Beijing 2008 Olympics

Hungary’s Natasa Janics and Katalin Kovacs repeated their Gold medal winning performance in Kayak Doubles (K2) 500m with Poland’s Beata Mikolajczyk and Aneta Konieczna winning the silver and France’s Marie Delattre and Anne-Laure Viard taking home the Bronze.

(L-R) Aneta Konieczna, Beata Mikolajczyk, Katalin Kovacs, Natasa Janics, Anne-Laure Viard, Marie Delattre (Photo credit: Getty Images)

As a fan and recreational participant in Beach Volleyball, I’m extremely pleased to see them become so widely accepted within the public. Born on the beaches of California, Beach Volleyball is one of the hottest growing sports in the marketplace and quickly being discovered within the mainstream as a fun sport to participate in, regardless of your level of expertise.

A hearty congratulations is due to the USA Womens and Mens Gold winning teams of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor and Philip Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. For those who were able to catch the Women’s final, it really was a joy to watch the sports finest team in history in what is likely their final match.

USA Gold Medal winning team of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor on the podium (Photo credit Getty Images)

Medal Podium in Mens Beach Volleyball
Brazil:Silver - Fabio Magalhaes/Marcio Araujo, USA: Gold - Philip Dalhausser/Todd Rogers and Brazil: Bronze- Ricardo Santos/Emanuel Rego (Photo credit: Gaesang Dawa/Xinhua)

Incredible how times have changed. Did you enjoy watching the Decathlon? If you shrug your shoulders as realize you missed it, the fact is it was barely covered within televised broadcasts.

The event with names such as Jim Thorpe, Bob Mathias, Rafer Johnson, Bruce Jenner, Daley Thompson, Dan O’Brien and Roman Šebrle attached was effectively ignored in these Games. Don’t ask me why as I have nothing positive to say when program directors effectively eliminate the story of one of the greatest athletic tests in the Olympics from major network broadcast.

With this in mind, I not only wish to congratulate every competitor in the Decathlon but naturally mention the d Azusa Pacific alumni and Glendora California resident, Bryan Clay Gold medal victory for the USA. Bryan is one of the best examples in the sporting world, not simply as an athlete but as a leader to society. You might have to look far and wide to hear more of him in the world of endorsement but this man is a great hero that transcends sport. Andrei Krauchanka proudly won the Silver for Belarus and Cuba’s Leonel Suarez earned the bronze.

Bryan Clay wins Gold for the USA (Photo credit:Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Brazil wins the Gold medal in Women’s Volleyball with an exciting 3-1 victory over a surging USA squad, who will take the Silver. China defeats Cuba for Bronze.

Brazil winning Gold in Women’s Volleyball (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Brazil winning Gold in Women’s Volleyball (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Stanford alumni Logan Tom who now plays for Dynamo Moscow (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Schomberg Ontario resident Eric Lamaze, on Hickstead, won the Jumping Individual Gold medal in Equestrian for Canada with Rolf Goran Bengtsson of Sweden earning the Silver, and Beezie Madden of the United States taking home the Bronze.

Canada’s Eric Lamaze and Hickstead jump for Gold (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Canada’s Eric Lamaze and Hickstead jump for Gold (Photo credit; Xinhua)

Hitchin-native Victoria Pendleton won the Gold medal in the Women’s Sprint cycling for Great Britain while Anna Meares of Australia to silver and Guo Shuang of China won Bronze.

Miss Pendleton, the pre-Games favourite, was absolutely dominating in her performance, ruthless in victory and a great testament to her dedication to training. Athletes from all sports should borrow upon her tenacity in the field of competition and approach to preparation.

Victoria Pendleton on the way to Gold for Great Britain (Photo credit: Liang Qiang/Xinhua)

Victoria Pendleton winning Gold for Great Britain (Photo credit: Wu Wei/Xinhua)

Mountain-bike legend Julien Absalon continued his dominance by successfully defending his Athens Gold medal with an impressive victory. The four-time world champion who rides for Orbea finished ahead of fellow Frenchmen Jean-Christophe Peraud who wins the Silver and Switzerlands Nino Schurter who takes home the Bronze.

MTB medal podium with Jean Christophe Peraud, Julien Absalon and Nino Schurter (Photo credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images)

France’s Julien Absalon wins Gold Medal in Men’s MTB (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Russia Women’s 4×100m team of Evgeniya Polyakova, Aleksandra Fedoriva, Yulia Gushchina and Yuliya Chermoshanskaya won the Gold medal in a surprise victory of 42.31 seconds. Belgium’s team of Olivia Borlee, Hanna Marien, Elodie Ouedraogo, and Kim Gevaert won the Silver and Nigeria’s Franca Idoko, Gloria Kemasuode, Halimat Ismaila, and Oludamola Osayomi will take home the Silver.

