July 7, 2008

Heading to Beijing

The U.S. Olympic trials for track and field and swimming are over, adding to the list of contenders for Team USA

By Jessie Maxwell

The list of U.S. Olympic contenders just got a lot longer. On Sunday, the U.S. Olympic trials for track and field and swimming concluded. The trials, which lasted more than a week, attracted top athletes from around the country to compete for a spot on the United States Olympic team. Swimmers headed to Omaha, Nebraska, while track and field competitors gathered in Eugene, Oregon, eager to get one step closer to winning a gold medal in Beijing, China.

Phelps Blows His Competition Out of the Water

Swimming phenomenon Michael Phelps continued to amaze spectators with his speed. Phelps qualified to swim in eight events in Beijing. He will have another chance to beat Mark Spitz's 36-year-old record of winning seven gold medals in one Olympics. But Phelps isn't concerned about any records. He is just excited to be going to another Olympics. "I just get in the water and do what I love to do, and that's compete."

ANDY LYONS—GETTY IMAGES Muna Lee, Allyson Felix and Marshavet Hooker pose after finishing 200 meter finals at the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon. All three will run the 200 in Beijing.

Fellow high-profile competitors Katie Hoff, Ryan Lochte and Natalie Coughlin also made a splash in Omaha. Hoff qualified to swim in six events in Beijing. Lochte and Coughlin, who won five Olympic medals in Athens in 2004, will compete in three individual events each.

Another Olympics for Torres

Another crowd favorite was 41-year-old swimmer Dara Torres (pictured on the TIME for Kids homepage). The mother of two-year-old Tessa will be the oldest American to ever swim at the Olympics. This will be Torres' fifth Olympics, and she is out to win. "I can't sit here and lie and say, 'Oh, I'm just glad I'm going,'" Torres told reporters. "I want a medal."

Torres won the 50 and 100-meter freestyles, and set an American record in the 50 free. Surprisingly, Torres opted not to compete in the 100 free in Beijing. She has stated that competing in two individual events in addition to two relay events would be too hard on her body. Lacey Nymeyer will take Torres' spot in the 100-meter freestyle.

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

Meanwhile, out in Eugene, Oregon, track and field stars sprinted, hurdled, and jumped their way onto the U.S. Olympic team. Allyson Felix had no trouble out-running her competition in the 200-meter race. She finished with a noticeable lead, but not everyone had such an easy time qualifying for Beijing.

Jenn Stuczynski is headed to Beijing in the pole vault, but getting there wasn't easy. Stuczynski missed her first two jumps at the lowest height. She had only one jump to qualify for the Olympics. Determined as ever, Stuczynski not only made her third jump, but set an American record, launching herself 16 feet, 1 inches in the air to clear the pole.

DAVID J. PHILLIP—AP Tyson Gay, in the red, white, and blue shirt, finishes first in a preliminary 200 meter qualifying race on July 4th. Gay strained a leg muscle while racing a day later.

Sprinter Marshevet Hooker also displayed unflinching determination to make the Olympic team. Hooker threw herself over the finish line in the 200-meter race to secure a spot on the Olympic team by .01 seconds. When asked about the end of her race, Hooker told reporters, "I felt relief, I felt blessed, I felt joy, I felt everything at once. And I felt the sting." The sprinter paid the price for the fall that helped her win, suffering scratches and bruises all over her body. Hooker will run the 200 in Beijing along with Allyson Felix and Muna Lee.

Big Upset for Gay

Track and field favorite Tyson Gay was expected to win the 200-meter race. He was by far the fastest competitor. Unfortunately, 40 meters into the race, Gay was struck by a severe pain in his leg and couldn't finish. "I was upset," Gay said in an NBC interview. "But then again I was still thankful that it didn't happen in the 100 and I still have a chance to go to the Olympics."

Doctors say that Gay suffered from a severe cramp in his hamstring that resulted in a strain and should be back to normal after a couple weeks of rest and physical rehabilitation. Then, it's on to the Games!

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