans to see who will go to the finals. That game begins at 6:07 P.M. Eastern Time.

Thirty minutes after the end of that game, the Villanova Wildcats will play North Carolina Tar Heels on the same court. The two winners will go on to play in a final on Monday, April 6.

The teams will go head to head in Detroit, Michigan, which is almost home turf for the Spartans.

Kid Reporter Sean Coffey has been following the action. He was in Dayton, Ohio, on March 22, for the game between Ohio State and Siena College. Read another of Sean's stories on the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament here.

Get in on the action, and send in your best predictions and favorite moments by clicking on “Comment” at the end of this blog post.

Get In On the Excitement!

by Kid Reporter Sean Coffey

Late on a Friday night in Dayton, Ohio, basketball became the talk of the town. With just over 10 seconds left in this first round NCAA tournament game, Siena College’s Ronald Moore hit a three-pointer to tie the game.

Jubilation turned to agony for the more than 14,000 red-draped Ohio State fans. Moore, a 6-foot twig of a guard for Siena College, had ripped victory from their grasp as he dribbled the ball down the court and around Ohio State’s defense for the throw.

In overtime, the Buckeye faithful stayed on their feet, rooting for their team to hold on to its one-point lead. Then here comes Moore—again.

He blazed through a couple of defenders, stopped and pulled up to hit yet another three-point shot. This one just beat the buzzer to put the Siena College Saints into the next round.

Vastly outnumbered, Siena fans jumped and shouted in ecstasy, even as disappointed Ohio State fans trudged toward the exits.

This is what March Madness and NCAA basketball is all about. Teams like Siena College, with an enrollment of only 3,000, beating a big-time school like Ohio State with an enrollment of 61,000.

Two days later, however, Siena met its match against the No. 1 ranked team in the country, the Louisville Cardinals.

After the game, Louisville coach Rick Pitino was asked what he considers to be the best part of March Madness. Pitino smiled.

“Having nervous breakdowns in games like this with three minutes left," Pitino said.

It is not only the teams and the games that make March Madness so special, but the passion expressed on and off the court by both the fans and players.

Sure, the games are great, but who doesn’t love that win-or-you’re-out intensity of every single game?

Who doesn’t become immediately captivated watching a favorite team fight its way to the ranks of the best teams in the country?

March Madness grabs more viewers than any other sporting event in the country, with one exception: the Super Bowl.

“I think that the ‘one loss and done’ mentality is really what draws the fans,” said Louisville guard Edgar Sosa. “I mean, it’s the survival of the fittest. If you win, you get to live another day.”

One of the other reasons March Madness is so wildly popular is the brackets!

Brackets is the popular term for the chart fans use to pick their winners and losers in every game played over the three-week period.

More than 100,000,000 Americans fill out brackets every year, according to a poll by USA Today. The best part about brackets is anyone can get in on the action, whether it’s the President of the United States, or a 5th grader in rural America.

Another attraction is the Cinderella aspect. Small teams like Siena College are often overlooked throughout the season. March Madness gives them a chance to shine. Every team, no matter how big or how small, gets the opportunity to leave make its mark on history, to rise up, to win.

As Oklahoma State’s James Anderson playfully puts it, “Anything can happen in March.”

On Top of the World

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Do you think Japan is No. 1 in the world in baseball? Why or why not?

Photo: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Best in Show

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The standard, or guidelines, for the Sussex spaniel says that the breed should have a cheerful and easy-to-manage personality. What personality traits do you think are most important in a dog? Why?

Super Bowl Preview

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Will you be watching the Super Bowl? What team will you be rooting for?

Photo: (left) NewsCom, (right) Jay LaPrete/Icon SMI/NewsCom

Shaking Up Tennis at the U.S. Open

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Who is your favorite tennis player? Why?

Serena Williams holds up her championship trophy after defeating Jelena Jankovic, of Serbia to win the women's championship match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Sunday, September 7, 2008. (Photo: ©Julie Jacobson/AP Images)

Hawaii Wins Little League World Series

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Do you play team sports like Little League Baseball? Which sport is your favorite? What do you think is the greatest benefit kids get out of playing sports?

(Photo: Waipahu, Hawaii's Tanner Tokunaga, center, is greeted by teammates as he
crosses home plate after hitting a two-run homer in the second inning during
the championship baseball game of the Little League World Series against
Matamoros, Mexico, Sunday, August 24, 2008, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Credit: ©Carolyn Kaster/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.