Network of Olympic World Sport (NOW Sport) DAILY

The REBIRTH of NOW Sports

2008-12-27T22:13:00.001-05:00

NOW Sports America is coming back on New Year's Day! Go to our new website: http://nowsportsamerica.wordpress.com.

Games of the XXIX Olympiad: The ULTIMATE OLYMPIC RECAP

2008-08-24T17:14:00.006-04:00

Introduction
What the city of Beijing, as well as the athletes that have come to compete here, has done is nothing short of spectacular. In fact, the Games of the XXIX Olympiad will probably be known as the most ridiculously awesome Olympic Games ever staged in history.

There were winners, losers, gold medal moments, and off-the-podium disappointments. Best of all, these historic moments were held beneath a setting unlike any other in a country that the world had never imagined would host the greatest sporting event in the world 20 years ago.

In the following blog posts, to be written over a period of 2-3 days, NOW Sports looks back at what can arguably be the "Greatest Olympic Games Ever." From the athletic performances, to NBC's coverage and our blog coverage, NOW Sports reviews every aspect of this unforgettable fortnight of sports and looks ahead to the future of the Olympic movement and the world of sports.

Overall Impression
What will be obvious when we look back at these games is how smoothly the Chinese had executed and coordinated this grand festival of sport. From the grand venues that were visually stimulating and became benchmarks in the history sports architecture to the feelings of openness and welcome conveyed by Chinese volunteers during the games and the performers during both the opening and closing ceremonies, it was obvious that China cared deeply about hosting these Olympic Games.

Never before have sports fans been delighted by scenes from venues like the Water Cube or the Bird's Nest which were architectural wonders from the time that architects had conceived the ambitious idea. The Opening Ceremony itself showed how dedicated China was to being grand Olympic hosts, through their precise and perfect performances to the majestic way that the Olympic cauldron was lit. Reports of kind and helpful volunteers, from translators to greeters, that kept the Games running smoothly added to the success of these Games.

Even more significant is the performance of the Chinese athletes. Though there were questions regarding the age of the Chinese gymnasts, though Yao Ming couldn't secure a spot in the medal round for Chinese basketball, and though Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang had to quit because of an injury, China had the most gold medal moments of any country during these games. With 51 gold medals, China was ahead of the United States and Russia in amount of golds. The United States, however, appeared on the podium the most times and came away with 110 total medals.

But China heard their national anthem more times during these Games, with notable performances in gymnastics, diving, table tennis and badminton. China was also able to pull off several upsets several sports, including swimming, fencing and field hockey.

China wasn't the only one to accomplish goals at these Olympics. Nations like Togo and Afghanistan were able to win their first Olympic medals. India won its first gold medal in shooting while Bahrain won their first gold medal in the men's 1500 meters in track and field.

The IOC has a lot to be happy about as well. IOC President Jacque Rogge predicted 30-40 postive doping tests, but as of Sunday, only 6 tests had turned positive. According to the Los Angeles Times, only two of those positive tests involved medalists, and neither was a gold medalist, a sign that it is tougher to cheat in sports these days. And worries about pollution disappeared with the rains that came in Beijing, producing several days of clear blue skies during the fortnight.

While the Games seemed perfect, there were still several problems that China (and the IOC) wishes would just go away. Protesters were still silenced from voicing their opinion, preventing anyone from doing so despite the protest zones that were set up during the games. There were obvious problems with the scoring in gymnastics and issues involving human rights and Tibet were ignored.

But these Games turned out to be the way that the world expected, and in ways, they turned out even better, especially when it came to the competition, or lack thereof...

FASTER, STRONGER, HIGHER:

Phelps and Bolt Emerge As The Headliners of Olympics Full of Winners

When looking at these Games as a whole, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt will most likely be the two athletes that will be most remembered as they dominated (in some cases, barely) their respective competitions.

I doubt no one will ever forget Michael Phelps's performance at the Water Cube, where he dominated in some races and barely won in others. From his first gold medal, to the amazing comeback by teammate Jason Lezak in the 4x100 free relay, to the magic touch by Phelps to beat Cavic in the 100 butterfly, Phelps's amazing run to win eight took so many twists and turns that his legacy will last for generations. His impact on the games, the Olympic movement and sports in general is one that can never be repeated.

Usain Bolt may not have won eight gold medals, but his dominance at the Bird's Nest during the second week of the Olympics was one that had a similar impact that Phelps had on sports. Sprint races are incredibly hard to win for any athlete as it requires a lot of hard training, conditioning and of course quick speed.

So it was surprising that in races packed with so much talent that Usain Bolt can win all three of his races--the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay--by huge margins.

To my readers...

2008-08-23T21:40:00.003-04:00

So obviously I haven't been posting as often as I had planned to since I made the move to college. I know a lot has gone on in Beijing and I should be blogging like crazy but I just haven't had the time. I'm lucky if I can catch the Olympics on television because I'm so busy running around campus meeting people and doing all this orientation stuff.

As I begin this once in a lifetime chapter known as going to college, we all witness the end of an unforgettable Beijing Olympic games. I'll be posting a huge long recap on the games, my thoughts on the games itself, NBC's coverage, what I've learned as a blogger, and a look ahead to the future. I'll be doing that tomorrow (Sunday) and into Monday.

Then I'll be taking a week off to settle into the first week of classes. And hopefully, I can comeback to cover great global sporting events like Australian Football, the U.S. Open in tennis, and the Race for October in MLB.

But for now, I apologize for the lack of posts but I plan to be back tomorrow as the games end. For now, enjoy the games and also check out the blog on Yahoo! Sports: Fourth-Place Medal.
It's pretty much the blog that I've always wanted this one to be and gives amazing info and stories you wouldn't see anywhere else.

Hope you keep reading,

The Network of Olympic World Sports

Day 13/14 RECAP: A Look at What I've Missed in the Past Two Days

2008-08-22T18:53:00.003-04:00

College hasn't deterred me from blogging but it has limited my capabilities of posting a full blog. I'm in the middle of orientation and residence hall bonding and what not so I haven't been watching as much as I have liked. But it's still worth it to look back at the past two days and quickly review what has been going on as the Olympics come to an end.

Day 13: Merritt Wins 400m Showdown, US Softball Loses
- Softball: USA Loses to Japan
For a sport that is being taken off the Olympic program because the United States is always winning, the huge upset that the softball world needed might have come at the right moment. The United States lost to Japan in the gold medal game of softball in a shocking 3-1 defeat. While the United States left runners at base, Japan played to their full potential despite playing two extra-inning games the night before. The Americans' first loss since 2000 may be what the sport needs as it may be reinstated for the 2016 Olympic Games, especially if the IOC selects Chicago to host it.

- Women's Soccer: USA defeats Brazil in extra time for second consecutive medal
After Abby Wambach broke her leg in an exhibition match against Brazil, hopes for defending an Olympic championship seemed lost with the team's only veteran player now gone from the roster. Things looked worse when Team USA lost to Norway in their opening round match by giving up two goals early in the first half. So when Brazil, who was going for their first ever gold medal in the sport of soccer, women or men, lost to the United States 1-0, the skeptics who had doubts on the Americans were all proven wrong.

Day 12 RECAP: Lightning Strikes Twice for Bolt

2008-08-20T20:16:00.004-04:00

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the late posting and the random posts and the lack of updates. Currently, I'm going through that once in a lifetime move to college as a freshman so I haven't been able to spend as much time on the blog as I should be. This also explains why I have condensed today's post to mainly links, with the exception of the Olympic Highlight of the Day. And as for Day 13, I may or may not release a preview or recap the day's events. Keep checking out the site and I'll do my best to update you when I can. Meanwhile, check out Fourth-Place Medal from Yahoo Sports!. That blog has really inspired me to work harder in covering global sports events.

Only 11 sets of medals were awarded on Day 12 of competition, but there were plenty of highlights to go around as many of the team sports approach the medal rounds.

Olympic Highlight (and Dominating Performance) of the Day
Last night (earlier this morning), viewers around the world and in the Bird's Nest witnessed Olympic track and field history when Usain Bolt of Jamaica completed the elusive sprint double that has not been accomplished since 1984.
Bolt won the 200 meter final in world record time after running around the turn like a sling shot to surge into the lead. He led from start to finish and there really was never any doubt that Usain Bolt could win this race. The 200 meters was the event that Bolt has been training for and he only picked up the 100 meters event earlier this year. After winning the 100 meter final on Saturday night in world record time, the stage was set for Olympic glory to be achieved.

The gold medal won by Bolt in a time of 19.30 accomplished the first Olympic sprint double since Carl Lewis achieved that feat in 1984 in Los Angeles. And the time of 19.30 breaks the world record previously held by Michael Johnson when he ran a 19.32 in the 200 meters in the Atlanta Olympics of 1996. This is the first time ever that a man accomplishes the sprint double and breaks world records in both events. Neither Carl Lewis nor Jesse Owens have done that. Bolt ran a 9.69, though he could have gone faster, in the 100 meters.

The victory also continued Jamaica's success in the sprints. After winning both the men's and women's 100 meter events, including a Jamaican sweep in the women's 100 meters, Usain Bolt has become the face of success that has been found in Jamaican sprinting. That success continued when Melanie Walker won gold in the women's 400 meter hurdles in Olympic record time in another dominating performance.

Confusion of the Day...
I never planned to have this section and I hope I never have to use this section of the recap again, but it was worth noting that while it was very clear that Usain Bolt won the gold medal in the 200 meters, the silver and bronze medalists changed multiple times before Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix were given silver and bronze respectively.

It was originally thought that Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles and Wallace Spearmon of the United States captured silver and bronze. Then as Spearmon was celebrating, he was notified that he had ran outside of his lane, a violation of an IAAF rule. That disqualification moved Shawn Crawford up to bronze medal position. He was later upgraded to silver medal position when video evidence showed that Martina had traveled outside of his lane as well. Meanwhile, Walter Dix won his second medal of these games by being bumped up to the bronze medal position due to the disqualifications.

Team Performances of the Day...
US softball survives scare, beats Japan
US men's volleyball rallies into semis

Feel Good Moment of the Day...
Afghanistan wins first Olympic medal

Close Finish of the Day...
Argentina nips Greece

Day 12 Preview: BMX Cycling and Open Water Swimming Makes Debut at Olympics

2008-08-20T00:48:00.002-04:00

Although we're approximately 3/4 of the way done with the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, several sports have yet to begin competition. BMX Cycling finally makes its long awaited debut in the Olympic program while the newly-added Open Water swimming discipline tests the endurance of long-distance swimmers. The first medals are also awarded in synchronized swimming and taekwondo.

EVENTS TO WATCH:
- Track and Field: Men's 200m Final (10:10AM ET)
Jamaica's Usain Bolt has looked strong throughout the entire year and has peaked in time to win the 100m gold medal and claim the title as fastest man on Earth. Today he goes for the elusive track double when he competes in the 200m final. No athlete has ever completed the elusive double since Carl Lewis in 1984 in Los Angeles. Bolt has several huge threats in his bid to win another gold medal, including Americans Walter Dix and Shawn Crawford.

- Synchronized Swimming: Duet Free Routine (3AM ET)
Russia has less than a half-point lead over Spain going into today's free routine final when the first medals are awarded in synchronized swimming at the Water Cube. Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova are in the lead but will have to stay perfect if they want to win this battle of water ballets. Japan and China, virtually tied after the technical routines, will battle for a spot on the podium as well.

- Men's Volleyball Quarterfinals: China vs. Brazil (8AM ET), United States vs. Serbia (10AM ET)
Spots in the semifinals are decided when the top volleyball teams in the world faceoff in the quarterfinal round. The Americans are facing Serbia in a rematch of the World League Final this year, won by the United States in four sets, 26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22. That win clinched the United States its first World League title ever after Serbia defeated them in the first match of the World League finals tournament. With the head-to-head matchup even, this one may be the most important of all. In other team sports, quarterfinals will also be held in men's water polo, men's handball and men's basketball. Semifinals will be held in softball and men's beach volleyball.

GOLD MEDAL FINALS

09:00 Swimming Women's Marathon 10km Official

13:00 Sailing RS:X Men - Medal Race Scheduled

13:00 Sailing RS:X Women - Medal Race Scheduled

15:00 Synchronized Swimming Duet Free Routine - Final Scheduled

17:20 Wrestling Men's FR 66 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:15 Wrestling Men's FR 74 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

19:20 Athletics Women's Hammer Throw Final Scheduled

20:00 Taekwondo Women -49kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

20:15 Taekwondo Men -58kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

22:20 Athletics Men's 200m Final Scheduled

22:35 Athletics Women's 400m Hurdles Final Scheduled

CHECK OUT NOW Sports later for a full recap of the day's competition and any important updates and breaking news.

Day 11 RECAP: Gold Finally for Johnson, Bahrain

2008-08-19T12:11:00.000-04:00

Milestones were met for multiple athletes while heartbreak and disappointment were felt by others on Day 11 of competition at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

Olympic Highlight of the Day
Three silver medals were a fine achievement for the young Shawn Johnson of the United States of America. But she has said before that she has trained to win gold. After three competitions, gold has eluded her by slim margins. But tonight in Beijing, Johnson was finally able to capture gold after a superb performance on the women's balance beam final, the last women's competition of artistic gymnastics for these Olympic Games.Nastia Liukin won silver in this competition while China's Cheng Fei won the bronze medal. Johnson won the competition with a 16.225 score on her routine. China won gold in the other event finals of the night, the men's parallel bars and the men's horizontal bar. At the end of the artistic gymnastics program of these games, China came out on top with 11 golds, 1 silver and 5 bronze medals. The United States, getting most of their medals from the women's competitions, won 2 gold medals, 6 silvers and 2 bronze medals.

Johnson's gold makes for happy Americans 12:41 pm EDT (AP)
Finally, gold 9:28 am EDT (Yahoo! Sports)

Feel Good Moment of the Day
Yes, Bahrain won their first gold medal ever with a victory in the men's 1500 meters, a classic event on the track and field program. But there was en even bigger feel-good moment that occurred at the wrestling venue on Day 11. Henry Cajudo, 21 years old, had never won a match on the world senior-level before these Olympic games. Today, he won Olympic gold in the men's 55kg weight class in freestyle wrestling. As the son of illegal immigrants from Mexico that met in Los Angeles, Cajudo was the youngest of six kids whose father was in and out of jail before dying of heart problems at the age of 34. Earlier today, he said (according to the AP report) that his gold medal was for every kid whose life seemed hopeless, who went to sleep hungry, whose parents couldn't always buy food, let alone Chrismas presents.

For more on this feel-good story, click here for the report done by the Associated Press.

Upsets of the Day
Lolo Jones and Sanya Richards were favorites in their respective events, the 100 meter hurdles and the 400 meter dash. Both expressed their high expectations to win gold for the United States and experts had little doubt of that happening. But tonight at Olympic Stadium, neither of those favorites won gold and only one of them was able to get onto the medal stand.

Sanya Richards was in the lead early in the 400m final, and perhaps she went out too early. She lost her lead to Great Britain's Christine Ohuruogu in the final straightaway, winning the country's first track gold medal of these games. Richards was able to hold on for the bronze medal.

Gold was in Lolo Jones's grasp in the women's 100 meter hurdles final, taking the lead from the start. But after she clipped the ninth hurdle of the ten-hurdle race, she was unable to recover and finished outside of the medals. Instead, American Dawn Harper won gold for the United States after barely making the U.S. Olympic team after she finished third at the Olympic trials, ahead of the fourth-place competitor by 0.007 second.

Dominating Performace of the Day...
Chris Hoy of Great Britain won his third track cycling gold medal today, winning the most medals that a track cycling sprinter can get. His performance is being hailed as "Phelpsian." While it is no where near the eight gold medals that the swimming legend has won, Hoy accomplished an incredible feat for the sport, and became the first British athlete to take three gold medals in a single Olympic Games.
In addition to Hoy's personal achievement, Hoy was a big part of the British accomplishment made during the track cycling program of these Olympics, finishing one-two in three events in track cycling and winning seven of the 10 total gold medals available in track cycling.

Team Performance of the Day...
It was slated to be a huge match in tonight's semifinal between Argentina and Brazil in men's soccer. But in the end, it was no contest. Argentina defeated Brazil, 3-0, thanks to two goals scored in the second half by Sergio Aguero and a penalty kick placed into the net by Juan Roman Riquelme in the 76th minute. The defending Olympic champions will play for their second consecutive gold medal on Saturday at noon (Friday night at midnight ET) in a rematch of the 1996 Atlanta gold medal final against Nigeria, who beat Belgium 4-1 in the other semifinal.

Day 11 PREVIEW: The Olympics Go On Without Liu Xiang...

2008-08-18T22:27:00.002-04:00

While China is still reeling from yesterday's shocking withdrawal by Liu Xiang, China remains on the gold medal hunt as they compete on the final day of individual finals in artistic gymnastics as well as the 3m springboard final in diving. Meanwhile, action on the track at the Bird's Nest heats up as the United States looks to follow up on their recently found success with finals in the women's 400 meters and 100m hurdles.

EVENTS TO WATCH...
- Track and Field: Men's 1500m (10:50AM ET) and Women's 400m (10:10AM ET) Finals, Same Day Tape on NBC Primetime
The classic middle distance event on the men's athletics program will be wide open in the absence of world champion Bernard Lagat from the United States, eliminated from the semifinals. Expected to contend for medals are Kenya's Asbel Kipruto Kiprop and Augustine Kiprono Choge. In the women's 400m final, Sanya Richards of the United States is expected to add another gold medal to the American tally while Great Britain's Christine Ohuruogu, the defending world champion, will run for Olympic glory with the games in London just four years away.

