Usa looks back then ahead

USA looks back then aheadBEIJING — As the last gold medals won by U.S. athletes were awarded Sunday, as The Star-Spangled Banner was cued one last time, U.S. Olympic basketball player Jason Kidd turned to histeammates on the medal podium and reminded them to put their hands over their hearts."You can forget, in the emotion of winning, aboutthe country and what that means," Kidd says. "Wedid it the whole tournament, put our hands overour hearts. I didnt want any slippage, because itwasnt over yet."FINAL RESULTS:Now that the Beijing Olympics are over, historywill be the ultimate judge of how the U.S. teamdid, from the womens sabre fencers sweeping onthe first day to NBA stars winning its last gold. U.S. Olympic officials are using superlatives in theirassessment."In terms of all the measures that we look at — our athletes behavior, their reception in the country,the medal production, how this has captured the attention and reinvigorated the Olympic movement inthe United States — all those make this, at least since (the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics), our bestperformance ever," says Jim Scherr, CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee.Redoubling effortsMedal tallies are the made-for-the-record-books measure, and in those, the USA took a blow to thegut, losing the gold medal count to China 51-36. Although the U.S. total equals the number of goldsthe Americans won four years ago in Athens, it is the first time since 1992 that U.S. athletes didnt winthe most golds at a Summer Games."Were going to have to re-double our efforts in future Games," says Peter Ueberroth, the USOCsoutgoing chairman. "We need to focus and mesh sports where we really dont show up."Among the areas of concern: The USA went a second consecutive Games without a diving medal,won no medals in track cycling and just one in boxing.The U.S. team did, for the fourth consecutive Summer Games, top the overall medals table, with 110medals to Chinas 100. The 110 medals overall are the USAs most in an Olympics in which the rest ofthe world fully participated. At the 1984 Games, boycotted by the Soviet Union and 13 other nations,the U.S. team won 174 medals.In Beijing, swimming and track and field athletes contributed, as they traditionally have, nearly half themedals. U.S. fencers had a breakthrough Games, winning six medals. The USA also won three of thesix medals in the new Olympic sport of BMX.But U.S. Olympic officials are looking beyond medal counts to assess their team. To them, theacross-the-board success in team sports, from water polo to volleyball to basketball, is a point ofmuch pride. And to have the basketball players standing at attention as the U.S. flag was raised wasas crucial as the color of the medals against their chests."The way the athletes have carried themselves and respected their opponents, respected our flag, theother flags, I think the U.S. Olympic team has delivered a message of friendship and respect and atthe same time been furiously competitive. Thats what we need," Ueberroth says.The only breach came before the Games began, when a group of U.S. cyclists arrived at the Beijingairport wearing face masks, apparently concerned about the citys pollution. After a talk with USOCofficials, the cyclists apologized to Beijing organizers.Before heading to Beijing, U.S. athletes went through the USOCs new "ambassador program," whichwas aimed at outlining the behavior and etiquette expected from Olympians and at helping themdevelop a better understanding of the Chinese culture and their surroundings.

Once in Beijing, Michael Phelps got the U.S. team rolling as he began reeling off record-breakingperformances with victory after victory on his way to a historic eight golds. U.S. swimmers won 31medals overall, surpassing the 28 they won in Athens.The U.S. track and field team, the countrys primary medal winner, was not as successful, finishingwith 23 medals. That matches the teams total from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and exceeds the 17 itwon in 2000. But it is less than the 25 medals won in 2004.The mens and womens 4x100-meter relay teams both dropped the baton, losing their grips onmedals that seemed certain for the stacked sprint squads."The Olympics are about good timing, good luck, good preparation and good execution," USA Trackand Field CEO Doug Logan wrote in his blog last week. "All those things have to come together."On the dropped batons, he added: "Dropping a baton isnt bad luck. Its bad execution. Responsibilityfor the relay debacle lies with many people and many groups, from administration to coaches toathletes."The track and field team countered with highlights such as medal sweeps in the mens 400 metersand 400 hurdles and relay victories in the mens and womens 4x400.Team sports excelMany U.S. teams hit high notes at the Beijing Games, which is important to the USOC because of theinterest it creates in the USA, a team-sports oriented country, and the corporate support that follows."Our performance across the board in team sports, in these Games, may be the best ever," Scherrsays. "We will not abandon those sports in an attempt to earn medals in individual sports, whichsometimes may be less expensive."In Beijing, the baseball team won bronze after not qualifying for the Athens Olympics. The womenssoccer team won gold after losing its top scorer, Abby Wambach, to a leg injury last month. Thesoccer gold came on the same night the three-time defending Olympic champion softball team lost toJapan, helping to ease that shock.The mens water polo team entered the Beijing Olympics ranked ninth in the world and rose to winsilver. The womens water polo team also won silver. The womens basketball team won its fourthconsecutive gold.The mens and womens beach volleyball teams both won gold. The mens and womens indoorvolleyball teams both medaled for the first time since 1992.The mens gold medal effort on Sunday was one of the Games most poignant moments, coming afterhead coach Hugh McCutcheons father-in-law, Todd Bachman, was slain while touring Beijing twoweeks before."This team that probably a year ago no one would consider to be worthy of being Olympic championshas come out and proved everyone wrong," McCutcheon said.Since the first NBA stars played in the Olympics, in 1992 as "The Dream Team," everyone hasthought the USA should be the Olympic champions in mens basketball. But in Athens, U.S. playersseemed disinterested and ended up with a bronze.Jerry Colangelo, managing director of the U.S. mens team for Beijing, set out to change that,recruiting players for a three-year commitment and asking them to buy into a concept of "team ego."They stepped up to the medal podium arm in arm Sunday, then heeded Kidds reminder as the U.S.flag was raised."Lets put it this way: Had we won and had we not won humbly and do it with class and dignity, itwould have left a sour taste," Colangelo says. "They didnt do that. They did everything right. So itsdoubly better."

Usa looks back then ahead

by gunforglory on Feb 11, 2012

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

Statistics

Usa looks back then ahead Document Transcript