2008
15
Aug
I received an email asking if we knew if or who is Ryan Lochte’s girlfriend.
The best answer I could come up with is “Caroline Burckle”. Probably whoever it is, he hasn’t been able to see her much as he prepared for the Olympics.
There is also the chance that he might find love in the [...]
2008
14
Aug
Michael Phelps has won a gold medal in the 200 meter individual medley and setting a new world record of 1:54.23.
It is his sixth gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and 12th career total. He has just one more gold medal to win, to equal Mark Spitz’s record of most gold medals at a [...]
2008
14
Aug
Ryan Lochte has won the gold medal in the men’s 200 meter backstroke at the Beijing Olympics with a time of 1.53.94.
Aaron Peirsol from the United States won the silver medal and Arkady Vyatchanin from Russia won the bronze medal.
2008
12
Aug
The United States has won gold in the men’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay and completely smashed the world record with a winning time of 6:58:56. The previous record was 7:03.24 set by the United States in March 2007. Russia came second and Australia third.
United States team:
PHELPS Michael
LOCHTE Ryan
BERENS Ricky
VANDERKAAY Peter
Russia team:
LOBINTSEV Nikita
LAGUNOV Evgeniy
IZOTOV [...]
2008
9
Aug
In his first swimming final at the Beijing Olympics Michael Phelps has taken the gold medal in the men’s 400 meter individual medley, setting a new world record time of 4:03.84. The previous WR was 405.25 and the Olympic record 407.82.
László Cseh from Hungary finished second to capture the silver medal. Ryan Lochte trailed [...]
2008
9
Aug
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.