- Gymnastics: Men's High Bar and Women's Balance Beam Final
It's the final day of individual event finals and the explosive men's high bar routines will be in the spotlight at National Indoor Stadium. American Jonathon Horton competes for his first indivdual medal of these games while China will look to continue their men's gymnastics dominance. Japan, meanwhile, looks to turn the tide on what has been a disappointing Olympics so far.

In the women's balance beam final, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin are back for the United States in their last competition in Beijing. Johnson hopes that her first Olympic gold will come here, after finishing in silver medal position in the team and individual all-around and the floor exercise final. The men's parallel bars final will take place tonight as well.

- Track Cycling: Men's and Women's Sprint Finals
Final day of track cycling at the Laoshan Velodrome features the men's and women's sprint finals where Great Britain seeks to capitalize on their success that they have had so far at the velodrome. Victoria Pendleton and Chris Hoy are British favorites in the women's sprint and men's sprint finals respectively. Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish will compete in the men's madison final.

- Men's Soccer: Argentina vs. Brazil, Semifinals (9AM ET), LIVE ON MSNBC
It's a classic South American showdown in Beijing as Lionel Messi and Argentina will face off against Ronaldinho and Brazil in the semifinals of men's soccer. The two national sides have faced off countless times before, including championship games in Copa America and most recently, a scoreless tie in World Cup qualifying. Argentina seeks to defend their Olympic gold medal won in Athens while Brazil searches for their first ever gold in men's soccer. Nigeria and Belgium meet in the other semifinal.

- Women's Water Polo: Semifinal - USA vs. Australia (2:20AM)
In a rematch of the 2007 world championship final, when the U.S. beat Australia 6-5, the two sides meet again for a spot in the gold medal final.

GOLD MEDAL FINALS...

10:00 Triathlon Men's Final Running

13:00 Sailing Laser - Medal Race Scheduled

13:00 Sailing Laser Radial - Medal Race Scheduled

17:20 Wrestling Men's FR 55 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

17:30 Cycling - Track Men's Madison Scheduled

18:00 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Parallel Bars Final Scheduled

18:15 Wrestling Men's FR 60 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:25 Cycling - Track Women's Sprint Finals Scheduled

18:35 Cycling - Track Men's Sprint Finals Scheduled

18:43 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Beam Final Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's +105kg Group A Scheduled

19:10 Athletics Men's High Jump Final Scheduled

19:15 Equestrian Dressage Individual Grand Prix Freestyle Scheduled

19:29 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Horizontal Bar Final Scheduled

20:25 Trampoline Men's Final Scheduled

20:30 Diving Men's 3m Springboard Final Scheduled

21:00 Athletics Men's Discus Throw Final Scheduled
22:10 Athletics Women's 400m Final Scheduled

22:30 Athletics Women's 100m Hurdles Final Scheduled

22:50 Athletics Men's 1500m Final Scheduled

Stay with NOW Sports for continuing updates on the competition in Day 11 of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, including a complete recap at the end of the day's competition.

Day 10 RECAP: American Sweep in Hurdles Highlights American Night at Bird's Nest

2008-08-18T11:11:00.010-04:00

There were plenty of highlights (and one lowlight) to go around on Day 10 of competition at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China. The day began with disappointment for all of China when Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang pulled out of the event this morning with grimace on his face as he dealt with a strained right achilles. While this was the worst possible news to affect the Chinese Olympic team and its fans, gold continued to add to the tally accumulated by the Chinese, as it won medals in men's table tennis and artistic gymnastics. Meanwhile, the United States got back into the gold medal race when it won several medals in track and field and won the team jumping final in equestrian.

Olympic Highlight of the Day...
The United States had come into the fourth day of the track and field competition without having won a gold medal, as well as not having won any medal on the track. After shutouts from the men's and women's 100 meter finals, the United States had a tremendous chance for gold in the 400 meter hurdles, with defending champion Felix Sanchez failing to qualify.

Led by Angelo Taylor in lane 6, the United States swept the medals in the men's 400m hurdles, winning the country's first medals on the track. Taylor won in a time of 47.25 seconds. Kerron Clement off of lane 4 finished second and Bershawn Jackson from lane 7 finished third. This was the first American sweep in the event since 1960 when the games were held in Rome. The win capped a successful day for the Americans after American Stephanie Brown Trafton won gold in the women's discus throw.

American pole vaulter Jenn Stuczynski won silver in the women's pole vault by clearing a height of 15 feet, 5 inches. The competition, however, was dominated by Russian Elena Isinbayeva, who won her second straight gold medal in the event. She beat her own world record by clearing a height of 16 feet, 6 3/4 inches. In other action at National Stadium on Monday night, Pamela Jemilo won the 800 meters race in a one-two finish for Kenya. Jemilo won in a time of 1 minute, 54.87 seconds, a new world junior record. Kenya also won gold in the men's 3000 meters steeplechase.

Feel Good Moment of Day 10...
It's always a feel good moment when a nation wins its first ever Olympic gold medal. That happened today in track and field, when Panama's Irving Saladino won gold in the men's long jump.
Saladino won by jumping 8.34 meters. South Africa's Khotso Mokoena won silver and Cuba's Ibrahim Camejo won the bronze.

Earlier in the year, it was uncertain if Panama would even be competing at the Beijing Olympics. The International Olympic Committee had banned Panama for participating after an IOC meeting in Guatemala in 2007. The IOC had imposed the ban due to government interference in the country's national olympic committee and internal problems that had existed in the organization.

But after the Comite Olimpico de Panama held elected a new board on March 19, the IOC lifted the ban in April, paving the way for Saladino to participate in these games and win their first ever gold medal.

Upset of the Day (and quite possibly, of the Olympics)...
It was supposed to be the defining moment of these Olympic Games. When Liu Xiang, the defending gold medalist, takes to the track on Thursday night in front of the people of China at the Bird's Nest and on television to win gold in his signature event. That moment will never happen.

Liu Xiang has been the face of these Olympic Games since winning gold in Athens four years ago. His run up to the games has been followed closely by all of China and he has been put on at least on ebillboard within every square mile. Thursday night at National Stadium remains the hottest ticket of the games, but the night's biggest star will be unable to compete.

Up to now, these have been the perfect Olympics for China. They lead the gold medal count after winning nearly all the competitions in men's gymnastics, sweeping all the medals thus far in diving and countless other victories across other sports. But it appears that the medal that meant to the Chinese the most was the gold that was supposed to be won by Liu Xiang on Thursday. Without that medal, it appears that these games, at least to China, will fall short of perfection.

But China will understand that Liu Xiang gave his all, that he knew what that moment meant not only to him but to the1.3 billion people of China. It was brave and courageous for him to even step out onto the track, with a look of grimace on his face because of the pain he felt, and try to at least compete, which was the essential message of the Olympic movement: to take part. He understood what kind of pressure was on him. The expectations were similar to or even greater than the United States had on Michael Phelps. And Liu Xiang only had to win one gold medal.

And while Liu Xiang will never get a chance to race for Olympic gold in Beijing ever again, China should still be proud of him. These Olympics were promoted in China thanks in part to the famous Chinese hurdler. Without him, the games wouldn't be as successful. And though he will be absent on Thursday night, these games remain to be one of the most successful Olympics held in history.

Dominating Performance of the Day...
It's hard enough to compete in a triathlon. It's even harder to win a triathlon. But when you run away from the competition, then that gets you the title of Dominating Performance of the Day.
Australia's Emma Snowsill finished more than a minute ahead the rest of the field in her gold medal win of the women's triathlon on Monday. She even had time to stop and get a flag on her way to the finish line. Snowsill finished the swim-bike-run event in a time of 1:58:27.66 after pulling away from the other competitors at the start of the final leg. Snowsill's win was the first Australian win in the women's triathlon, which first became a part of the Olympic program in 2000 in Sydney.

Team Performance of the Day...
Table tennis was always China's sport, and it remained that way when they won Men's Team gold earlier on Day 10. China swept Germany, 3-0, to capture gold while South Korea won the bronze.
China beats Germany for team table tennis gold 11:29 am EDT (AP)

Other highlights of Day 10:
- Women's soccer semifinals took place earlier today. Brazil advanced after a 4-1 win over Germany in a rematch of the Women's World Cup final. Brazil will face the United States, who rallied to beat Japan, 4-2, in the other semifinal.
- Nastia Liukin settled for silver after losing a tiebreak in the women's uneven bars. Liukin and China's He Kexin got the same score, 16.725. But the gold was awarded to He because she received a higher execution score. A tiebreaker also decided the medals of the men's vault competition. when Poland's Leszek Blanik beat France's Thomas Bouhail after both scored 16.537.

NOW Sports will be back later with a preview of Day 11 of competition at the games of the XXIX Olympiad.

Day 10 2AM Update: BREAKING NEWS - Liu Xiang Drops Out of Olympics

2008-08-18T02:21:00.003-04:00

BREAKING NEWS coming into the NOW Sports Newsroom:

Actually, this news came out just a couple of hours ago, but its definitely worth mentioning. Liu Xiang, the country's hopeful to win a gold medal in the Men's 110m hurdle final on Thursday night, has pulled out of the event, citing a strained right achilles tendon. The following report is from the Associated Press:

Hurdler Liu Xiang done without a run in Olympics

By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer 1 hour, 7 minutes ago

BEIJING (AP)—Liu Xiang and the entire nation of China looked forward to this moment for years: The defending Olympic champion lining up to run the 110-meter hurdles at the Beijing Games.

He didn’t even get to race.

Already grimacing before getting into his crouch, Liu pulled up lame just steps into the first round of qualifying Monday, leaving the Summer Games’ host country without one of its biggest stars—and far and away its biggest star in track and field.

He limped out of the block at the starting gun, took a few awkward steps, then pulled up when the second gun sounded to signal a false start. No one is disqualified by an initial false start, yet Liu tore the pieces of paper with his number off each leg and immediately headed for a tunnel.

While the other entrants in his heat prepared for the restart, Liu took a slow walk along a concrete path leading away from the rust-colored track where he was supposed to thrill a nation of 1.3 billion people.

Instead, he sat against a wall alone, that smiling face that adorns so many advertising billboards now sullen.

“We worked hard every day, but the result was as you see, and it’s really hard to take,” Liu’s personal coach, Sun Haiping, said at a news conference the hurdler did not attend.

Sun, who paused to wipe away tears while answering questions, said Liu was bothered by a right foot injury that has lingered for six or seven years—and not the right hamstring that has dogged him for months. The foot pain intensified Saturday.

There were signs of trouble as soon as Liu made his first appearance on the Bird’s Nest’s big screen. Once on the track, he stopped after clearing two hurdles during the warmup period, then crouched down and walked gingerly back to the starting area.

He peeled off his red shirt when others were lining up behind the blocks and seemed to wait forever before pulling a new jersey over his head.

“In watching warmups, we could see he wasn’t quite as strong as you expect him to be,” said former world record-holder Colin Jackson. “But we didn’t know it was as bad as it turned out to be.”

Liu’s hamstring problem forced him to pull out of a meet in New York on May 31—the same night Usain Bolt first broke the world record in the 100 meters.

A week later, Liu lined up for the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., but was disqualified for a false start. He hasn’t raced since and only rarely has made public appearances, training in seclusion.

The 25-year-old hurdler is as much a celebrity here as Houston Rockets center Yao Ming. Thursday night’s 110-meter hurdles final was expected to be one of the highlights of these Olympics: China’s Liu vs. Cuba’s Dayron Robles, the man who broke Liu’s world record in June—with 91,000 fans crowding into the Bird’s Nest to cheer on their man.

Liu’s withdrawal was by far the most stunning development on Day 4 of the track and field competition—of far more significance than any races that actually were run, including 100-meter champion Usain Bolt’s advancing to the second round in the 200.

“A 110-meter hurdles race without Liu is such a pity,” said Qatar’s Mohammed Issa Al-Thawadi, who was lined up in the adjacent lane for Liu’s heat. “I feel so bad for him.”

Now Robles, who won his heat in 13.39 seconds and well off his world record time of 12.87, becomes the clear favorite.

Yet another of the top contenders departed Monday when two-time Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell of the United States grabbed the second hurdle and limped off the track with an injured left leg.

That was moments before Liu’s turn to take to the track. It’s been quite clear for quite some time that he would be under a tremendous amount of pressure at these Olympics, and yet Liu has insisted he didn’t feel it.

There was no way to know exactly what he was thinking Monday, because he didn’t speak to reporters.

And his countrymen?

“I think they will be disappointed,” said Wang Wei, executive vice president of the games’ organizing committee. “But they will understand. When somebody has an accident, you can’t help it.”

The exits of Liu and Trammell leave David Oliver, thought to be running as consistently as any of the U.S. hurdlers of late, as a serious medal candidate. His personal best of 12.95 seconds is only 0.08 second off Robles’ world record.

Asked before Liu lined up for his heat whether he knew that his Chinese rival appeared to be hurting badly, Robles said he didn’t care.

“I’m going to do what Usain Bolt did,” the Cuban said when asked about breaking his hurdles world record. “The track is perfect. Anything is possible in the final.”

Day 10 PREVIEW: Gymnastics Event Finals, Trampoline, Table Tennis Highlight Day 10

2008-08-17T23:08:00.000-04:00

As we enter the second week of these Olympic Games, the potential for great moments to occur exists in a variety of sports, among them table tennis, trampoline and the triathlon.

EVENTS TO WATCH:
- Track and Field: Men's 400m Hurdles Final (10AM ET) and Women's Pole Vault Final (7:20AM ET), Same-Day Tape on NBC Primetime
More track and field continues at the Bird's Nest as several finals will take place on both the field and the track. The Men's 400m Hurdles final is destined to be the highlight of the night. After Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez, the defending gold medalist, failed to qualify for the final (he didn't even qualify for the semi-finals), the field is wide open for anyone to take gold. This may turn out to be another Jamaica vs. United States showdown as both countries field medal contenders in this final. For the United States, defending world champion Kerron Clement as well as Angelo Taylor and Bershawn Jackson will try and capture the United States' first gold medal of the track and field competition. For Jamaica, look out for veteran hurdler Danny McFarlane, silver medalist in Athens, and Markino Buckley.

The women's pole vault final will again feature Russian and world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva while American Jenn Stuczynski will try for the ultimate upset. The two have gone one-two several times this year, including at the world indoor championships. Finals will also take place in the womens' 800 meters, the men's long jump and men's 3000m Steeplechase.

- Gymnastics: Women's Uneven Bars Final (6:43AM ET), Same-Day Tape on NBC Primetime
The women's individual all-around gold medalist Nastia Liukin will compete for gold in one of her signature events--the uneven bars. She received a 16.650 on this apparatus during the all-around final in her road to the gold medal. Standing in Liukin's way is China's Yang Yilin, the only athlete in the all-around that got a higher score than Liukin, with a 16.725. It could be another China vs. United States showdown at National Indoor Stadium.

The men's vault and men's rings final will also take place tonight at National Indoor Stadium. Liukin is the only American competing in tonight's indidvidual event finals.

- Table Tennis: Men's Team Final, China vs. Germany (7:30AM ET), LIVE Online, Delayed on USA Network (between 8AM-12PM)
The team event in table tennis was created to prevent countries like China from dominating the competition. While they may not sweep the medals, China is the overwhelming favorite to take gold in their signature event. Germany, who fought a tough battle against Japan in the semifinals, is looking for an upset of Olympic proportions in tonight's final.

- Women's Soccer: Semifinals, GER vs. BRA (6AM ET), USA vs. JPN (9AM ET), LIVE on MSNBC
The teams that will play for gold will be determined tonight in the semfinals of the women's soccer competition. In the first semifinal, Germany faces Brazil in a rematch of the Women's World Cup final, won by Germany 2-0. Then, Japan takes on the defending gold medalists United States in the second semifinal.

GOLD MEDAL FINALS...

10:00 Triathlon Women's Final Official

13:00 Sailing 470 Women - Medal Race Official

13:00 Sailing 470 Men - Medal Race Official

16:30 Cycling - Track Women's Points Race Scheduled

18:00 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Rings Final Scheduled

18:15 Cycling - Track Men's Team Pursuit Finals Scheduled
18:43 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Uneven Bars Final Scheduled

19:00 Athletics Women's Discus Throw Final Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 105kg Group A Scheduled

19:15 Equestrian Jumping Team Round 2 Scheduled

19:20 Athletics Women's Pole Vault Final Scheduled

19:29 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Vault Final Scheduled

19:30 Table Tennis Men's Team Gold Medal Contest China vs Germany Scheduled

20:10 Athletics Men's Long Jump Final Scheduled

20:25 Trampoline Women's Final Scheduled

21:10 Athletics Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final Scheduled

21:35 Athletics Women's 800m Final Scheduled

22:00 Athletics Men's 400m Hurdles Final Scheduled

18:43 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Uneven Bars Final Scheduled

19:00 Athletics Women's Discus Throw Final Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 105kg Group A Scheduled

19:15 Equestrian Jumping Team Round 2 Scheduled

19:20 Athletics Women's Pole Vault Final Scheduled

19:29 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Vault Final Scheduled

19:30 Table Tennis Men's Team Gold Medal Contest China vs Germany Scheduled

20:10 Athletics Men's Long Jump Final Scheduled

20:25 Trampoline Women's Final Scheduled

21:10 Athletics Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final Scheduled

21:35 Athletics Women's 800m Final Scheduled

22:00 Athletics Men's 400m Hurdles Final Scheduled

18:43 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Uneven Bars Final Scheduled

19:00 Athletics Women's Discus Throw Final Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 105kg Group A Scheduled

19:15 Equestrian Jumping Team Round 2 Scheduled

19:20 Athletics Women's Pole Vault Final Scheduled

19:29 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Vault Final Scheduled

19:30 Table Tennis Men's Team Gold Medal Contest China vs Germany Scheduled

20:10 Athletics Men's Long Jump Final Scheduled

20:25 Trampoline Women's Final Scheduled

21:10 Athletics Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final Scheduled

21:35 Athletics Women's 800m Final Scheduled

22:00 Athletics Men's 400m Hurdles Final Scheduled

Stay with NOW Sports for the latest updates on the competition of Day 10 of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

"WHAT UP?! Media" NBC Olympic Coverage Week 1: All Phelps, All the Time

2008-08-17T21:26:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Michael Phelps, week 1 of the Olympics has been a primetime success on NBC. But swimming is now over, which means no Phelps, and no more live competition in primetime this week.

