Olympics News and Info

While Phelps Excels, Hoff Is Struggling

Filed under: USA

OK, so maybe it’s time to squash any comparisons between Katie Hoff and Michale Phelps.

While Phelps is living up to every expectation at the Olympics, Katie Hoff is running out of time to win her first gold.

After swimming three of her six events, including her best event (the 400 IM), Hoff has a bronze and a silver. Things got worse on Tuesday night as she floundered at the end to drop to fourth in the 200 meter freestyle. Hoff still could snag a gold, but she is unlikely to be a favorite in any of her final three events (including the 4 X 200 meter freestyle relay).

It’s hard to say that someone who is 2-for-3 on medals is having a horrible Olympics. And in the event that she didn’t medal, all three medalists broke the existing world record, while Hoff set an American record. But Hoff was supposed to be the U.S. women’s team’s brightest star. Right now she’s been eclipsed by Natalie Coughlin, who has a gold and a silver.

There have been rumblings that Hoff took on too much, and should have focused on fewer events. Michael Phelps hasn’t seemed to be bothered by the heavy schedule, but then, he’s half-Cyborg. But Hoff ’s struggles began in her fist event, which is a little early to be fatigued. The reality seems to be that she has just been outswum by a very talented field.

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Stephanie Rice wins women’s 200m individual medley

Stephanie Rice from Australia has just beaten Kirsty Coventory of Zimbabwe in the women’s 200m individual medley, setting a new world record in the process.
Natalie Coughlin from the United States won the bronze medal. Katie Hoff finished fourth.

Michael Phelps goes for Olympic record today – 10 career gold medals

All eyes will be on the Water Cube swimming pool today as Michael Phelps tries to win his 10th Olympic gold medal of his career. He will be the first athlete to do so, if he can achieve this remarkable feat.
His race is at 11:19AM Beijing time in the mens’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay.
Other [...]

Upset: Rebecca Adlington wins women’s 400 meter freestyle

Katie Hoff looked like she was going to win the women’s 400 meter freestyle, but Rebecca Adlington seemed to come up just from behind to win the race and take the gold medal.
Gold – Rebecca Adlington – Great Britain – 4:03:22
Silver – Katie Hoff – United States
Bronze – Joanne Jackson – Great Britain

U.S. breaks 4×100m freestyle record – without Phelps

It is easy to start thinking that Michael Phelps is only swimmer on the U.S. men’s Olympic team, but the team of Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, Ben Wildman-Tobriner and Matt Grevers won their preliminary in world record time.
Katie Hoff after her bronze medal win, set an Olympic record in 400 meter individual medley, breaking Janet [...]

Stephanie Rice wins Australia’s first gold medal

Stephanie Rice has won Australia’s first gold medal in the women’s 400 Individual Medley. She did it in a record time of 4:29.45.
Kirsty Coventory from Zimbabwe finished second and Katie Hoff from the United States finished in third place to take the bronze medal.

Elizabeth Beisel sets the pace in women’s 400 meter individual medley

Elizabeth Beisel set the pace in the the women’s 400 meter individual medley. She recorded a time faster than world record holder Katie Hoff in last night’s heats.
“That wasn’t bad, but it was only a heat, so hopefully I can get another good one in the final,” said 15-year-old Beisel, from Rhode Island.
“I wasn’t [...]

Phelps, Hoff Don’t Plan Any Surprises

Filed under: Beijing, USA

If you have a favorite pair of jeans, you know, the ones that never let you down, that fit perfectly, that are just COMFORTABLE, then you know what I’m talking about. Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff are the old, faded, comfortable blue jeans of swimming. I suppose that at some point they’re going to stop winning everything and I suppose that at some point they’re both going to be like 60 years old and we’ll be hearing about the next up-and-coming swimmers. But for now, Phelps and Hoff are about as reliable as swimmers can be in this unpredictable competition we call the Olympic Games.

Phelps downed his own Olympic record, set in his gold-medal race in the Athens game in 2004, by 1.44 seconds and is seeded first for tonight’s finals. Fellow American and 2004 silver medalist Ryan Lochte, will be giving Phelps the race of his life tonight. Lochte seems to see himself as Phelps pusher, that by putting pressure on Phelps, Phelps will be more likely to swim faster. And although an upset is always possible, it has gone Phelps, then Lochte, for the last four years. Lochte and Phelps have now trained side-by-side for two Olympics and although they are good teammates and friends, nothing but the gold medal matters when the starting gun goes off. Hungarian Lazlo Czeh, the bronze medalist from the 2004 Games, will also swim in tonight’s finals.

After a disappointing showing the 2004 games, Hoff, and a more mature and weather-toughened Hoff, also qualified for tonight’s finals. Although Hoff, unlike Phelps, did not qualify first (that honor belongs to Australian Stephanie Rice), it will be a dramatic race this evening as Hoff seeks to redeem herself after her showing four years ago. Hoff will be joined by Kirsty Coventry, who squeaked in at seventh place.

Swimming on the women’s 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay tonight will be Olympic veterans Natalie Coughlin and Dara Torres. They will be joined by Emily Silver and likely Kara Lynn Joyce. Silver broke her hand at the U.S. Olympic Trials touching the wall at a finish and until recently had been unable to practice. With her teammates watching, Silver had to swim a time trial in the 100 meter free to prove to her coaches that she deserved to go to Beijing. They decided that she did, and she will swim tonight for the gold medal.

In a surprise finish, the Chinese women won their heat in the preliminaries of the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay today and perhaps even more surprising, the Australian women just made the finals of the event. This event generally features the U.S. and Australia, but tonight, we might be surprised at just how much influence a “home court” advantage might have.

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Aussie swim coach: fiercest competition ever

The swimming competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be remembered for the fantastic new Water Cube Stadium and the LZR racer swimsuits, which should bring a swag of new records.
Head Australian coach Alan Thompson said the games will be the fastest ever.
“I think it’s going to be the fastest ever,” Thompson said in Kuala [...]