Swimmer Natalie Coughlin among new “Dancing with the Stars” cast

Natalie Coughlin can do the backstroke and the breastroke in world record time, but can she do the paso doble or tango?

Coughlin, who has made a big splash in the Olympics, will attempt to excel in the ballroom during the upcoming season of ABC’s “DWTS.” She was among the 16 celebrities named to the “Dancing with the Stars” cast, as announced Monday morning. She’ll compete against former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay, pop singer Donny Osmond, and former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin.

Other hopefuls include singers Mya, Macy Gray and Aaron Carter; actors Melissa Joan Hart, Debi Mazar and Ashley Hamilton (son of George); models Joanna Krupa and Kathy Ireland; reality stars Kelly Osbourne and Mark Dacascos (”the Chairman” on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America”); mixed martial artist Chuck Liddell; and professional snowboarder Louie Vito.

The contestants were announced on Monday’s “Good Morning America” by “Dancing” host Tom Bergeron, who also unveiled a new competitive twist.

“In the middle of our season, over three weeks, we’re going to have double eliminations,” said Bergeron. “We’ll lose about half of our cast within that period. It will be a ballroom bloodbath.”

Coughlin  represented the United States at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. In 2008, she became the first American female athlete to win six medals in one Olympics.

After taking a break from swimming competition after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Coughlin will be extending that break with time logged on the dance floor. She appears to be in good company on “Dancing” as three Olympians have won the reality show’s coveted title. Speed-skater Apolo Anton Ohno captured the prize in Season 4, while figure skate Kristi Yamaguchi prevailed in Season 6 and gymnast Shawn Johnson won the disco-ball trophy in Season 8.

The ninth season of the hit ABC show premieres Sept. 21 with a three night event.

Update: Natalie will be paired with Alec Mazo on this season of DWTS.

Dara Torres does it again

Dara Torres continues to defy age and expectations when it comes to her performance in the pool.

In a world record time trial attempt in the women’s 50 fly, Torres raced to a 25.50. The performance gave her a third-straight progression of the American record, lowering her time of 25.72 set in College Station, Texas in May. Earlier that day, she broke Jenny Thompson’s 2003 record of 26.00 with a 25.84 during prelims.

Torres missed the world record of 25.33 set by Marleen Veldhuis of The Netherlands in April of this year. But, her 25.50 moved her into third all time. She stands behind Velduis and Sweden’s Therese Alshammar (25.46), while moving in front of Sweden’s Anna-Karin Kammerling (25.57).

The 42-year-old swimmer and 28-time U.S. championship winner also won her 16th national title in the 50-free swim, finishing the competition in 24.43 seconds, and beating two other female swimmers half her age. That gives her a spot on the world championship team, which will compete in Rome later this month. Torres blew many 20-something swimmers out of the water in last year’s Beijing Olympics.

Despite the fact Torres has a body many of us could only dream about having, it’s starting to give her a run for her money. She had surgeries on her right shoulder, left thumb and left knee, and she’ll have another knee surgery later this year. Torres has a packed schedule, which includes spending as much time as possible with her three-year-old daughter, Tessa, as well as various speaking engagements and sponsor commitments.

“The adrenaline is kicking in, so I don’t think about the knee that much,” Torres said. “I just try to push it out of my head. Age is just a number, right? Everything I do is for Tessa. She enjoys coming out and watching me swim.”

Swimmer Erin Popovich named USOC Paralympian of the Year

From The Denver Post:

Fort Collins swimmer Erin Popovich was named Paralympian of the Year for 2008 by the U.S. Olympic Committee Jan. 22. At her third Paralympic Games in Beijing, Popovich collected four gold medals and two silver, bringing her career total to 14 gold and five silver.

“It’s a huge honor,” Popovich said. “Beijing was amazing. To be able to compete in the ‘Water Cube’ was an experience in itself. To be picked out of all the great accomplishments the U.S. delegation had in the Paralympics is very exciting for me.”

Popovich, a Colorado State graduate, also was the 2004 USOC Paralympian of the Year. In 2005, she was named the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year, and she won an ESPY award for best female athlete with a disability. She returned to training in the pool this week and has applied to several medical schools around the country, hoping to remain in Colorado.