Let me correct myself, there will be some live coverage this week. But it pales in comparison to having the swimming finals shown live in primetime, even if the athletes being shown live this week are sexy, well-toned beach volleyball players.

NBC paid over $900 million dollars to obtain broadcasting rights to air the Olympic Games in the United States. When you're paying a significant part of the IOC members' salary, it is likely that you're going to get what you want, including scheduling marquee finals for the morning. NBC was able to convince Olympic organizers to hold the finals of the swimming competition in the morning so that it can be shown live in primetime here in the United States. In addition, NBC also was able to get the team and individual all-around finals in artistic gymnastics and beach volleyball matches to take place in the morning for primetime viewing.

All this rescheduling paid off for NBC as Michael Phelps single-handedly turned a multi-million dollar investment into a profit for NBC and their parent company General Electric. The lure for viewers to witness history in the making each night was a money maker for NBC. On most nights of the first week, primetime ratings beat out the respective nights during the Olympics in Athens four years ago. The most likely reason for this success? Live competition.

Speaking of live, that term can only refer to those viewers watching in the eastern and central time zones. Viewers in the west coast had to wait three hours after the live competition was aired on the east coast. And even though the competition was clearly taped, NBC taunted viewers by keeping up the "LIVE" sign at the top right corner of the screen. Then later in the week, after rumors spread that NBC would broadcast Phelps's historic eighth race live in all time zones, the network shot those rumors down and kept their stand that viewers in the west coast would have to watch the competition that was live on the East Coast in primetime.

There are two things wrong with this concept. One is that several events that were airing live on the east Coast actually took place late at night in the east. If NBC had broadcasted the events live in all time zones, gymnastics and swimming would have taken place in primetime on the West Coast anyway. It's bad enough that those who had work the next morning on the east coast had to stay up until 1AM in the morning to find out the results of the women's individual all-around in gymnastics. Why make viewers on the west coast go through the same thing?

Second, it's just plain wrong to tape delay sports, especially when half of the country is watching the event live. NBC took a "NBC Nightly News" or an even better example, an "American Idol" approach to broadcasting these Olympic Games in primetime. Those on the east can watch the nightly news or American idol live, but those on the west will be watching the taped version. While that may work for events like American idol where you'll want to actually see the show, no matter if it is live or taped, sports and the Olympics don't work the same way. But NBC treated the Olympics as an entertainment event that draws advertisers rather than a sporting event.

East or west, everyone will in the same boat this week as most of the primetime coverage on NBC will be taped, including all track and field finals, with the exception of the men's marathon, to be aired live on Saturday night. Only BMX racing and beach volleyball will be aired live in primetime, and like last week, live only to the east coast. As far as the track and field and gymnastics finals that will be aired this week, all of those events will have already happened approximately 12 hours before they are broadcast to the American audience.

What this means is possible lower ratings for the network, with results of the track and field finals available on the internet well before they are aired. In fact, we may see ratings similar to that of the Sydney Olympic games, when all of the events aired on NBC were taped. While the limited number of events that will be aired live may help draw ratings, don't expect results similar to last week's shows. NBC and America does not have a big superstar like Michael Phelps to attract ratings this week, and if the United States ends up not medalling in many events on the track or in gymnastics, then NBC is likely to beg Phelps to swim live in primetime, even if the competition is over.

The good news is that online coverage has been amazing. Though many of the big sports are not being streamed live, the offerings that NBCOlympics.com has are sufficient enough to pass the time and has provided excellent quality. The technology that NBC is using in streaming coverage has produced clear cut video and the use of live blogging helps viewers get interactive with experts that are providing comments on the event.

Beijing 2008 has proved to be an Olympics of transition for NBC in terms of delivering media to a hungry American audience. While the primetime trends of tape delay remain the same, the use of live and online coverage mean the best is yet to come in Olympics coverage. We'll just have to see what Week 2's ratings will hold for the big Olympic monopoly network.

Day 9 RECAP: Phelps, Jamaican Sweep Mark Olympic Halfway Point

2008-08-17T17:57:00.006-04:00

Haha, I figured since NBC is going to tape delay the Olympics this week, I'll delay my blog postings...(just kidding, I had other tasks to finish, sorry readers.)

The first week of the Beijing Olympics are in the books and it's a week that many will not soon forget. And this Day 9 of competition has served as the exclamation point of this memorable week.

Olympic Highlight of the Day

Take a good look readers. These are moments that you will not likely see for some time. In fact, this accomplishment may never happen again.
All of you know the story by now, but it never seems to get old, especially for Michael Phelps. He's won eight gold medals in a single Olympic games, accomplishing a feat no other athlete has ever done in Olympic history and more likely, sports history. The magical week at the Water Cube in Beijing will always be remembered for what Michael Phelps did for swimming, the United States, the Olympics and sports history. And even though Phelps had a lot of help, which he is very grateful for, the moment belongs to Phelps and we can only be thankful that we were united by the moment, living together as the motto of these Beijing Olympics: One World, One Dream. And what a dream it has been, that is now reality.

Feel-Good Moment of Day 9
There were actually many feel-good moments on Day 9, from Romania's Constantina Tomescu Dita's win in the marathon to Dara Torres winning two silver medals on the last day of competition. Both wins showed that you can do anything at any age if you set your mind to it. But today's feel good moment comes from the sport of fencing and the American silver medal win in the men's team sabre final.
Keeth Smart was not supposed to be competing in Beijing. His athletic career should have been over and if it wasn't for a two-week intensive treatment period, Smart should be dead by now.

Smart was diagnosed with a rare blood disease just four months ago, and doctors told him that his athletic career as a fencer could no longer continue. Then after a two week period of treatment, his mother succumbed to a two-year battle with cancer.

These difficulties came after disappointment in Athens, when Smart lost on the final touch and resulting in the U.S. men's sabre team leaving without a medal. The following year, his father died of a heart attack.

Considering all these circumstances, it's amazing to learn that Smart, instead of quitting from the sport, did the total opposite and plunged himself into training for this year's Olympic games. The results of his efforts? A well earned silver medal, better than none which happened in Athens.

See Report from New York Daily News.

Upset of the Day...
The most unexpected result of Day 9 came from artistic gymnastics when it made its return to the National Indoor Stadium for the individual event finals. Shawn Johnson of the United States was looking for her first gold medal of these games in the floor exercise final. It looked like she was going to clinch it when she posted a 15.500 for her routine that drew much applause and roar from the crowd.
Johnson's score held up until Romania's Sandra Izbasa, the last competitior on floor exercise, wowed the judges with her floor exercise routine and scoring a 15.650. Johnson ended up with silver, all-around gold medalist Nastia Liukin won bronze.

Team Highlight of the day...
When you think of team sports, you probably wouldn't think of the sport of rowing. But the concept of teamwork resonated throughout the Shunyi Rowing and Canoeing Park when seven finals took place on Day 9. Among the highlights of the final day of rowing were big wins by China and the United States. China won gold in the women's quadruple sculls final with a late surge to the front ahead of the team from the United Kingdom in the final 500 meters. The team of Jin Ziwei, Tang Bin, Xi Aihua and Zhang Yangyang crossed the finish line Sunday in 6 minutes, 16.06 seconds, blowing kisses and raising their arms in triumph in front of a roaring home crowd. This was China's first ever rowing gold medal.

The American women won gold in the classic women's eights event while the American men got bronze in their respective eights event. For the women, this was their first gold medal win in the event since 1984. The two-time world champions defeated the two-time Olympic champions from Romania after slowly emerging to the front of the race by the halfway mark. Romania won bronze behind the Netherlands.

Dominating Performance of the Day...
A sweep of the medals is usually seen as a dominating performance by a nation in that event or sport. That was seen today in tennis when Russia swept the medals in women's singles. But an even bigger sweep happened in the women's 100m final at the Bird's Nest. Shelly-Ann Frasier followed up yesterday's big win by Usain Bolt in the men's 100m final by leading a sweep of the medals in the women's 100m final. Frasier won with a time of 10.78 while her compatriots, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart, both finished with a time of 10.98 and will both be awarded silver medals. These medal successes in the sprints over the weekend thus made Jamaica, the fastest nation in the world.

Those are our highlights from a very busy day 9 of competition. Just so that we didn't leave anyone out, here are some of the other highlights from Day 9.

- Rafael Nadal continues amazing year in tennis with gold medal win in Beijing.
Nadal wins gold medal in men's tennis
- Track and Field: Bekele retains 10,000 meter title 1:17 pm EDT (Reuters)
- Diving: Guo wins record sixth diving medal 12:10 pm EDT (AP)

And finally, here is a look at the medal count coming into Day 10 of competition.

Overall medal standings - 328 of 436 medal events complete
	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
USA	19	21	25	65
CHN	35	13	13	61
RUS	7	12	12	31
AUS	8	10	11	29
GBR	11	6	8	25
See Full Standings

I'll be back shortly with coverage and a preview of Day 10.

LIVE Day 9 Competiton Blog

2008-08-16T21:53:00.007-04:00

It is the BUSIEST DAY OF COMPETITION of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China. There will be 39 sets of medals awarded today, everywhere from swimming to track and field, and nearly everything in between. I know yesterday's LIVE BLOG didn't work out so well, but I'm back home where its easier to control my sleeping habits.

2:35AM - Sorry for the delay. No, I haven't been sleeping. The Cover it Live! LIVE BLOG window is back below, so please refer to there for our continuing LIVE BLOG covering the action of Day 9.

2:08AM - The other final going on right now is in sailing as series races take place at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre. About to start is the women's singles gold medal final in tennis between Russian Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina.

2:05AM - This is a bit of a shocking result if you had watched the event unfold. Matthew Emmons of the United States had this event won coming into the final shot, but he shot a 4.4 in his last shot in a very unexpected result. This low score gave the Chinese the gold medal and Matt finishes outside of the medals. This is very much like a replay of the event in Athens when Emmons had the lead, but then shot into the wrong target and ended up finishing last.

2AM - So we have the results of the Men's 50m 3-position shooting event. Results available here.

1:56AM - So as you can maybe see, we're experiencing technical difficulties with our LIVE BLOG. I'm still with you though as we continue with Day 9. Two finals are underway right now in sailing and shooting.

Day 9 PREVIEW: Phelps Goes for Glory in the morning, Women's 100m Final tonight

2008-08-16T20:51:00.004-04:00

It is the BUSIEST DAY OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES. No less than 39 medals will be awarded today, and I can guarantee you that each event will be either thrilling, exciting or historic, or all three.

EVENTS TO WATCH:
- Athletics: Women's Marathon, 7:30PM LIVE ON NBC Primetime
The marathon is already underway and American Deena Kastor has dropped out. British runner Paula Radcliffe searches for redemption after droping out of the Athens 2004 marathon. Look for the marathon world record holder to be in the front for most of the race.

- Swimming: Men's 4x100m medley relay, 10:58PM
LIVE on NBC Primetime, LIVE BLOG ON NOW SPORTS
After winning yesterday's thrilling 100 meter butterfly, Michael Phelps will most likely be crowned greatest Olympian ever tonight when he competes for his eighth gold medal. It's a race that the Americans have never lost in the Olympics (except for 1980 when U.S. boycotted the games.) And the only thing barring Michael Phelps from winning would be an Australian upset or a disqualification. A DQ kept Phelps from winning eight medals at last year's world championships so it's like that the Americans have learned their lesson.

Should he win gold, it will be his 14th gold medal, 16th Olympic medal and 8th gold medal in this Olympic games. Everyone knows the historical significance of tonight's race and everyone will surely be watching.

- Tennis: Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Gonzalez (3:30AM), Williams Sisters vs. Spain for gold (4AM) LIVE BLOG ON NOW SPORTS
Three gold medal finals today in tennis, including both singles titles and the women's doubles final. Though Federer won gold in yesterday's doubles final, Nadal will look to create a Nadal golden summer. With the Wimbledon and French Open titles in his hands this year, an Olympic gold medal would be icing on the cake for the young Spaniard. And the Williams sisters go for their first gold since Sydney in the women's doubles final.

- Gymnastics and Track and Field Finals
The gymnasts are back in action as they compete in the individual event finals, including both men's and women's floor exercise finals. Alexander Artemev, the American gymnast that clinched the bronze medal in the men's team final for the United States, will likely medal in the men's pommel horse final. And on the track, the title of fastest woman in the world will be crowned in the women's 100m final.

GOLD MEDAL FINALS:

07:30 Athletics Women's Marathon Running

10:03 Swimming Women's 50m Freestyle Final Scheduled

10:09 Swimming Men's 1500m Freestyle Final Scheduled

10:40 Swimming Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final Scheduled

10:58 Swimming Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final Scheduled

13:00 Sailing Yngling - Medal Race Rescheduled

13:30 Shooting Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Final Scheduled

14:00 Sailing Finn Medal Race Rescheduled

14:00 Tennis Women's Singles Gold Medal Match DEMENTIEVA Elena vs SAFINA Dinara Scheduled

15:00 Sailing 49er - Medal Race Rescheduled

15:30 Rowing LWT Women's Double Sculls Sculls Final A Scheduled

15:30 Tennis Men's Singles Gold Medal Match GONZALEZ Fernando vs NADAL Rafael Scheduled

15:50 Rowing Lightweight Men's Double Sculls Final A Scheduled

16:00 Tennis Women's Doubles Gold Medal Match RUANO PASCUAL Virginia / MEDINA GARRIGUES Anabel vs
WILLIAMS Serena / WILLIAMS Venus Scheduled

16:10 Rowing Lightweight Men's Four Final A Scheduled

16:30 Rowing Women's Quadruple Sculls Final A Scheduled

16:50 Rowing Men's Quadruple Sculls Final A Scheduled

16:50 Wrestling Women's FR 63 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

17:05 Cycling - Track Women's Ind. Pursuit Finals Scheduled

17:10 Rowing Women's Eight Final A Scheduled

17:30 Rowing Men's Eight Final A Scheduled

17:45 Wrestling Women's FR 72 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:00 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Floor Exercise Final Scheduled

18:43 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Vault Final Scheduled

19:00 Fencing Men's Team Sabre Gold Medal Match Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 94kg Group A Scheduled

19:10 Athletics Men's Hammer Throw Final Scheduled

19:29 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Pommel Horse Final Scheduled

19:30 Badminton Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match WIDIANTO Nova / LILIYANA vs
LEE Hyojung / LEE Yongdae Scheduled

19:30 Table Tennis Women's Team Gold Medal Contest China vs Singapore Scheduled

20:15 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Floor Exercise Final Scheduled

20:30 Diving Women's 3m Springboard Final Scheduled

20:48 Badminton Men's Singles Gold Medal Match LIN Dan vs LEE Chong Wei Scheduled

21:30 Athletics Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final Scheduled

21:35 Athletics Women's Triple Jump Final Scheduled

22:25 Athletics Women's 100m Final Scheduled

22:45 Athletics Men's 10,000m Final Scheduled

14:00 Sailing Finn Medal Race Rescheduled

14:00 Tennis Women's Singles Gold Medal Match DEMENTIEVA Elena vs SAFINA Dinara Scheduled

15:00 Sailing 49er - Medal Race Rescheduled

15:30 Rowing LWT Women's Double Sculls Sculls Final A Scheduled

15:30 Tennis Men's Singles Gold Medal Match GONZALEZ Fernando vs NADAL Rafael Scheduled
15:50 Rowing Lightweight Men's Double Sculls Final A
16:00 Tennis Women's Doubles Gold Medal Match RUANO PASCUAL Virginia / MEDINA GARRIGUES Anabel vs
WILLIAMS Serena / WILLIAMS Venus Scheduled

16:10 Rowing Lightweight Men's Four Final A Scheduled

16:30 Rowing Women's Quadruple Sculls Final A Scheduled

16:50 Rowing Men's Quadruple Sculls Final A Scheduled

16:50 Wrestling Women's FR 63 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

17:05 Cycling - Track Women's Ind. Pursuit Finals Scheduled

17:10 Rowing Women's Eight Final A Scheduled

17:30 Rowing Men's Eight Final A Scheduled

17:45 Wrestling Women's FR 72 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:00 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Floor Exercise Final Scheduled

18:43 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Vault Final Scheduled

19:00 Fencing Men's Team Sabre Gold Medal Match Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 94kg Group A Scheduled

19:10 Athletics Men's Hammer Throw Final Scheduled

19:29 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Pommel Horse Final Scheduled

19:30 Badminton Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match WIDIANTO Nova / LILIYANA vs
LEE Hyojung / LEE Yongdae Scheduled

19:30 Table Tennis Women's Team Gold Medal Contest China vs Singapore Scheduled

20:15 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Floor Exercise Final Scheduled

20:30 Diving Women's 3m Springboard Final Scheduled

20:48 Badminton Men's Singles Gold Medal Match LIN Dan vs LEE Chong Wei Scheduled

21:30 Athletics Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final Scheduled

21:35 Athletics Women's Triple Jump Final Scheduled

22:25 Athletics Women's 100m Final Scheduled

22:45 Athletics Men's 10,000m Final Scheduled

And because it is THE busiest day of competition, NOW SPORTS will be doing a LIVE COMPETITION BLOG that (hopefully) will last throughout the entire competition day.