Russian women win 4×100 (Photo credit:Xinhua)

Russian women win 4×100 (Photo credit:Xinhua)

Russian women win 4×100 (Photo credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Jamaica continued its dominance in the sprints with a new world record of 37.10 in the 4 x 100m. The team of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, and Michael Frater were simply outstanding as they roared to the Gold medal with Trinidad and Tobago wining Silver and Japan bringing the bronze home.

Asafa Powell Nesta Carter Usain Bolt and Michael Frater (Photo credit:Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

100m relay (Photo credit: Xinhua)

World Champion Maris Strombergs of Latvia won the Gold in Men’s BMX just ahead of the American duo of Mike Day and Donny Robinson who won Silver and Bronze respectively. The victory was Latvia’s first gold medal of these Olympic’s. Donny Robinson should be noted for riding an unbelievable hard-charging race, working his way up to a Bronze medal after starting from the near-impossible outside lane.

The BBC is reporting that the International Olympic Committee has launched an investigation into the ages of Miss He, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Li Shanshan and Deng Linlin of China’s girls gymnastics team.

IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said: "We have asked the gymnastics federation to look into what have been quite a number of questions and apparent discrepancies on this case."

Various investigative journalist reports by reputable sources indicated the ages of four were under the legal competitive age of sixteen.

upset during "quiet time"

France’s Anne-Caroline Chausson and Laetitia le Corguille won Gold and Silver respectively in the Women’s BMX with Jill Kintner of the United States winning the Bronze.

As a separate note, given this is BMX’s first session at the Olympics, I feel it necessary to point out Shanaze Reade who had a bad spill in the finals. Shanaze rode like a world champion should, attacked on the absolute edge and took a nasty spill when she clipped Anne-Caroline Chausson tire as they were changing surfaces. For those in classical sports, tactics and playing it safe are often the "smart move" but that has no place in BMX and to me Shanaze’s attacking style is the sport. The nineteen year-old Crew native commented after the race - "Why settle for silver?" only solidifies my opinion of her as a representative of the sports future and embodies its past.

BMX Laetitia le Corguille Anne-Caroline Chausson and Jill Kintner (Photo credit Hou Deqiang Xinhua)

France’s Anne Caroline Chausson on the way to Gold (Photo credit Lu Mingxiang Xinhua)

France’s Anne Caroline Chausson on the way to Gold (Photo credit Lu Mingxiang Xinhua)

In a incredible final, the USA beat Brazil 1-0 to win the Women’s Gold Medal in Football on the strength of Carli Lloyd goal in the 96th minute. The Brazilian squad squandered numerous opportunities as Marta and Cristiane couldn’t find the finishing touch. Hope Solo had the match of her life in goal for the US squad saving numerous chances at point blank range. As is so often the case, missed opportunities weigh heavily and at the ninety-sixth minute Rutgers alumni, Carli Lloyd slotted home the winning goal with a left-footed strike from just outside the box. Brazil pushed forward and narrowly missed bring the match level in the dying moments but the Gold medal belonged the American squad.

Carli Lloyd celebrates (Photo credit AFP Photo GOH CHAI HIN)

USA win Gold Photo Credit AFP (PHOTO HOANG DINH Nam)

USA win Gold (Photo Credit AFP PHOTO HOANG DINH Nam)

USA win Gold (Photo Credit AFP PHOTO GOH CHAI HIN)

(Photo Credit AFP PHOTO GOH CHAI HIN)

(Photo Credit AFP PHOTO GOH CHAI HIN)

Hope Solo of the USA (Photo credit Xinhua)

Natasha Kai of the USA (Photo credit Xinhua)

US Women defeat Brazil to win Gold Photo credit Xinhua

In an extremely close match, The Netherlands defeated the USA 9-8 in the Women’s Water Polo final to win the Gold medal. The US takes the Silver, while Australia wins the bronze medal after defeating Hungary 12-11.

The Netherlands Women’s water polo team win Gold (Photo credit: Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

The Netherlands Women’s water polo team win Gold (Photo credit: Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Orange Pride! (Photo credit: Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Germany won the Bronze medal in Women’s Football with a 2-0 victory over Japan. Lira Bajramaj, who plays her club ball for FCR 2001 Duisburg in the Fußball-Bundesliga came off the bench to score a brace after the break. A great victory for Germany!

(Photo: Credit DFB und Bongarts/Getty Images)

Photo Credit: FIFA

Photo Credit: FIFA

Photo Credit: FIFA