“I love Colorado,” Popovich said. “If I were allowed to stay here, it would be wonderful.”

In other USOC awards announced Jan. 22, swimmer Michael Phelps was named sportsman of the year, swimmer Natalie Coughlin and gymnast Nastia Liukin were co-winners of the sportswoman award and the men’s volleyball team was named team of the year.

Phelps won a record eight gold medals in Beijing. Coughlin set five American records, one an Olympic record. Liukin won the women’s all-around gold medal and four others. The men’s volleyball team did not lose a match.

Medal Heads – Women on the Olympic podium

August 26, 2008 – You won’t find them at Ozzfest. They won’t be in the mosh pit or headbanging. But the U.S. Olympic team has a record number of medal heads. In fact, Americans won the overall count with 110 medals; more than half of those were won by women.

The way Olympic medals work is that a medal for a team sport – such as the golds won by each of the women on the U.S. soccer team  – counts as just one. If, instead, the medals awarded to each individual are counted, the totals underscore the American commitment to team sports. They read like this:

Americans: 315 medals
Chinese: 186

Notable medal heads include:

• Basketball: The U.S. team, led by Lisa Leslie, claimed a fourth straight Olympic gold medal with a 92-65 blowout of Australia.
• Beach Volleyball: Kerri Walsh and Misty Misty May-Treanor are the first pair, male or female, to repeat as Olympic champions in beach volleyball.
• Cycling/BMX: Two American women took home medals – Kristin Armstrong won gold and BMXer Jill Kintner captured bronze.
• Equestrian: A number of women from the U.S. team medaled including Laura Kraut,  Beezie Madden and Gina Miles.
• Fencing: Americans Mariel Zagunis, Sada Jacobson and Becca Ward swept women’s sabre.
• Gymnastics: Nastia Liukin became the third American woman to take the individual all-around in gymanstics and Shawn Johnson won a gold medal on the balance beam. The pair of gymnasts won five and four medals respectively.
• Pole Vault: Jenn Stuczynski, making her first Olympic appearance, captured a silver medal.
• Rowing: The U.S. women’s eight won gold for the first time since 1984.
• Soccer: In stellar fashion, and without injured striker Abby Wambach, the U.S. women took gold by beating arch rival Brazil.
• Softball: In their first Olympic loss, the U.S. team garnered a silver medal in what may be the last softball match played at the Summer Games.
• Swimming: Americans won 31 medals including six by Natalie Coughlin, the most by a U.S. woman in Beijing. Dara Torres, the oldest swimmer at the Olympic Games, won three medals as did Rebecca Soni, Margaret Hoelzer and Katie Hoff. Swimming Medals
• Taekwondo:  The Lopez family kicked its way into history as Diana Lopez captured a bronze medal.
• Tennis: Venus and Serena Williams won gold medals as doubles partners.
• Track & Field: Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards took home two medals each. Stephanie Brown-Trafton won a bronze medal for discus.
• Volleyball: The U.S. women’s team took home a silver medal after failing to upset Brazil in the gold medal match.
• Water Polo:  The women on the U.S. water polo team captured a silver medal.

Fun Fact: The hardware handed out at the Beijing Games included a nod to the Olympics’ Greek roots and a ring of jade, representing honor and pride in Chinese culture. Each medal weighs about five ounces.

China brings curtain down on epic Games

August 24, 2008 – After months of hype and 16 days of competition, the 2008 Summer Games have drawn to a close.

The Beijing Olympics ended with a blaze of deafening fireworks on Sunday, bringing down the curtain on a Games that dazzled the world with sporting brilliance and showcased the might of modern day China.

Some top moments for us include:

Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva winning a gold medal with a world record-breaking pole vault performance that captivated the 91,000 crowd.

Dara Torres winning a silver medal in swimming and proving she’s one hot mama.

Sanya Richards come from behind burst to help the U.S. win the 4×400 relay.

The U.S. women’s soccer team patience and perseverance as they came back from a sobering first round loss to win the gold medal in a tough battle against Brazil.

Thirty-three year old gymnast Oksana Chusovitina, competing for Germany for the first time but in her fifth Olympics, winning silver for her autistic son.

What were your favorite moments?