LIVE BLOG STARTS AT 10PM ET. Go to http://nowsport.blogspot.com or HERE at http://nowsportsamerica.blogspot.com for the LIVE BLOG for the latest results and developments in Day 9 of competition, the BUSIEST DAY of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

Day 8 RECAP: Phelps Steals Gold, Usain Bolt Runs Lightning Fast 100m

2008-08-16T17:32:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the very late post, Olympic fatigue has set in...(actually I had family obligations to attend to.)

We're going to try a new format in this recap. This past week, I've felt that this blog has turned into a news feed. I want to give readers the interesting stories, not to mention the big stories that have come out of these games but sometimes I've given you just the news and none of the analysis and commentary that this blog has been able to give you before. And while you can go just anywhere for Olympic news, I want to make reading these posts worthwhile.

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:
- Michael Phelps Wins By A Touch in Men's 100m Butterfly
How could this not be our Olympic highlight of Day 8? The finish was so amazing and unbelievable that I'm still stunned at how Phelps was able to out touch Serbia's Milorad Cavic. But the touchpad doesn't lie apparently nor do the cameras. Even though a protest was filed by Cavic's coach, FINA stated that the replays make Phelps the clear winner.

Of course we all know by now what that win meant. That was his 13th gold medal win overall, his seventh in this Olympic Games, tying Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games. But for Phelps, it wasn't enough to be the best. Phelps has to be the best in dramatic fashion.

Feel Good Olympic Story of the Day...
The Olympics always provide touching moments of personal glory, an athlete overcoming obstacles to gain triumph, and emotions that can only occur at the Olympic Games. We find our feel-good story of Day 8 in the sport of sailing. Meet John Dane III (right). He and his son Austin Sperry are competing in the Star dinghy class in sailing. On Saturday, they took an unexpected overall lead following second and fourth place finishes in races on Day 8.

The feel-good part of this story is that the 55-year-old is finally competing in the Olympics after 40 years of unsuccessful attempts. He first tried to go to the world's best sporting event in 1968 at the age of 18 in the Dragon boating class. Then he tried for three consecutive Olympics in three different boat classes, all with unsuccessful tries to make the Olympic team.

It wasn't until Dane paired up with Sperry that a potential medal winning team was born. But after three of the 11-race series, the duo isn't going to think about medalling anytime soon.

Also see: Drained New Zealander barely makes medal ceremony 11:19 am EDT (AP)

CLOSE FINISHES:
Of course with 29 medals being awarded on Day 8, there were bound to be close finishes. And while Phelps definitely takes first place in the close finish highlight of the day, and quite possible of the Olympics, there were other notable highlights where the medal wasn't decided until the very last second.
American teenager Vincent Hancock won gold for the United States in the men's skeet event after a shoot-off with Norwegian Tore Brovold, who failed to hit the third target of the shootout. The former world champion and shooter of the year is only 19 years of age as is one of the younger Olympians of the U.S. Olympic team (outside of gymnastics that is).

Hancock had a one point lead coming into the final round and missed one target after making the first 19. The Norwegian made all his targets, setting up a shoot-off with the score tied at 145.

Team Highlight of the Day:
While individuals succeed to win on their own, the collaborative effort of multiple individuals often brings greater glory than the effort of one. Here's the team highlight of the day.Today's team USA win over Spain serves as our team highlight of the day. It was slated to be a huge matchup between two undefeated teams as the Redeem Team took on the defending world champions in a battle for the top spot in the group.

It was a game where every U.S. player on the squad scored, led by Lebron James with 18 points. Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony finished with 16 points. This 119-82 win will be known for the Americans' ability to score outside of the three point line, The Americans were 12 of 25, making seven of its first ten attempts from outside the arc.

Upset of the Day...
With 205 nations competing, any athlete from any country could win at any time during these 17 days of competition. We've seen great upsets in this first week of competition, from China defeating Korea in archery to the American victory over France in the 400m Freestyle relay. Here's today's upset from Day 8...

Belgium defeated Italy earlier today in the men's soccer quarterfinal by a score of 3-2. The defending world cup champions lost when the 10-man Belgian squad went ahead in the score following Moussa Dembele's late strike in the second half. It was a back and forth game that was ultimately decided in the 80th minute when Dembele scored his second goal of the game. Belgium was reduced to ten men when Thomas Vermanlen ran over Robert Acquafresca in the 17th minute, allowing Italy to strike first in a penalty kick.

This amazing feat that put Belgium in the soccer semifinals makes this game our upset of the day.
Belgium secures 3-2 soccer win over Italy 9:26 am EDT (AP)

Other highlights...
- Federer wins Olympic gold in doubles

Federer wins gold in Olympic doubles
- Usain Bolt wins 100m in world record time, Tyson Gay fails to make final
Bolt breaks own world record to win 100
Gay flops in men's 100 semifinals at…

So I hope you enjoyed that revamped recap, I think this is better compared to the usual recaps that I've been giving you this week. I think I'll do this for the rest of the games so get set for more interesting reads.

Day 8 LIVE COMPETITION BLOG

2008-08-15T22:20:00.004-04:00

Day 7 is full of incredible action all over Beijing as 29 medals are awarded today. So we thought we could try out something never been done before on NOW Sports: AN ALL-DAY LIVE BLOG. Yup, we'll be with you throughout the entire day (or night for the United States) of competition in Day 7. We'll see how long I can last.

Day 8 PREVIEW: World's Fastest Man to be Decided in Men's 100m Final

2008-08-15T20:18:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, it's already time for track and field at these games, as we get into Day 8 of competition. It will be a very busy day of competition as 29 medals, the most medals awarded so far at these Games, will be contested in Beijing.

EVENTS TO WATCH:
- Swimming: Men's 100 meter butterfly final, 10:10PM ET
LIVE ON NBC Primetime on the East Coast, LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports
American Michael Phelps will go for history (again) tonight by looking to tie Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympic games. His biggest threat will be fellow American Ian Crocker, who lost to Phelps by five one-hundredths of a second in the final of this event in Athens four years ago. Three other finals will take place tonight as well, including the women's 200 meter backstroke and the men's 50 meter freestyle.

- Track and Field: Men's 100 meters finals, 10:30AM ET
Tape Delayed coverage on NBC Primetime Saturday
As the swimming competition slowly comes to a close, with the final morning of events to take place tomorrow, the focus slowly shifts to National Stadium--aka The Bird's Nest--for the Men's 100 meter final, to determine the fastest man in the world. Three men--Jamaica's Usain Bolt and veteran Asafa Powell and American Tyson Gay--are poised to take the gold and all are former or current world record holders of the event.

- Men's Basketball: United States vs. Spain, 10:15AM ET
It's a battle of undefeated teams as the defending world champion Spain will face the powerful redeem team from the United States in what will be a true test for the Americans in their quest for gold. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant will have to matchup against Juan Carlos Navarro and Pau Gasol in this battle for the top spot in the pool.

- Tennis: Roger Federer Looks For Gold in Men's Doubles Final, 8AM ET
It will seem somewhat ironic that while James Blake eliminated Roger Federer in the singles quarterfinals, Federer will be playing for gold with his partner Stanislas Wawrinka in men's doubles the day after Blake was ousted by Fernando Gonzalez.

- Finals in badminton, rowing, sailing and track cycling
With 29 finals to be contested today, take your pick and explore the other Olympic sports that look to bring glory to the nations competing at these games. Great Britain is expected to medal in rowing and track cycling while the Chinese are expected to medal in badminton. In fact, today's women's singles final in badminton will be an all-Chinese affair.

Gold Medal Finals

09:00 Athletics Men's 20km Walk Scheduled

10:03 Swimming Women's 200m Backstroke Final Scheduled

10:10 Swimming Men's 100m Butterfly Final Scheduled

10:16 Swimming Women's 800m Freestyle Final Scheduled

10:39 Swimming Men's 50m Freestyle Final Scheduled

12:00 Badminton Women's Singles Gold Medal Match XIE Xingfang vs ZHANG Ning Scheduled

12:00 Shooting Men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Final Scheduled

13:00 Sailing Finn Medal Race Scheduled

14:00 Sailing Yngling - Medal Race Scheduled

15:00 Shooting Men's Skeet Final Scheduled

15:30 Rowing Women's Single Sculls Final A Scheduled

15:50 Rowing Men's Single Sculls Final A Scheduled

16:10 Rowing Women's Pair Final A Scheduled

16:30 Rowing Men's Pair Final A Scheduled

16:50 Rowing Women's Double Sculls Final A Scheduled

16:50 Wrestling Women's FR 48 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

17:10 Rowing Men's Double Sculls Final A Scheduled

17:30 Rowing Men's Four Final A Scheduled

17:40 Cycling - Track Men's Points Race Scheduled

17:45 Wrestling Women's FR 55 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:50 Cycling - Track Men's Ind. Pursuit Finals Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Women's +75kg Group A Scheduled

19:15 Cycling - Track Men's Keirin Finals Scheduled

19:30 Fencing Women's Team Foil Gold Medal Match Scheduled

20:00 Tennis Men's Doubles Gold Medal Match FEDERER Roger / WAWRINKA Stanislas vs
JOHANSSON Thomas / ASPELIN Simon Scheduled

21:10 Athletics Women's Shot Put Final Scheduled

21:30 Badminton Men's Doubles Gold Medal Match SETIAWAN Hendra / KIDO Markis vs
CAI Yun / FU Haifeng Scheduled

22:15 Athletics Women's Heptathlon 800m - Heat 6 Scheduled

22:30 Athletics Men's 100m Final Scheduled

Check with NOW Sports throughout the entire day (night) for the latest updates on what should be an ultra busy day of competition.

Day 7 RECAP: Another Gold for Phelps, Liukin Wins First Gymnastics Medal for U.S., ALSO: Shocking Shot Put Result SPOILER

2008-08-15T12:23:00.004-04:00

There were 19 sets of medals given out today during one of the brightest days, weather-wise, of competition. Nastia Liukin and Michael Phelps headlined today's action while competition began in track cycling and track and field. For China, more medals were awarded in weightlifting and they won their first medals in badminton. Slovakia, meanwhile, had their time in the spotlight in their wins of the whitewater slalom canoe/kayak.

Americans Have Their Best Day of the Games with multiple wins in the Pool and Gold in Premier Gymnastics Event
Nastia Liukin won the first American gold medal of these games in gymnastics and brought personal glory to her family after she completed as-close-to-perfect routines in the women's individual all-around. The Russian-born gymnast from Texas received the gold that had alluded her father, Valeri Liukin, in the Seoul 1988 Olympics (See Dan Wetzel column). Liukin also broke the Chinese gold medal winning streak that the host nation had going in the artistic gymnastics competition.

Together with Shawn Johnson, the United States accomplished their first 1-2 finish in the history of the event. Liukin defended the American gold that was won four years ago in Athens by Carly Patterson, who has served as the inspiration for Liukin.

Liukin's gold capped off a successful morning for the Americans at the Water Cube. The morning began with a major upset in the women's 200 meter breaststroke where Rebecca Soni defeated Australia's Leisel Jones after taking the lead in the final 60 meters. Then Ryan Lochte captured his first individual gold medal by beating Aaron Peirsol in the men's 200 meter backstroke. American success was capitalized by none other than Michael Phelps, who won his sixth gold medal of these games in world record time in the 200 meter individual medley.

In the other final of swimming's morning session, Germany's Brita Steffen won a close race decided by four one-hundredths of a second over Australia's Lisbeth Trickett and American Natalie Coughlin, who captured silver and bronze respectively.

RELIVE THE MOMENTS OF THIS MORNING FINALS AT OUR LIVE BLOG: http://nowsport.blogspot.com

Other Highlights of Day 7:
- Ukraine's Victor Ruban stole gold away from South Korea's Kyung-Mo Park by shooting a ten on the final arrow in the men's individual final. The win meant another Olympic games where Korea would not capture gold in the premier event of archery, a sport that they have captured many gold medals in through other events. South Korea won the men's and women's team competition at this year's Games.
- James Blake lost to Fernando Gonzalez in the semifinals in three sets while Rafael Nadal will be guaranteed a medal by winning his semifinal over Novak Djokovic. In doubles, Roger Federer and his partner advanced to the final by beating the Bryan brothers of the United States in the semifinal. The Williams sisters advanced to tomorrow's semifinals. Federer and both Williams sisters lost yesterday in the singles competition.
- The United States women's soccer team advanced to the semifinals after a 2-1 win in overtime against Canada. The match was delayed for 40 minutes in the first half due to heavy rain and lightning. Brazil, Japan and Germany advanced to the semifinals as well.
- Great Britain won gold on the opening day of track cycling with a victory over France in the team sprint.
- China won their first medal in badminton.

*SPOILER RESULTS* Track and Field: Day 1
Can be seen in Primetime on NBC on Friday
It was the inaugural day of competition of track and field in the Bird's Nest. Finals were contested in the men's shot put and women's 10,000 meters as preliminary round action occured in the men's and women's 100 meters and Day 1 of the Heptathlon occured.

Majewski wins shot put for Poland 1:50 pm EDT (AP)
Bolt, Powell, Gay coast through 100 qualifying 1:22 pm EDT (AP)
Dibaba golden in 10,000 meters, breaks 30 minutes 11:46 am EDT (AP)

Day 7 11AM Update: Blake Expects Gonzalez to be A Gentlemen/Crazy Badminton Atmosphere

2008-08-15T10:43:00.003-04:00

More news and blogging here on Day 7, which is still ongoing with the men's semifinals in tennis, preliminary play in basketball and the closing minutes of women's soccer quarterfinals.

Blake Disappointed in Gonzalez after Semifinal Loss
James Blake lost to Fernando Gonzalez today in three sets after he had three match points, including an easy forehand shot that turned into an error, to gain a berth in the Olympic final. After his 4-6, 7-5, 11-9 loss to the Athens gold medalist, he decided to blame his opponent, not himself, for not being a good sportsman.

From the Associated Press report:
[Blake] accused Gonzalez of failing to fess up on a disputed point two games before the finish.

“I’ve spoken all week about how much I’ve enjoyed the Olympic experience, how much I love the spirit of it,” Blake said. “That’s a disappointing way to exit the tournament, when you not only lose the match, but you lose a little faith in your fellow competitor.”

The incident that upset Blake occurred with Gonzalez serving at 8-9 in the final set. On the first point, Blake hit a backhand passing shot long but contended the ball ticked Gonzalez’s racket before landing, as TV replays confirmed.

Blake appealed in vain to the chair umpire, and said Gonzalez should have conceded the point. Blake went on to lose the game to make it 9-all.

“Playing in the Olympics, in what’s supposed to be considered a gentleman’s sport, that’s a time to call it on yourself,” Blake said. “Fernando looked me square in the eye and didn’t call it.”

Gonzalez said he was uncertain whether the ball hit his racket.

Talk about being a good sportsman. I'd have some sympathy, but if Blake had three match points and then failed to convert either of them, and then talk smack about his opponent, then he should probably look at himself in the mirror and ask himself if he is a gentlemen.

It's alright Blake. Anyone can be frustrated after a loss. Just go out there and win the bronze for USA. (He will face the loser of the the semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.)

China IS Badminton Crazy!

I just watched the women's doubles final, where China and Korea faced off for the gold medal, and I am now thoroughly convinced that China is very crazy about badminton. In an atmosphere similar to that of an NFL playoff game, the Chinese pair of Du Jing and Yu Yang defeated Korean pair Lee Hyo-Jung and Lee Kyung-Won in two games 21-15, 21-13. Earlier, the Chinese earned a bronze medal in the same competition.

I've always known that badminton and table tennis is very popular in China, but I've never actually seen their passion. Now I'm thoroughly convinced that these sports that we find so amusing in our backyard and in our basement are not to be taken lightly in China. I can't wait to watch more of these types of sports during the rest of the Olympics, especially on tomorrow morning, when two Chinese women will play for the men's singles title.

China wins gold medal in badminton 10:38 am EDT (AP)

I Love Bela Karolyi! (see Awful Announcing)

I know I'm a little late with this, but this is still worth talking about. Bloggers everywhere are putting on a smile on their face during the gymnastics competition as we watch analysis from Bela Karolyi in the gymnastics competition. It was during the team final that we witnessed how crazy in love he is for the sport when he jumped for joy as he watched the competition unfold. Last night, or earlier this morning, he practically peed in his pants as he watched Nastia Liukin's floor exercise routine. My favorite part is watching Bob Costas just sit there and sip his coffee, his eyes rolling. He's probably saying to himself, "I can't believe the network wants me to sit with this guy." I love the chemistry between the two, too bad none of the rest of the gymnastics competition is live. Make sure you see the link above.

Day 7 10AM Update: Weather Delays Soccer Quarterfinal, Blake Loses, Medals Awarded in Track Cycling, Judo

2008-08-15T09:29:00.006-04:00

Day has given way to night in Beijing and its been a very busy night as we enter an extremely action-packed weekend.