Girls Guide: Olympic Wire 8/23/08

August 23, 2008 – Here are some highlights from Day 15 of the Summer Games:

Basketball:
US women’s basketball wins fourth straight gold - Lisa Leslie capped off her illustrious Olympic career with a fourth straight gold medal scoring 14 points in a 92-65 victory against Australia.

Track & Field:
Richards leads US to women’s 4×400 relay win - Sanya Richards has anchored the United States to a gold medal in the women’s 4×400-meter relay.

Volleyball:
Brazil defeats US 3-1 for volleyball gold - Brazil has won its first gold medal in women’s volleyball, ending the United States’ dramatic run.

Girls Guide: Olympic Wire 8/21/08

August 21, 2008 – Here are some highlights from Day 13 of the Summer Games:

Basketball:
US women’s basketball advances to gold medal game – The U.S. women’s basketball team beat Russia in its closest contest in Beijing and advances to  a fourth straight gold medal game.

Beach Volleyball:
May-Treanor and Walsh win second Olympic gold medal – Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won their second consecutive gold medal in women’s Olympic beach volleyball by defeating Tian Jia and Wang Jie of China 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Grounds.

With the victory, May-Treanor and Walsh have yet to lose a match or set in Olympic competition. May-Treanor and Walsh’s match winning streak sits at 108 (international and domestic).

Soccer:
US beats Brazil 1-0 for gold medal -Carli Lloyd scored in the sixth minute of overtime helping the United States beat Brazil 1-0 to win the gold medal in women’s soccer for a third time in four Olympics.

Softball:
Japan upsets U.S. for gold – The USA Softball Women’s National Team was denied a fourth straight gold medal, losing 3-1 to Japan in the sport’s final appearance in the games for at least eight years.

Water Polo:
Dutch stun Americans for gold in water polo – The Netherlands has won the gold medal in women’s water polo, stunning the United States 9-8.

Girls Guide: Olympic Wire 8/20/08

August 20, 2008 – Here are some highlights from Day 12 of the Summer Games:

BMX:
Jill Kintner, the lone American in the 16-racer field, qualified with a No. 7 seed.

Softball:
US beats Japan 4-1 to make Olympic softball final – Crystl Bustos hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning as the U.S. Olympic softball team beat Japan 4-1 in extra innings and will play for its fourth straight gold medal.

Water Polo:
US advances to gold-medal match -The Women’s Water Polo Team is headed for a gold medal match after 9-8 defeat of Australia. Team USA will battle the Netherlands in the finals on Thur, August 21 at 6:20pm local time in Beijing.

Girls Guide: Olympic Wire 8/19/08

August 19, 2008 – Here are some highlights from Day 11 of the Summer Games:

Beach Volleyball:
May-Treanor, Walsh one step away from gold - May-Treanor and Walsh, ranked second, advanced to Thursday’s gold-medal match by defeating Brazil’s No. 6 Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro, 21-12, 21-14.

Gymnastics:
Shawn Johnson wins gold in balance beam-Shawn Johnson finally got her Olympic gold medal in the last event of the women’s competition, the balance beam.

Track & Field:
Dawn Harper wins hurdles gold medal- Dawn Harper of the U.S. won the 100 m hurdles in a personal best 12.54 seconds.

Girls Guide: Olympic Wire 8/18/08

August 18, 2008 – Here are some highlights from Day 10 of the Summer Games:

Gymnastics:
China’s He edges Liukin on uneven bars – He Kexin has won a tiebreaker over all-around champion Nastia Liukin of the United States for the uneven bars gold medal Monday at the Beijing Olympics. Both scored 16.725, but He got the nod.

Soccer:
Brazil and US will compete for the gold – The United States and Brazil won their respective semi-finals to advance to the gold medal match.  Angela Hucles scored twice and Lori Chalupny and Heather O’Reilly added goals as the U.S. had a 4-2 come-from-behind victory against Japan.

Track & Field:
Isinbayeva wins pole vault gold, breaks record -Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia has broken her own world record in winning a second consecutive Olympic pole vault gold medal. Already assured victory over rival Jenn Stuczynski of the U.S., Isinbayeva set the mark of 16 feet, 6 3/4 inches (5.05 meters) on her third and final attempt.

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