U.S.-Canada Quarterfinal Resumes After Delay Due to Lightning
The quarterfinal game between the United States and Canada began under very heavy rain was halted midway through the first half due to lightning. The delay lasted around 40 minutes and the United States had the lead off of a goal scored by Angela Huckles in the 12th minute. After the delay, Christine Sinclair scored late in the first half to tie the game 1-1.

The match headed into overtime and Natasha Kai of the United States scored in the 101st minute. The game is currently in the second half of overtime.

In other matches played today, Brazil made the semifinal round after defeating Norway, 2-1. China currently trails Japan at halftime by a score of 1-0. Germany and Sweden are currently scoreless at halftime.

Brazil beats Norway 2-1 to reach Olympic Semifinal…

Blake Falls to Gonzalez in Semifinal, Federer moves on in doubles
The roles were switched today for Roger Federer and James Blake as Blake lost to defending gold medalist Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in today's semifinal while Roger Federer advanced to the next round in the doubles competition with his partner Stanislas Wawrinka. Yesterday, James Blake ousted Roger Federer in singles competition in straight sets, defeating him for the first time in nine tries. The Williams sisters advanced to the next round in doubles too after both Venus and Serena lost yesterday in women's singles competition.

Blake falls to Gonzalez at Olympics...

Other news:
France beats Poland for men's epee title 8:55 am EDT (AP)
Britain wins men's cycling team sprint gold 8:55 am EDT (AP)
China, Japan share final judo golds 9:18 am EDT (AP)

Day 7 6AM Update: Slovakia Sweeps Day's Whitewater Events, China Continues Weightlifting Dominance

2008-08-15T05:33:00.004-04:00

More medal updates as we continue with our coverage of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

Whitewater Slalom: Slovakia Wins Gold in C2 and Women's K1
The canoe/kayak whitewater slalom is a sport of precision, control, and a bit of upper body strength. Just imagine yourself skiing, except instead of snow, it's downhill, rapidly moving water, instead of skis, you use a boat and a paddle, and your legs have been cut off. That's pretty much whitewater canoe/kayak and its quite entertaining, especially if you like to see competitor's boats overturn.

Earlier today, Slovakia captured gold in both whitewater slalom events that were contested today, continuing their dominance in the sport. In the Men's C2 final, Pavol and Peter Hochschorner won their third consecutive gold medal in the event with a combined time of 190.82 seconds. And in the women's C1 competition, Elena Kaliska defended her gold medal title that she won in Athens with a combined time of 192.64 seconds.

Hochschorner brothers win third straight gold
Slovakia's Kaliska wins second straight K-1 gold

China Wins 7th Weightlifting Gold
The best weightlifters seem to come from China. The maximum four female weightlifters that China can enter have all won gold, the latest winner being Cao Lei after she won the 75-kg division by lifting a total weight of 282 kg. She broke three Olympic records in her win and didn't even enter the competition until all the other lifters had performed their lifts in the clean and jerk, when Cao lifted 154 kg. This win adds to the six golds won by Chinese men and women in weightlifting thus far.

Archery: Another Huge Upset as Ukraine Steals Gold Away from Korea
This just in from the NOW Sports News Room (aka my living room), Ukraine's Viktor Ruban has defeated Korean Kyung-Mo Park in the men's individual final. Ruban shot a ten on his last shot, forcing Park to score a ten in order to tie the match. But Park shot a nine and Ruban won by a score of 113-112. This is the second straight upset in archery, where South Korean archers have dominated the competition over the past several Olympics. Yesterday, China's Zhang Juanjuan captured gold in the women's individual competition.

EVENTS GOING ON NOW...
- Women's Soccer Quarterfinals:
USA vs. Canada (now live on USA Network)
Brazil vs. Norway

- Men's Team Epee Final in Fencing

- Tennis Singles Semifinals (Blake currently leads Gonzalez 3-2 in the final set)

STAY WITH NOW SPORTS FOR CONTINUING COVERAGE OF DAY 7 AT THE GAMES OF THE XXIX OLYMPIAD.

Day 7 4AM Update: Bright Skies in Beijing Provide Full Day of Olympic Action

2008-08-15T03:57:00.003-04:00

Well everyone has been talking about the bright blue skies that have shown up in the city of Beijing. It appears that yesterday's storms have brought about the best weather that we have seen thus far at these Olympics. And bright weather means a full day of action, and we have seen a lot of competition already on Day 7 of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

Baseball: Cuba Beats United States in Extra Innings
So far, Olympic baseball has been competitive. And given that this is the last Olympic Games where we'll see baseball indefinitely, international baseball fans should take up the opportunity. Earlier today, in a possible preview of a potential gold medal match, Cuba defeated the United States in extra innings, allowing the the defending champions to stay undefeated while the U.S. fell to a 1-2 record following a loss to South Korea and a win over the Netherlands earlier in the tournament.

Cuba won by a score of 5-4 in a game that implemented the new extra innings rule that has been put into effect in international baseball. Beginning with the 11th inning, the batting team puts runners at first and second and can start at any point in the batting order. It's meant to speed up the game and also prevent a team from using up all its pitchers.

Maybe MLB should take note. That rule would have been useful at last month's All Star Game.

The Hottest Couple of the Olympic Games
This is an interesting story that came off the Associated Press wires. Apparently they're the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of the Olympic Games. Matthew Emmons of the United States and his wife Katerina, a shooter from the Czech Republic, have been seen smooching and hugging each time one or the other has been competing. Matthew met Katerina in Athens four years ago after Matthew lost the gold medal when he shot into the wrong target.

They eventually hit it off and got married and in Beijing, the two have not been shy to express their love and support from one another. In competition, Katerina won the first gold medal of these games while Matt Emmons won silver earlier today in the Men's 50m Rifle Prone Shooting Event.

Shooting couple a hit at Beijing Games 3:29 am EDT (AP)

EVENTS GOING ON NOW:
- Serena and Venus Williams are trying to rebound from their singles loss on Thursday by trying to advance in the women's doubles competition. They are currently playing their round of 16 match right now against Japan. Federer, who lost yesterday in singles against James Blake, looks to do the same as he is playing his doubles match right now against Indonesia. Meanwhile, Blake is playing his semifinal match against defending gold medalist from Athens, Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.
- Finals of Women's 75kg Weightlifting
- Whitewater Slalom Canoe/Kayak Finals

STAY WITH NOW SPORTS DAILY FOR CONTINUOUS UPDATES ON THE COMPETITION OF DAY 7 OF THE GAMES OF THE XXIX OLYMPIAD.

Day 7 2AM Update: Perfection Headlines Morning Finals at Cube, Indoor Stadium

2008-08-15T01:25:00.004-04:00

In this morning's finals, sports fans were reminded that the quest for perfection often produces perfect results. Michael Phelps continued his quest as he won the men's 200 meter Individual Medley, breaking his sixth world record of these games. He is now one gold medal win away from tying Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a single Olympic Games.

And Nastia Liukin produced as close to perfect routines throughout the entire competition of the women's individual all-around. She led after three rotations, taking the lead following her 16.125 performance on the balance beam. She came back from tenth to second after her dominating performance on the uneven bars. And she clinched the gold medal with a floor exercise routine that put her into an exclusive list of Olympic champions.

Shawn Johnson, the reigning world champion, took home silver in a first 1-2 finish for the United States in this event. The win also broke the gold medal winning streak that the Chinese had at the gymnastics finals that have taken place, though Yang Yilin earned a bronze medal from today's competition.

Ryan Lochte won his first individual gold medal after defeating Aaron Peirsol in the final of the men's 200 meter backstroke, and then earned bronze in the 200 meter Individual Medley that was won by Phelps. And Rebecca Soni pulled off the biggest upset thus far in Olympic swimming here in Beijing after she defeated Australia's Leisel Jones in the final of the women's 200 meter breaststroke.

RELIVE ALL THE ACTION AND MOMENTS FROM OUR LIVE BLOG:
http://nowsport.blogspot.com

LATEST NEWS FROM BEIJING:
- Matthew Emmons earned the United States a silver medal in the men's 50m rifle prone shooting
- USA and Cuba are tied 2-2 in a pivotal preliminary baseball game that could decide the top of the pool standings
- Semifinals took place in badminton
- preliminary heats start track and field competition at the Bird's Nest

Bolt, Powell, Gay coast through 100 heat 1:43 am EDT (AP)
Xie, Zhang advance to badminton final 1:35 am EDT (AP)
Another gold for Ukraine, this time in shooting 12:17 am EDT (AP)
Germany's Steffen wins Olympic 100 free 11:31 pm EDT (AP)

ON TELEVISION, NOW AND COMING UP:
- Softball between the United States and Japan NOW on CNBC
- Beach Volleyball and interviews with medal winners Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson on NBC Late Night
- Beach volleyball, whitewater canoeing and rowing semifinals on USA Network

EVENTS COMING UP:
- Women's Basketball: Russia vs. Brazil, 2:20AM
- Whitewater Canoe/Kayak Finals, 2:50AM
- Weightlifting, Women's 75kg Final, 3:19AM
- Track Cycling, Men's Team Sprint, 4:19AM

Day 7 PREVIEW: Multiple Duels in the Pool, Women's All-Around Final

2008-08-14T20:04:00.003-04:00

It's another big night at both the Water Cube and National Indoor Stadium as rivalries and star-studded matchups take place at both venues. Also, we will witness the start of competition in multiple sports today as well as the conclusion of competition in other sports.

EVENTS TO WATCH...
- Swimming: Men's 200m Backstroke Final (10:19PM) and Men's 200m Individual Medley Final (10:48PM), Coverage LIVE in the east coast on NBC, LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports (available in ALL time zones)
Phelps-watch is back as Michael Phelps will seek his sixth gold medal at these games in the final of the 200 meter individual medley. But this morning's finals have an even bigger story and it surrounds Phelps's opponent and fellow American Ryan Lochte, who is Phelps's biggest threat in this race. Lochte is not only trying to upset Phelps in the medley final, he's also trying to take out Aaron Peirsol in the 200 meter backstroke final, taking place just a half-hour earlier. It will be interesting to watch whether or not Lochte will be able to pull off a double, or even win gold in one of them.

Also taking place this morning are finals in the women's 200 meter breaststorke and 100m freestyle.

- Gymnastics: Women's Individual All-Around Final, 11:15PM
LIVE on NBC Primetime on the east coast, LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports
This is the matchup that most fans of the Olympic Games have been looking forward too. Coming off a silver medal finish in the team final, Americans Nastia Liukin and defending world champion Shawn Johnson will battle for individual glory. But both Americans will have to worry about the Chinese, who won gold in the team final on Wednesday. Yang Yilin and Jiang Yuyuen are looking to give China its fourth gold medal of the gymnastics competition in as many days.

- Women's Soccer: Quarterfinal, USA vs. Canada, 6AM
LIVE on USA Network, LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports
It's time for the knockout rounds in Olympic football (soccer) and the defending gold medalists United States will take on their border rivals Canada, who haven't lost in this tournament following wins over Argentina and Sweden, and a 1-1 draw with China.

- Athletics: Men's Shot Put Final, 9AM
Taped Coverage on NBC Primetime Friday,
One week ago, the Bird's Nest played host to one huge party that welcomed the world to Beijing. Today, the first day and night of competition takes place at the centerpiece venue as finals will take place tonight (Friday morning in U.S.) in the men's shotput and the women's 10,000 meters. American shot putter Reese Hoffa searches for his first Olympic medal while fellow American Adam Nelson, who silver in Sydney and Athens, will look to turn silver into his first gold medal.

GOLD MEDAL FINALS...

10:12 Swimming Women's 200m Breaststroke Final Scheduled

10:19 Swimming Men's 200m Backstroke Final Scheduled

10:48 Swimming Men's 200m Individual Medley Final Scheduled

11:04 Swimming Women's 100m Freestyle Final Scheduled

11:15 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Individual All-Around Final Scheduled

11:30 Shooting Men's 50m Rifle Prone Final Scheduled
15:30 Weightlifting Women's 75kg Group A Scheduled

16:12 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Canoe Double (C2) Men Final Rescheduled

16:37 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Kayak (K1) Women Final Rescheduled

17:37 Archery Men's Individual Gold Medal Match Scheduled

18:40 Cycling - Track Men's Team Sprint Finals Scheduled

18:42 Judo Women +78 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 85kg Group A Scheduled

19:03 Judo Men +100 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:30 Fencing Men's Team Epee Gold Medal Match Scheduled

21:00 Athletics Men's Shot Put Final Scheduled

21:30 Badminton Women's Doubles Gold Medal Match LEE Kyungwon / LEE Hyojung vs
YU Yang / DU Jing Scheduled

22:45 Athletics Women's 10,000m Final Scheduled

15:30 Weightlifting Women's 75kg Group A Scheduled

16:12 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Canoe Double (C2) Men Final Rescheduled

16:37 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Kayak (K1) Women Final Rescheduled

17:37 Archery Men's Individual Gold Medal Match Scheduled

18:40 Cycling - Track Men's Team Sprint Finals Scheduled

18:42 Judo Women +78 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 85kg Group A Scheduled

19:03 Judo Men +100 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:30 Fencing Men's Team Epee Gold Medal Match Scheduled

21:00 Athletics Men's Shot Put Final Scheduled

21:30 Badminton Women's Doubles Gold Medal Match LEE Kyungwon / LEE Hyojung vs
YU Yang / DU Jing Scheduled

22:45 Athletics Women's 10,000m Final Scheduled

15:30 Weightlifting Women's 75kg Group A Scheduled

16:12 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Canoe Double (C2) Men Final Rescheduled

16:37 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Kayak (K1) Women Final Rescheduled

17:37 Archery Men's Individual Gold Medal Match Scheduled

18:40 Cycling - Track Men's Team Sprint Finals Scheduled

18:42 Judo Women +78 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 85kg Group A Scheduled

19:03 Judo Men +100 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:30 Fencing Men's Team Epee Gold Medal Match Scheduled

21:00 Athletics Men's Shot Put Final Scheduled

21:30 Badminton Women's Doubles Gold Medal Match LEE Kyungwon / LEE Hyojung vs
YU Yang / DU Jing Scheduled

22:45 Athletics Women's 10,000m Final Scheduled

Remember to stay with NOW Sports throughout all the drama and excitement of the action on Day 7 of competition. LIVE BLOGS will be available on http://nowsport.blogspot.com

Thanks for letting NOW Sports be a part of your Olympic experience

Day 6 RECAP: China Shines At the Gym and At the Pool

2008-08-14T13:07:00.002-04:00

Okay, so lately I've been more of a news feed that I have been a blogger and that's not good. So in trying to achieve so balance in this mega-Olympic blogosphere that does take a toll on an East Coast viewer that needs sleep, let's take a risk and reformat this recap.

Let's start by looking back at some highlights of the day, briefly:
Highlights
- Men's 100 meter freestyle: Bernard Redeems Himself for France
The most exciting event at the pool today was the men's 100 meter freestyle final, and Michael Phelps wasn't even swimming in it. Instead, it looked to be sort of a rematch of the final leg of the men's 4x100 meter freestyle relay between American Jason Lezak and France's Alain Bernard. In the end was also more of a showdown between two world record holders of this event, former holder Bernard, and current record holder from Australia Eamon Sullivan.

Like the 400m relay, it came down to the last touch and this time, it was Alain Bernard who came out in front and beats the world record.

- Gymnastics: Yang Wei's moment of glory
It may not have been the dramatic final of Athens 2004. It may not have even been a great final period, given the number of errors and deductions made. But it was Yang Wei's final, his Olympic championship and his moment of triumph. It took him eight years of heartbreak for his Olympic dream to be realized, after a silver medal in Sydney and disappointment in Athens. And for that moment to come in Beijing must be truly special for the 30-year-old gymnast.

There were special moments for both the silver and bronze medalists as well: Kohei Uchimura of Japan, who fell twice off the pommel horse, and Benoit Caranobe of France, who has never had this type of success in his life.

RELIVE THE MOMENTS OF DAY 6:
http://nowsport.blogspot.com/2008/08/10pm-live-swimming-finals-11pm-live.html

- Tennis: Down Goes Roger Federer and the potential of a Fed-Nadal Final
This just simply hasn't been Roger Federer's year. After going 0-3 for Grand Slam titles, he came into the Olympic tournament looking for a moment of redemption at an event that only happens every four years. Yet, despite his five Wimbledon titles, Federer will not join the special list of Olympic gold medalists in his sport after being ousted by American James Blake in the quarterfinals earlier tonight in straight sets. He made 56 unforced errors, unheard of from Roger Federer until now.

When Federer's shot went long on Blake's match point, the American from Fairfield, Connecticut screamed out, "Yes!" knowing that he's done what many others have tried to do in their career and what may be worth more than a gold medal to some: to beat Roger Federer. Blake now moves on to the semifinals and will face defending Olympic champion, Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.

Nadal moved on from the quarterfinals and will face Djokovic in the semifinals. Meanwhile there were huge upsets in the women's draw. Both Williams sisters, including Venus who won this year's Wimbledon title, were ousted from the quarterfinals earlier today. Serena lost to Elena Dementieva in three sets while Venus fell to Li Na of China.

Other Olympic Medals awarded:
Germany wins team dressage over Dutch 11:57 am EDT (AP)
Golden day for Asia in Beijing 12:19 pm EDT (Reuters)
Khushtov's throws give Russia 3rd Greco gold 11:50 am EDT (AP)
Cuba's Lopez tops Baroev for Greco 120 kg gold 11:45 am EDT (AP)
Italy's Cainero tops American, German in shoot-off 11:41 am EDT (AP)
Ukraine rallies past China for women's saber gold 11:39 am EDT (AP)
Judo-Ex-wrestler giv es Mongolia its first gold 10:53 am EDT (Reuters)

Day 6 11AM Update: USA Beats Greece, Blake Beats Federer

2008-08-14T11:25:00.002-04:00

The action on the court is the focus of these Olympic Games at the moment, while medals were awarded in judo, wrestling and fencing.

Undefeated USA dominates Greece, To Face Undefeated Spain Next
In a matchup with the last team who defeated them, the United States made no mistakes as Chris Bosh and Kobe Bryant led the scoring for the Americans as they dominated Greece 92-69. In what started out as a close game, the Redeem Team broke open the scoring in the second quarter as the Americans eventually blocked seven of Greece's shots and made 15 steals. For Greece, this is their second loss of the tournament and with a record of 1-2, Greece needs to win both of their next games to have a chance of advancing to the next round.

And for the United States, the win sets up a huge matchup with the defending world champions Spain in their next preliminary game to take place on Saturday.

No Federer-Nadal Final as James Blake Moves on to Semifinals
Federer has been focusing so hard on trying to win the one tournament that has eluded him in all his years of playing tennis -- an Olympic gold medal. Maybe he was focusing too hard. Federer looked flat and not so confident as Blake won the match in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6. Upsets continued on the women's side as Serena Williams lost to Elena Dementieva in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Too bad for Federer, this might be his last Olympic Games because I don't see him remaining this strong for another four years. But I could be very wrong since there are plenty of tennis players that have had long careers. But since Federer's only standard is gold, is waiting and training for four years worth it? Maybe, especially since he'd have the chance to win gold at the All-England Tennis Club, the site for tennis at the London 2012 Olympics and where he has won five Wimbledon titles.

Meanwhile, Nadal's chances of capturing gold has now significantly increased as he has yet to play his quarterfinal match.

Other news:
Cuba's Lopez tops Baroev for Greco 120 kg gold 11:45 am EDT (AP)
American women's saber team settles for bronze 10:54 am EDT (AP)
Mongolia, China take judo golds; Japan melts down 10:54 am EDT (AP)

A full recap of Day 6 at the Olympics is coming up soon on NOW Sports.

Day 6 7AM Update: Archery Upset Gives China Gold

2008-08-14T06:53:00.004-04:00

Whether its shooting arrows or bullets, the target competition is the news of this hour as rain continued to fall on Day 6. Here's some of the news from the wire services.

Korean Winning Streak Ends As Zhang Captures Archery Gold

By Peter Rutherford BEIJING, Aug 14 (Reuters) - China’s Zhang Juan Juan ended South Korea’s streak of winning every women’s Olympic archery gold medal since 1984 when she took the individual title on Thursday.

Zhang beat Park Sung-hyun, the Athens champion, in the final in front of a fired up home crowd, the third Korean she had defeated in the competition.

“The entire Chinese archery world heaved a sigh of relief,” Zhang, who won a silver medal in the team event on Sunday, told reporters. “Today I played perfectly. I was at my best.” South Korea’s Yun Ok-hee beat Kwon Un-sil of North Korea to win the bronze medal.

Italy’s Cainero tops American, German in shoot-off

BEIJING (AP)—Chiara Cainero of Italy won the gold medal in women’s skeet shooting Thursday, beating Kim Rhode of the U.S. and Christine Brinker of Germany in a shoot-off.

The three finished tied at 93 targets, and Cainero hit the first two targets of the shoot-off. Rhode and Brinker each missed one. The shoot-off continued to determine second place. Rhode ended up winning the silver, and Brinker took the bronze.

It rained throughout the competition, with the downpour intensifying near the end of the finals.

“Certainly the weather has influenced this competition,” Cainero said. “We had bad vision. If there is no sun it is very difficult to tell the color of (targets)—really not easy.”

Cainero said she has trained in heavy rain in the last two months and that helped her Thursday.

Cainero led after qualifying with a score of 72, but she hit only 21 of 25 targets in the final round, enabling Rhode and Brinker to catch up.

Rhode won gold in double trap in 1996 and 2004, but that event was eliminated for women before the Beijing Games. Forced to focus on skeet, she added another medal to her collection.

“After double trap was eliminated in 2004, I’m very happy just to be here at the Olympics and represent my country well,” she said.

Coming Up Next...
Well rain has delayed much of the competition, including the postponement of the canoe/kayak whitewater competiton. Tennis is set to resume shortly and a big basketball matchup between the United States and Greece is coming up so stay with us here on NOW Sports.

Day 6 2AM Update: Yang Wei Wins Gold For China, Surprise Medals in the Pool

2008-08-14T01:40:00.004-04:00

On a morning when Michael Phelps wasn't the focus of competition, China certainly outshined other nations by capturing gold not only in the gymnasium, where gold was expected in the men's all-around, but at the pool, which had quite a share of surprises.

Swimming: Redemption for France's Alain Bernard in Men's 100m Free
The real highlight for swimming fans was the men's 100 meter freestyle final, where a showdown took place between several top name swimmers, including France's Alain Bernard, American Jason Luzak, Dutch swimmer Peter van den Hoogenband and Australian and world record holder Eamon Sullivan. Luczak and Bernard were swimming head-to-head for the first time since both anchored the men's 4x100 meter freestyle relay.

In the end, it was Bernard and Sullivan who fought to the end as each swimmer traded leads in the final 50 meters. In another tight finish for the Frenchman, it was Bernard who came out with the victory this time. Sullivan won silver while Luzak tied with Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho for the bronze medal. Bernard's win is France's first swimming gold medal of these games.

Meanwhile, the host nation had something to cheer about at the Water Cube this morning. In an upset that benefited the host nation, Liu Zige and Jia Liuyang won the gold and silver medals respectively in the women's 200 meter butterfly final, upsetting favorite and world record holder Jessicah Schipper from Australia. The winning time of 2:04.18 is a new world record.

Kitajima sweeps breaststroke again
China goes 1-2 in women' 200 butterfly 10:56 pm EDT (AP)
Chinese swimmer DQ'd in women's 100 free semi 10:28 pm EDT (AP)
Bernard of France wins Olympic 100 free 11:03 pm EDT (AP)
The Frenchman doesn't choke twice 11:02 pm EDT (Yahoo! Sports)
Van den Hoogenband retires after finishing 5th 2:35 am EDT (AP)

Gymnastics: Yang Wei Wins All-Around After Sloppy Competition
For a true gymnastics fan, this morning's final was very hard to watch. Mistakes were being made everywhere, landings weren't stuck, and there were very few shining moments. Even the one shining moment that belonged to China wasn't as bright as Yang Wei would have hoped for during his routine on high bar.

But it was a shining moment nevertheless as Yang Wei captured a gold medal that has eluded him in the past. He won silver in the individual all-around in Sydney and was shut out of the medals after a devastating fall on the high bar in Athens. This morning, in front of his home crowd at National Indoor Stadium, he made few errors and was strong and consistent, taking the lead after performing a 16.625 on still rings.

Meanwhile, the race for silver and bronze was tight throughout as the standings changed often throughout the competition. Americans Jonathon Horton and Alexander "Sasha" Artemev, however, were not part of that medal mix after a tough start to the their competition. Instead, Japan's Kohei Uchimura, who was second to last after falling twice from pommel horse, and France's Benoit Caranobe won unexpected silver and bronze medals.

Yang Wei wins gold on night of 1,000 errors 1:52 am EDT (Yahoo! Sports)

Other news:
China's Du ties Olympic shooting record 12:10 am EDT (AP)
Du redeems herself, wins gold for China 2:38 am EDT (AP)

Coming Up:
3AM - Shooting, Women's Skeet Final
5:20AM - Greco-Roman Wrestling Finals
5:37AM - Archery, Women's Team Final

Day 6 PREVIEW: Yang Wei Searches for Individual Glory in Beijing

2008-08-13T21:26:00.000-04:00

It's become routine this week that the hot medal events of each day take place in the Water Cube and the National Indoor Stadium. But for the first time since the games began, Michael Phelps is NOT the focus of today's events. He is not competing today for a medal, only racing in the men's 200 meter individual medley semifinals in this morning's session.

Instead, all eyes that are inside the Water Cube will be looking forward to the men's 100 meter freestyle final, to determine the fastest swimmer in the world (besides Phelps). And in gymnastics, the men's individual all-around final takes place, where Yang Wei could shine in front of the Chinese crowd.

EVENTS TO WATCH...
- Swimming: Men's 100 meter freestyle final, 10:49PM EDT
(Live on NBC Primetime on East Coast, LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports)
NBC is probably sobbing that Michael Phelps isn't competing in the finals this morning since he's solely responsible for most of the high ratings that the network has gotten so far. But the men's 100 meter freestyle final should be explosive. The stars are out this morning as France's Alain Bernard will seek to redeem his performance from the men's 4x100 meter freestyle relay, when he was outtouched by Jason Lezak, who is in this final as well. Veteran swimmer Peter van den Hoogenband seeks his third consecutive gold medal final in this event. But all the competitiors should watch out for Eamon Sullivan of Australia, the top qualifier who holds the Olympic and world record.

It may not have Phelps, but it should be highly entertaining. Three other finals will be contested today, including the Men's 200m breaststroke, where Kosuke Kitajima looks to follow up his win in the 100m event, and the women's 200 meter butterfly, where China has a finalist with a good shot of getting gold. Lu Zige is the top qualifier, but she'll have to deal with the world record holder from Australia Jessicah Schipper.

- Gymnastics: Men's Individual All-Around Final, 11PM EDT
(LIVE ON NBC Primetime, LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports)
Yang Wei is the overwhelming favorite to take this event in front of the Chinese crowd that will assemble soon in National Indoor Stadium. He was the favorite at the last Olympics as well and held the lead heading into the final rotation. But Yang Wei fell from the high bar which allowed Paul Hamm to make his epic comeback to win gold in an unforgettable individual all-around final.

But Hamm is not in this final, instead Johnathon Horton and Alexander Artemev are the American representatives in this morning's final. And with Hamm not competing, Yang Wei's path to gold looks a lot smoother. While this final may not be as dramatic, it should still be unforgettable.

- Basketball: USA vs. Greece, 7:50AM EDT
LIVE on USA Network @ 8AM, LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports
In the last meeting between these two teams, Greece shocked the United States and the rest of the basketball world at the 2006 World Championships when they upset the Americans in the semifinals by a score of 101-95. Greece is looking to do it again here in Beijing against the heavily favored American team.

ON TV...
- Now on NBC Primetime: live beach volleyball, coming up: live swimming and gymnastics
- Starting at 2AM, USA Network will have coverage of men's tennis quarterfinals featuring James Blake, as well as coverage of the women's individual sabre event in fencing.
- Then at 8AM, coverage of USA Basketball vs. Greece (LIVE) and the women's team final in archery.
- Later at 6PM, equestrian's dressage grand prix final will be featured on Oxygen Network.

GOLD MEDAL EVENTS...

10:03 Swimming Men's 200m Breaststroke Final Scheduled

10:42 Swimming Women's 200m Butterfly Final Scheduled

10:49 Swimming Men's 100m Freestyle Final Scheduled

11:00 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Individual All-Around Final Scheduled

11:32 Swimming Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Final Scheduled

12:30 Shooting Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Final Scheduled
15:00 Shooting Women's Skeet Final Scheduled

16:47 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Canoe Double (C2) Men Final Scheduled

17:12 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Kayak (K1) Women Final Scheduled

17:20 Wrestling Men's GR 84 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

17:37 Archery Women's Individual Gold Medal Match Scheduled

17:50 Wrestling Men's GR 96 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:20 Wrestling Men's GR 120 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:42 Judo Women -78 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:00 Fencing Women's Team Sabre Gold Medal Match Scheduled

19:03 Judo Men -100 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:15 Equestrian Dressage Team Grand Prix Day 2 Scheduled

15:00 Shooting Women's Skeet Final Scheduled

16:47 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Canoe Double (C2) Men Final Scheduled

17:12 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Kayak (K1) Women Final Scheduled

17:20 Wrestling Men's GR 84 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

17:37 Archery Women's Individual Gold Medal Match Scheduled

17:50 Wrestling Men's GR 96 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:20 Wrestling Men's GR 120 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:42 Judo Women -78 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:00 Fencing Women's Team Sabre Gold Medal Match Scheduled

19:03 Judo Men -100 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:15 Equestrian Dressage Team Grand Prix Day 2 Scheduled

15:00 Shooting Women's Skeet Final Scheduled

16:47 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Canoe Double (C2) Men Final Scheduled

17:12 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Kayak (K1) Women Final Scheduled

17:20 Wrestling Men's GR 84 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

17:37 Archery Women's Individual Gold Medal Match Scheduled

17:50 Wrestling Men's GR 96 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:20 Wrestling Men's GR 120 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:42 Judo Women -78 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:00 Fencing Women's Team Sabre Gold Medal Match Scheduled

19:03 Judo Men -100 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:15 Equestrian Dressage Team Grand Prix Day 2 Scheduled

LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports:
- 10PM: Swimming Finals
- 11PM: Gymnastics - Men's Team Final
- 8AM: Men's Basketball, USA vs. Greece

All LIVE BLOGS can be read on http://nowsport.blogspot.com
And remember for the latest updates on the competition going on during Day 6, come back here to NOW Sports Daily.

Thanks for letting NOW Sports be a part of your Olympc experience.

Day 5 RECAP: Phelps, Chinese Gymnasts, Are Only the Surface of A Historic Day in Beijing

2008-08-13T14:01:00.000-04:00

I'm beginning to overuse the word historic, but that's exactly what these games are, and Day 5 was no different. The big stories coming out of this day again comes from National Indoor Stadium and the Water Cube.

Phelps had water in his eyes during historic swimGold medalist for now the 11th time in his career, Michael Phelps can apparently win gold and break world records with his eyes closed. Apparently, water got into his goggles shortly after he dove into the pool to swim the 200 meter butterfly final, the race that made him the greatest Olympian ever.

"As soon as I dove in, they filled up," he said. "I was more or less trying to count my strokes, hoping I'd be dead on at the turns," he said. "I'm disappointed because I know I can go faster, but there was nothing I could do. I handled it the best way I could."

He won his 11th gold medal in the men's 4x200 meter freestyle relay where the Americans smashed the world record. Now Phelps has his eyes set on the prospect of beating Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games. His next race is scheduled to be the semifinal of the Men's 200 meter Individual Medley, his only race of Thursday morning finals session. Expected to make the final, Phelps may eventually meet his compatriot Ryan Lochte again, who will challenge Phelps for gold in the final.

But Phelps will be taking it one race at a time, as he has for the past 11 gold medals.

Gymnastics: Unlike men, U.S. women disappointed with silver

There was a stark contrast between the celebrations that the U.S. men's gymnastics team had when they won bronze and that of the American women when they settled for silver. It's been over 12 hours since the team final concluded at National Indoor Stadium and there have been new developments, not to mention accusations, on what happened at the team final.

Among those developments:

- Chelsie Memmel apparently did her only routine of the team final, the uneven bars, on a broken foot.

- Marta Karolyi and her husband Bela arguing that officials on the floor of the gymnastics competition had distracted Alicia Sacramone during her beam routine, which took away her focus on the floor, where Sacramone fell on her back after one of her tumbling passes.

- That same couple continued to argue on how young the Chinese gymnasts are and that they are too young for competition.

In the end, it was the Chinese who came away with gold and it was well deserved after their performance throughout the competition. The Americans succumbed to the pressure while the Chinese shined in front of their home crowd. Time to leave it at that and move on to the all-around.

Georgia Beats Russia on the sands in thriller

Given the conflict going on between Russia and Georgia, their beach volleyball match on the morning of Day 5 was evidence of sports at its best, a stage for peaceful competition, not war.

And on top of that, the match itself was a thriller. The preliminary round matchup ended up being an elimination game between the two teams to determine who out of this group would advance to the knockout round. The Georgian pair of Cristine Santanna (Saka) and Andrezza Chagas (Rtvelo), born in Brazil and are Georgian citizens, ended up winning, 10-21, 22-20, 15-12.

Bloggers and reporters who watched the match are claiming that the amount of attention given to this showdown on the beach was equal to that of a gold-medal match. More importantly, the win gave fans and viewers in Georgia much needed hope as the country deals with bitter conflict.

Later on Day 5, Georgia earned their first gold medals of the games with wins in the judo competition.

From the Associated Press:

“It means very much for our country because of the conflict now,” said Irakli Tsirekidze, who won gold in the men’s 90-kilogram judo competition. “Thank you to my country, thank you to my people.”

Just hours earlier, Manuchar Kvirkelia defeated China’s Chang Yongxiang in the Greco-Roman wrestling 74-kg weight class for Georgia’s first gold of the games, and its second overall.

It is ironic that at a time when a country may be suffering its worst times, their Olympic team has its best day of Olympic competition ever.

Georgians win gold, mindful of conflict at home 12:47 pm EDT (AP)

Georgia wins its first gold of the games 11:00 am EDT (Yahoo! Sports)

Georgia beats Russia in beach volleyball 10:25 am EDT (AP)

Other stories...

China dominates as team table tennis matches begin 1:04 pm EDT (AP)

- I have to say that the table tennis matches are actually very exciting, especially when you watch it in High Definition.

Guenot wins 1st French wrestling gold in 84 years 8:14 am EDT (AP)

Osterman, Bustos power US past Australia 9:46 am EDT (AP)

Medal Standings:
Overall medal standings - 143 of 440 medal events complete
Gold Silver Bronze Total
USA 10 8 11 29
CHN 17 5 5 27
KOR 6 6 1 13
AUS 4 2 6 12
RUS 2 7 3 12
ITA 4 4 3 11
FRA 1 7 3 11
GER 6 1 2 9
JPN 4 2 3 9
GBR 2 2 3 7

Join us later for a preview of what should be an exciting Day 6 of competition at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad from Beijing, China.

Day 5 11AM Update: Cuba Stages Dramatic Comeback in Volleyball

2008-08-13T11:14:00.000-04:00

It was a thriller at Capital Indoor Gymnasium earlier this evening in Beijing when Cuba staged a dramatic comeback after being down two sets to China to win a pivotal preliminary match that put Cuba ahead in the group standings.

China won the first two sets, 25-18, 25-14, before Cuba began taking control of the game. China's impressive digs matched up with Cuba's offensive kills to create an electric atmosphere and a fierce comeback to tie the match up at two sets each, after China had seven chances to wrap the match up in the fourth set. It only took one set point for Cuba to send it into the fifth set after winning the fourth 32-30.

The 1 hour and 51 minute match was won by Cuba, 15-13 in the final set and they now have six points in the pool while China has five points.

Other news:
Germany's Kleibrink wins men's foil fencing gold 11:08 am EDT (AP)
Georgia wins its first gold of the games 11:00 am EDT (Yahoo! Sports)
Argentina, Brazil and Italy lead way to quarter-finals 11:01 am EDT (AFP)

A full recap of Day 5 is coming up on NOW Sports.

Day 5 7:30AM Update: USA Men's Soccer Knocked Out by Nigeria

2008-08-13T07:37:00.000-04:00

Following the 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on Sunday, the United States came into today's final preliminary round match knowing that they must win over Nigeria. But they fell to a 2-0 deficit before Sacha Klijestan scored in the 88th minute for the United States. The Americans were knocked out of the tournament after a 2-1 loss to Nigeria.

The Americans were forced to play with only 10 men after a red card was issued to Michael Orozco after three minutes, elbowing an opponent right in front of the referee. With one man down, the task to win over the fast moving Nigerians proved impossible. Meanwhile, the Netherlands defeated Japan 1-0 to join Nigeria in the quarterfinals.

US men's soccer out with loss to Nigeria

Latest news:
Wrestling-Georgia's Kvirkelia wins 74kg gold 7:27 am EDT (Reuters)
Dutch edge Japanese 1-0 to reach quarterfinals 6:57 am EDT (AP)
Cycling-Great Wall inspires Switzerland's Cancellara 6:54 am EDT (Reuters)
Chen takes gold in 25m pistol 6:40 am EDT (AP)
Weightlifting-Liu smashes records for China 6:36 am EDT (Reuters)
Wrestling-Georgia's Kvirkelia wins 74kg gold 7:27 am EDT (Reuters)
UPDATE 1-Olympics-Wrestling-France's Guenot wins 66kg gold 7:18 am EDT (Reuters)

Coming Up:
- Women's Volleyball: China vs. Cuba, 8AM ET (Live Blog available on NOW Sports, Live on MSNBC)
- Baseball: Cuba vs. Japan, 7AM ET
- Men's Soccer: Ivory Coast vs. Australia, 7:45AM ET

Day 5 5:30AM Update: Men's Cycling Time Trial Results, Diving Results SPOILERS

2008-08-13T05:37:00.000-04:00

Before we get to the spoiler results, lets share with you what's coming up on Day 5 and what's on TV and also take a look at some other gold medal results.

Latest News...
Georgia beats Russia in beach volleyball 4:06 am EDT (AP)
Gymnastics-Teary Russia aim to make amends for failure 4:18 am EDT (Reuters)
Weightlifting-China's Liu wins women's 69kg gold 5:01 am EDT (Reuters)
Gymnastics: Two-time Olympic champs settle for bronze 3:22 am EDT (AP)
China's Chen wins gold in women's 25m pistol 3:19 am EDT (Reuters)

Coming up next...
Men's Soccer: USA vs. Nigeria, 5AM (LIVE ON USA Network)
- The U.S. men must win this game in order to move on to the knockout stage.

Greco-Roman Wrestling: Gold Medal Finals in 66kg and 74kg Weight Class
- 66kg: BEGALIEV Kanatbek vs GUENOT Steeve , @ 5:20AM ET
- 74kg: CHANG Yongxiang vs KVIRKELIA Manuchar, @ 5:50AM ET

Finals in Weightlifting, Judo and Fencing
- Fencing: Women's Individual Epee Finals @ 9:30AM ET, Men's Individual Epee Finals @ 9AM ET
- Weightlifting: Men's 77kg Finals @ 7AM ET
- Judo: Men's 90kg Finals, Women's 70kg Finals @ 6:30AM ET

*SPOILER RESULTS*
- Diving: Men's 3m Synchro Springboard Final (Can be Seen Tonight in Primetime on NBC)
- Cycling: Men's Time Trial (Can be seen on MSNBC at 5AM-8AM)

Diving: It's a sweep. China has won their fourth consecutive gold medal in diving, sweeping the synchronized events and keeping prospects of a complete sweep of the gold medals in diving alive. Today it was Wang Feng and Qin Kai dominating the competition by nearly 50 points. Russia grabbed silver and Ukraine won the bronze.

Diving: Men's 3m Synchro Final Results and Recap 5:22 am EDT (AP)

Cycling: There were disappointing performances by some of the favorites, but in the end it was Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara who came out on top with the fastest time in today's time trial, which took place on the same route as the road race that took place on Saturday. He finished with a time of 1:02:11.43.

Cancellara wins men's road time-trial 5:23 am EDT (AP)

Day 5 2AM Update: Phelps Stands Alone With Most Golds, U.S. Women Win Gymnastics Team Silver

2008-08-13T01:49:00.004-04:00

History was made this morning when Michael Phelps won two gold medals at the Water Cube to become the most decorated Olympian ever. Phelps won his record 10th and 11th career gold medals in the men's 200 meter butterfly and the men's 4x200 meter freestyle. Winning both races in world record time, Phelps is three gold medal victories away from breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven Olympic gold medals at a single Olympic Games, a feat that he accomplished in the swimming events at the Munich 1972 Olympics.

In other races on Wednesday morning, Stephanie Rice completed a sweep of the individual medley events by winning gold in the women's 200 meter individual medley. She defeated Kirsty Koventry and Natalie Coughlin, who earned silver and bronze respectively. And in the women's 200m freestyle, Italy's Federica Pelligrini outtouched Serbia's Sara Isakovic for the gold medal won in world record time.

Phelps wins 10th, 11th golds of Olympic career 2:06 am EDT (AP)
Swimming-Australia's Rice wins women's 200m medley gold 11:19 pm EDT (Reuters)

Gymnastics: U.S. Women Fall Short of Gold in Team Final

History continued at National Indoor Stadium when China completed a rare double in front of its home crowd. China swept the team events in artistic gymnastics after the women's gymnastics team rallied from behind with superb floor performances while taking advantage of mistakes made by the U.S. team on its final rotation.

The American women went into the final rotation, which was floor exercise, with the lead and a chance to grab gold after posting better beam routine scores. But Alicia Sacramone's fall on floor combined with the steps out of bounds taken by both Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson gave China the gold medal. The United States won their second consecutive Olympic silver medal in the event, while Romania claimed the bronze.

Golden girls no more, China beats Americans 1:34 am EDT (AP)

Cycling: Women's Time Trial Results *SPOILER*
The cycling women's time trial can be seen in primetime on NBC Wednesday night.

American cyclist Kristin Armstrong won the women's cycling time trial on Wednesday to become the second American female cyclist to win an Olympic gold medal. Armstrong won by almost half a minute over Emma Pooley of Great Britain and Karin Thurig of Switzerland.

Cycling: Women's Time Trial Recap 1:25 am EDT (AP)

Day 5 PREVIEW: Phelps Poised to Make History, USA-China Rivalry Arrive in Gymnastics

2008-08-12T20:05:00.003-04:00

Like yesterday, it will be a busy morning of competition in Beijing as finals are contested at the pool and in the gym. But unlike yesterday, the historic significance of this morning's events are much higher.

EVENTS TO WATCH...
- Gymnastics: Women's Team Final,
10:30PM ET, LIVE ON NBC Primetime and LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports
In the men's team final, the United States were not expected to medal in the absence of Paul and
Morgan Hamm. But solid performances earned them a bronze medal.

In today's women's team final, the United States are one of the favorites. But like the men's final, all competitors will have to compete with the Chinese in front of their home crowd at National Indoor Stadium. The loss of Chelsie Memmel to injury will put more stress on the American team, who enters the final with the second highest qualifying scores behind China. While Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson are expected to be solid, the rest of the team must not repeat the mistakes made during qualifying.

In should be a huge showdown at National Indoor Stadium, and both China and the United States will compete head to head on the same apparatus throughout the four rotations.

- Swimming: Phelps In Position To Make History At Water Cube,
10PM LIVE ON NBC and LIVE BLOG on NOW Sports
Synchronize your watches ladies and gentlemen, because at 10:21PM ET, history is expected to be made by Michael Phelps. Should the American win, he will become the best Olympian in history by winning the most career gold medals of all time. Phelps will compete in the final of the Men's 200 Butterfly and attempt to win his fourth consecutive gold medal in Beijing, and most importantly, his tenth career Olympic gold medal.

Phelps will also be competing in the men's 4x200 meter freestyle relay in the last final of the morning. Unlike the thrilling relay won by the Americans on Monday, the Americans are the heavy favorite in this event after smashing the world record in Melbourne at the world championships last year.

The women's 200 meter free and 200 meter Individual Medley finals will be contested this morning in Beijing as well.

- Cycling: Men's and Women's Individual Time Trial,
11:30PM ET (Women), 1:30AM ET (Men)
The road cyclists are back in action today for the time trial, where instead of racing against each other, it will be a race against the clock. American Kristin Armstrong is heavily favored to win the women's event while the event is wide open in the men's event. Cycling stars Fabian Cancellara, Stefan Schumacher and Cadel Evans are all contenders to win the time trial in Beijing.

ON TV...
- Gymnastics and Swimming, 10PM ET/PT on NBC (LIVE on East Coast)
The potential historic morning in Beijing can be seen tonight in primetime, broadcast live to the Eastern half of the United States.

- Men's Soccer, USA vs. Nigeria, 5AM ET Live on USA Network
After the American's draw with the Netherlands on Sunday, this game vs. Nigeria is a must win game in order for the United States to make the quarterfinals.

- Women's Water Polo, USA vs. Italy, 12 Noon on NBC Daytime
This is a matchup of the defending gold medalists from Athens (Italy) against the defending world champions (USA).

GOLD MEDAL EVENTS TODAY...

10:14 Swimming Women's 200m Freestyle Final Scheduled

10:21 Swimming Men's 200m Butterfly Final Scheduled

10:30 Gymnastics Artistic Women's Team Final Scheduled

11:12 Swimming Women's 200m Individual Medley Final Scheduled

11:19 Swimming Men's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Final Scheduled

11:30 Cycling - Road Women's Individual Time Trial Scheduled

13:30 Cycling - Road Men's Individual Time Trial Scheduled

14:30 Diving Men's Synchronised 3m Springboard Final Scheduled

15:00 Shooting Women's 25m Pistol Final Scheduled

15:30 Weightlifting Women's 69kg Group A Scheduled

17:20 Wrestling Men's GR 66 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

17:50 Wrestling Men's GR 74 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:42 Judo Women -70 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 77kg Group A Scheduled

19:03 Judo Men -90 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

21:00 Fencing Men's Individual Foil Gold Medal Match Scheduled

21:30 Fencing Women's Individual Epee Gold Medal Match Scheduled

NOW Sports LIVE BLOG Schedule
10PM - Swimming: Gold Medal Finals
10:30PM - Gymnastics: Women's Team Final
5AM - Men's Soccer, Preliminaries: Nigeria vs. United States
8AM - Women's Volleyball, Preliminaries: China vs. Cuba

Live blogs can be read on our alternate website: http://nowsport.blogspot.com
And remember to continually check back here at NOW Sport Daily for continuous updates on the action-packed competition of Day 5. Thanks for letting NOW Sports be a part of your Olympic experience.

Day 4 RECAP: China Brings Success on Biggest Stage Thus Far

2008-08-12T13:46:00.004-04:00

Medals were awarded all over the place on Day 4 of competition at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. But it was China that shone brightly today, winning gold on the Games' biggest stage so far in the men's team final of artistic gymnastics at National Indoor Stadium.

Gymnastics: China Pulls Through to Win Men's Team Final, Americans Grab Bronze
The highlight of the day's competition was China's big win in the men's team final in artistic gymnastics, while the Americans simultaneously celebrated a well earned bronze.

The storyline coming into this event was the anticipated matchup between host nation China, heavily favored after winning world championships over the past four years, and Japan, the defending gold medalists from Athens and the silver medalists at last year's world championships. But Japan was very flat from early on in the competition, falling to sixth place after the second rotation. The Americans, competing without veterans Paul and Morgan Hamm, were solid for most of the competition, ranking first halfway through the competition.

But China posted high scores on vault and took the lead despite spectacular performances by the Americans on high bar. In the final rotation, the United States performed on their weakest event, pommel horse, but a huge routine by Alexander Artemev secured a bronze medal for the United States. Japan took advantage of the mistakes made by the Americans on their final rotation, but could not surpass China as they were crowned Olympic champions, winning their first Olympic gold in eight years.

Aquatics: United States Dominates Swimming pool, China dominates Diving pool
Michael Phelps won his third consecutive gold medal and clinched a third consecutive world record after winning gold in the men's 200 meter freestyle. This was an event that he has steadily improved in after winning bronze in Athens, an anticipated race won by Ian Thorpe. Phelps stands at one gold medal away from winning the most Olympic gold medals in history.

In other action at the pool, Natalie Coughlin held off Kirsty Coventry to defend her 100 meter backstroke gold medal. Aaron Peirsol did the same by winning gold in the men's 100 meter backstroke. And Australian Leisel Jones earned gold in her specialty event, the 100 meter breaststroke.

Meanwhile, China is 3-for-3 after winning gold in the women's 10 meter platform synchro final. Xin Wang and Ruolin Chen completely dominated the competition winning gold by 28.38 points. Coming in second is Australia's duo of Briony Cole and Melissa Wu and Mexico won their first medal of these Olympics by winning bronze thanks to Paola Espinoza and Tatiana Ortiz.

Other highlights...
American Glenn Eller won gold in the men's double trap while American Gina Miles captured silver in equestrian's individual eventing final. Germany captured gold medals in both the team and individual eventing finals in equestrian.
Germany wins gold in team, individual eventing 12:53 pm EDT (AP)

Tonga won their first ever Olympic medal in the Men's K1 whitewater slalom, while Germany's Alexander Grimm won the gold medal...China bagged gold in the men's fencing and weightlifting...Russia won the first gold medals given out in wrestling.

In preliminary round basketball, the United States easily defeated Angola while it took overtime for Spain to defeat host nation China. Last second goals determined winners in preliminary handball earlier today, including a win by South Korea over Denmark. And in softball, the United States dominated Venezuela in the opening day of competition as the Americans are looking to clinch a fourth consecutive gold medal in softball's last appearance at the Olympics.

And now a look at the medal standings after four days of Olympic Competition:

Overall medal standings - 103 of 440 medal events complete
	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
CHN	13	3	4	20
KOR	5	6	1	12
AUS	3	2	5	10
ITA	3	4	2	9
RUS	2	4	3	9

And more medals are to be awarded in Day 5 of competition. NOW Sports will provide a full preview later on tonight before gold medal competition begins in Beijing so keep checking in with us as we continue on this experience known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

Day 4 10:45AM Update: Women's Soccer Quarterfinals Set, Team Eventing Final Concludes SPOILER ALERT

2008-08-12T10:37:00.003-04:00

The action has been non-stop here on Day 4 of competition at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad as medals have been awarded in fencing, weightlifting and equestrian, while the quarterfinal matchups were set in women's soccer following the final round of preliminary play. The equestrian results, scheduled to be seen later today on Oxygen Network at 6PM, are below, listed under *Spoiler Alert*.

China Wins Surprise Gold in Fencing
In an event usually dominated by Europeans, Zhong Man of China pulled off an upset by defeating Nicolas Lopez of France in the men's individual sabre final and winning China's first gold medal in fencing since 1984 in Los Angeles. Italy's Luigi Tarantino won the bronze medal.
China's Zhong beats France's Lopez for saber gold 10:14 am EDT (AP)

Basketball: Spain Holds Off China in Overtime
Spain avoided a huge upset in men's basketball by rallying past Yao Ming and China in ovetime to undefeated after two games in the tournament. China now falls to 0-2.
Pau Gasol rallies Spain past China in OT
Also see: US hoops routs Angola, tough tests await

Soccer: USA Women slated to face Canada in Quarterfinals
The United States handily defeated New Zealand on the last day of pool play by a score of 4-0 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Japan, competing in the same group as the United States, surprisingly dominated the Norwegians in their final game by a score of 4-1. And though Canada lost today to Sweden, their record of 1-1-1 was enough to qualify them for a spot in the knockout round.
Japan beats Norway, reaches Olympic quarterfinal 10:15 am EDT (AP)
US women rout New Zealand to reach quarterfinals 10:12 am EDT (AP)

Other headlines:
3 wins for Venus, Serena at Beijing Olympics 10:17 am EDT (AP)
Japan wins second judo gold, Germany takes a title 10:01 am EDT (AP)
Olympic marathon champ Noguchi pulls out injured 10:01 am EDT (AP)
Liao wins 5th weightlifting gold for China 10:17 am EDT (AP)
Last second heroics highlight men's handball 10:45 am EDT (AP)

Coming Up:
Still one more medal event to be contested on Day 4. The individual eventing competition in equestrian comes to a close with the show jumping portion @ 10:45AM EDT

On TV:
The canoe/kayak whitewater slalom events can be seen on NBC later on the daytime show, airing now on the east coast, starts at 10AM in all time zones.

Water Polo between Serbia and Croatia airing now on USA Network

Weightlifting final coming up on MSNBC.

*SPOILER ALERT*
Team Eventing: Show Jumping Results
The conclusion of eventing can be seen later today at 6PM EDT on Oxygen Network.

Germany won a much deserved gold medal in the team eventing final of equestrian after posting clean runs in the show jumping portion of the event. Australia finished in second place and Great Britain won the bronze. The win served as redemption for Germany after they thought they had won in Athens before video evidence showed that a German rider crossed the starting line during a warmup lap before the show jumping, costing them the gold and ending up last after being disqualified.

Australia had led after the dressage portion by Germany stood at the top of the standings after yesterday's cross-country portion of the event.

Germany wins team eventing gold medal in Hong Kong 10:25 am EDT (AP)

Day 4 7AM Update: Medals Given Out in Judo, Weightlifting, Canoe/Kayak

2008-08-12T07:06:00.000-04:00

Our busy day continues on the fourth day of competition at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Here are the latest headlines, upcoming events and what and where to watch on TV.

Redemption for Slovakia's Martikan in Canoe Slalom

BEIJING, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Slovakia’s Michal Martikan won the men’s singles slalom canoe Olympic gold medal on Tuesday, beating Britain’s David Florence. Australia’s Robin Bell, last year’s world championship bronze medallist, finished third.France’s double Olympic champion Tony Estanguet finished a distant ninth. Martikan, who won the event in 1996 but took silver behind Estanguet in both 2000 and 2004, won by a wide margin, despite receiving several time penalties for hitting gates in both of his final runs.

Other news:
North Korea wins 1st weightlifting gold 6:27 am EDT (AP)
Kayaking-Grimm wins for Germany, Togo medal 6:39 am EDT (Reuters)
Greece defeats Germany 87-64 in basketball 6:16 am EDT (AP)
- Greece came back from their lopsided loss to Spain on Sunday to defeat Dirk Nowitski and Germany in the second preliminary game of the tournament.

COMING UP...
A big matchup between South Korea and Denmark in men's handball @ 7AM

Equestrian Team and Individual Eventing: Final Day, @ 7:15AM
- Germany and Australia have the lead coming into the final day of the eventing competition where the world's best riders compete in show jumping.

Fencing: Men's Individual Sabre Gold Medal Bout @ 8:10AM

ON TV...
Men's Basketball: USA vs. Angola coming up at 8AM on USA Network
Women's Soccer: USA vs. New Zealand coming up on MSNBC

Day 4 4:30AM Update: Diving, Women's 10m Synchro Platform Results SPOILER

2008-08-12T04:39:00.000-04:00

Before we release the results of the Women's 10m Synchro Diving Final, let's update you on the other happenings going on in Day 4 so far.

Latest Results:
U.S. hard on Venezuela in softball opener 3:58 am EDT (Reuters)
American Eller wins double trap gold 4:19 am EDT (Reuters)

Coming Up:
Canoe/Kayak medals are awarded in the Men's C1 and K1 slalom competitions @ 4:47AM.
First medals are given out in greco-roman wrestling in the 55 and 60 kg weight class. @ 5:20AM
Final round of preliminary games in women's soccer, starts @ 5:45AM

*SPOILER RESULTS*
The Women's 10m Synchro Platform Final can be seen tonight in primetime on NBC starting at 8PM ET / 7PM CT.

China is now poised to sweep the synchro diving medals after winning their third straight gold medal in as many days. Xin Wang and Ruolin Chen completely dominated the competition winning gold by 28.38 points. Coming in second is Australia's duo of Briony Cole and Melissa Wu and Mexico won their first medal of these Olympics by winning bronze thanks to Paola Espinoza and Tatiana Ortiz.

Full results can be seen here.
Diving-China's Wang, Chen win women's 10m platform gold 3:26 am EDT (Reuters)

Day 4 1:15AM Update: Phelps wins third gold, Team USA grabs bronze in gymnastics

2008-08-12T00:52:00.002-04:00

Six sets of medals have been awarded so far on a busy Day 4 of competition at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Of those medals, the focus was out at the Water Cube and inside National Indoor Stadium.

Swimming: Phelps One Gold Away from Being Most Decorated Olympian Ever
Unlike his last two finals, Michael Phelps was heavily favored to win the men's 200 meter freestyle race this morning in Beijing, four years after winning bronze in this event in Athens. Phelps led the entire way and won the gold in world record time. Meanwhile, South Korea's Taehwan Park won silver and American Peter Vanderkaay captured the bronze.

It was a night for specialist swimmers as Natalie Coughlin clinched gold in her specialty event, the women's 100m backstroke, fending off a late surge by Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry. American Aaron Peirsol took gold in the men's 100m backstroke, securing his second consecutive gold in the event. And it was a shining and deserving moment for Australia and Leisel Jones, who dominated the women's 100 meter breaststroke.

Make room for Phelps as winningest Olympian ever 12:52 am EDT (AP)
Aaron Peirsol defends Olympic 100 back title 10:47 pm EDT (AP)
Natalie Coughlin defends Olympic 100 back title 10:37 pm EDT (AP)
Phelps breaks 200 free world record for third gold 10:53 pm EDT (AFP)
Leisel Jones wins women's Olympic 100 breaststroke 11:04 pm EDT (AP)

China Wins Gold, U.S. Wins Bronze in Men's Team Final
There were some uncertainties in which three teams would be standing on the medal podium this afternoon. But there was never any doubt that China would stand atop the podium. After a strong showing in the qualifications, China made few errors in their men's team final win in artistic gymnastics at the National Indoor Stadium. Yang Wei helped lead China to their first men's team gold medal in eight years, redeeming their disappointing result in Athens four years ago.

For the United States, the question was how well the team could function without veteran gymnasts Paul and Morgan Hamm who withdrew citing injury. For most of the competition, the Americans looked solid thanks to fantastic performances by Jonathon Horton and Justin Spring on the high bar. At one point in the competition, the United States had the lead. But after China's superb performance on the vault, medal prospects were limited to either silver or bronze. After mistakes were made on the last rotation for the United States, Alexander Artemev clinched the bronze medal with his perfect performance on pommel horse.

China takes the gold, Americans win the bronze 12:58 am EDT (AP)

Other highlights:
Shooting: South Korean edges North Korean for gold 12:52 am EDT (AP)
Tennis: Serena rolls into third round at Olympics 12:37 am EDT (PA SportsTicker)
May-Treanor, Walsh dominant in triumph over Cuba 12:48 am EDT (PA SportsTicker)

Happening Now...
- Egypt vs. Poland, Italy vs. USA in preliminary volleyball
- First day of Softball: USA vs. Venezuela (now on CNBC)
- Preliminaries in tennis, judo

Coming Up...
- Diving: Women's 10 meter Synchro Platform Final (2:30AM EDT)
- Shooting: Men's Double Trap Final (3AM EDT)
- Canoe/Kayak Slalom: Men's C1 and K1 Finals (4:45AM EDT)
- Women's Soccer: Preliminary Matches, including USA vs. New Zealand, Nigeria vs. Brazil (Kickoff: 4:45AM EDT, 7:45AM EDT)

Day 4 PREVIEW: Action Packed Morning as Medals Are Awarded in Gymnastics, Swimming

2008-08-11T17:47:00.002-04:00

This morning will be full of gold medal action as the medals are determined in the men's team competition in gymnastics and more finals take place in swimming.

ON TV...
NBC will be showing both the men's team final in gymnastics and the swimming finals LIVE in primetime starting at 8PM EDT. Live competition will begin at 10PM. Meanwhile, competition will be seen in the men's 10m synchro final in diving from the previous day and live preliminary round beach volleyball featuring Misty May and Kerri Walsh will be seen tonight too.

At midnight, the softball competition begins as the United States begins its gold medal defense against Venezuela, which can be seen live at midnight on CNBC.

At 5AM on MSNBC, the soccer competition resumes with the final round of preliminary play in women's soccer. The United States faces New Zealand in a must-win game. MSNBC will also provide preliminary competition in greco-roman wrestling which begins today.

EVENTS TO WATCH...
- Artistic Gymnastics: Men's Team Final, 10:00PM
(LIVE ON NBC AND LIVE BLOG ON NOW Sports)
Thanks to persistence by NBC, the men's team final in artistic gymnastics will be shown live from National Indoor Stadium tonight in primetime in the United States as it takes place in the morning in Beijing. The United States will be seeking another medal after winning silver in Athens four years ago. However, the best they can probably do is win bronze as the competition is expected to be between the defending champions Japan and heavily favored host nation China.

- Swimming: Men's 200 meter freestyle final, 10:16PM
(LIVE ON NBC AND LIVE BLOG ON NOW Sports)
All eyes will be on Michael Phelps again as he competes in the final of the Men's 200 meter freestyle, an event which he is heavily favored in. Four years ago, this was the race to watch and Phelps finished with the bronze medal behind Ian Thorpe and Peter van den Hoogenbond. In Beijing, his biggest threat may be Korean upstart Taehwan Park, who said in a Xinhua News Agency report, "I will defeat Phelps tomorrow!" Alain Bernard made predictions before the men's 4x100 meter freestyle, and we all know what happened to him and his French team.

Also, finals will be contested in the Women's 100 meter backstroke, where American Natalie Coughlin is heavily favored. Gold medals will also be decided in the men's 100 meter backstroke and the women's 100m breaststroke.

- Canoe/Kayak Slalom Finals, 4:47AM
(Can be Seen on NBC Daytime starting at 10AM ET)
There is slated to be huge matchup between Tony Estanquet of France, who has won the last two Olympic C1 Slalom gold medals, and Slovakia's Michal Martikan, who thought he won gold in Athens before video evidence had shown his helmet had touched a gate. Estanquet is seeking a record third consecutive gold medal. Meanwhile, Martikan wants his first gold medal since winning it in Atlanta 12 years ago.

GOLD MEDAL FINALS SCHEDULE:

10:00 Gymnastics Artistic Men's Team Final Scheduled

10:16 Swimming Men's 200m Freestyle Final Scheduled

10:23 Swimming Women's 100m Backstroke Final Scheduled

10:31 Swimming Men's 100m Backstroke Final Scheduled

10:48 Swimming Women's 100m Breaststroke Final Scheduled

12:00 Shooting Men's 50m Pistol Final Scheduled

14:30 Diving Women's Synchronised 10m Platform Final Scheduled

15:00 Shooting Men's Double Trap Final Scheduled

15:30 Weightlifting Women's 63kg Group A Scheduled

16:47 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Canoe Single (C1) Men Final Scheduled

17:17 Canoe/Kayak - Slalom Kayak (K1) Men Final Scheduled

17:20 Wrestling Men's GR 55 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:15 Wrestling Men's GR 60 kg Gold Medal Scheduled

18:42 Judo Women -63 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:00 Weightlifting Men's 69kg Group A Scheduled

19:03 Judo Men -81 kg Gold Medal Contest Scheduled

19:15 Equestrian Eventing Team Jumping Final Scheduled

20:10 Fencing Men's Individual Sabre Gold Medal Match Scheduled

22:45 Equestrian Eventing Individual Jumping Final Scheduled

Also today, preliminaries continue in handball, basketball, volleyball, tennis and more. Stay with NOW Sports for the latest updates on the competition happening on Day 4.

LIVE BLOG ON NOW Sports:
10PM - Swimming Finals and Men's Team Final Gymnastics
2AM - Handball, Men's Preliminaries: China vs. France
7:15AM - Equestrian: Final Day of Eventing - Team and Individual Jumping

For live event blogs, go to our sister website: http://nowsport.blogspot.com

And remember, stay with NOW Sports for latest on the competition of Day 4 in Beijing. Thanks for letting NOW Sports be a part of your Olympic experience.

Day 3 RECAP: Thrilling U.S. Relay Win Provides Most Exciting Moment of Games

2008-08-11T10:04:00.003-04:00

The third day of competition is in the books at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and the buzz across the globe still surrounds the epic and thrilling win by the United States in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay that produced the most exciting moment of these games so far.

The Miraculous Race in Perspective
Newspapers, TV news programs and blog sites (including this one) are talking about the exciting final that was seen live in the eastern and central time zones in the final half hour of primetime on NBC last night. The race that was won by the United States in world record time is being spun in a variety of different ways, including "Miraculous!," "An Instant Classic!, "One for the Ages!" and "Historic!". And you can only imagine the heartbreak in France as the team that was heavily favored to win lost in the final stroke.

The aspect of the race that most of the American media is focusing on is how Jason Lezak, the captain of the men's swimming team that anchored the historic race, kept Michael Phelps's bid for a record eight gold medals alive. Phelps is 2-for-2 and is also two gold medals away from being the most decorated Olympian ever.

For Lezak, this was just redemption for the previous two relays that he has anchored in the last two Olympiads. In 2000, the favored American team lost to Australia and then in Athens, lost to South Africa and the Netherlands. Now in Beijing, Lezak brought the gold back to the United States in the most dramatic way possible.

Cullen Jones was also part of this epic story that unfolded on Day 3. In qualifying on Sunday night, Jones was part of the relay team that set a world record and became the fastest qualifying team coming into the finals. But only one member of that team would be able to be part of the U.S. team that would race in the finals. The Bronx-born, New Jersey-native who nearly drowned at the age of five was chosen and he would swim the third leg, which would provide the dramatic setting as France started to pull away.

Of course there was all that hype and talk before the race, mainly by France's Alain Bernard, on how France will smash the Americans. At the time, it looked like that statement would hold true. NBC commentator Rowdy Gaines said that he's looked at this race multiple times and could not imagine the United States overtaking France. Bernard is the reigning world record holder in the 100 meter free and France had two other great sprinters to power them. How could France lose?

But they did. And even if none of these storylines existed, the race itself was spectacular. Five of the eight teams that finished broke the old world record that the United States had set in the preliminaires. The U.S. smashed that record by nearly four seconds. And that was just icing on the cake. The race was decided by eight one-hundredths of a second. Eight is a pretty significant number in China as it is supposed to mean good luck. I don't think the margin of victory was a coincidence.

The United States won in a time of 3:08.24. Those three minutes could very well be the most exciting three minutes in Olympic history. It capped an incredible night in swimming when records fell almost everywhere. Japan's Kosuke Kitajima won the men's 100 meter breaststroke in world record time while American Brendan Hansen finished outside of the medals. There was added disappointment for the United States as American Katie Hoff was outtouched by Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington, winning Britain's first swimming medal.

And to think, it's only Day 3 of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

See also:
Lezak Lifts U.S. in "Best Ever" Relay (Yahoo! Sports)
Lezak, not Phelps, Puts on A Show (NY Times)
Lezak's Swim is One For the Ages (SI.com)

Other Highlights from Day 3:
- China Two-for-Two In Diving
Lin Yue and Huo Liang kept a possible Chinese sweep of the diving medals alive when they dominated the competition in the Men's 10m Synchronized Platform Diving final.
China divers go 2-for-2 at Beijing Olympics 9:40 am EDT (AP)

- Fencng: Italy wins Historic Gold, Bronze in Women's Individual Foil
Valentina Vezzali won her record third conseutive gold medal in the women's individual foil competition after breaking a 5-5 tie in the final seconds of the third period.
Fencing, Phelps carry Team USA 10:04 am EDT (Yahoo! Sports)

- Upsets Headline Quarterfinal Action in Badminton
Champion Hidayat makes early exit 10:55 am EDT (Reuters)
Japanese duo upset defending champs in badminton 11:02 am EDT (AP)

Medal Standings (courtesy of NBCOlympics.com)

Overall medal standings - 66 of 440 medal events complete
	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
CHN	9	3	2	14
USA	3	4	5	12
KOR	4	4	0	8
ITA	3	3	2	8
RUS	0	4	2	6
AUS	2	0	3	5
FRA	0	3	2	5
JPN	2	0	2	4
PRK	0	1	3	4
GBR	2	0	1	3

So that's Day 3. Time for me to get some sleep as we gear up for an action packed Day 4. NOW Sports will provide a preview later tonight.

Day 3 10AM Update: China Wins Fourth Weightlifting Gold, Italy and Azerbaijan Win First Judo Medals

2008-08-11T10:02:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the late stories coming out of Night 3 of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Courtesy of NBCOlympics.com

Quintavalle and Mammadli win gold

Italy's Giulia Quintavalle won the women's 57kg judo gold at the Beijing Games on Monday, defeating Deborah Gravenstijn of the Netherlands. Elnur Mammadli of Azerbaijan won the men's 73kg gold.

No place like home

China continued its impressive run through the weightlifting events in Beijing as home favorite Zhang Xiangxiang won the men's 62kg title on Day 3 to give the host nation its fourth weightlifting gold.

Day 3 6:45AM UPDATE: More Gold For China SPOILER

2008-08-11T05:59:00.004-04:00

It's been awhile since my last update and more medals were awarded on Day 3 of competition as we head into the evening hours.

ON TV...
Tennis featuring Venus Williams is being shown live on MSNBC. Still to come on that network, women's volleyball between China and Poland as well as live women's basketball between Australia and Brazil.

Live action from beach volleyball is currently airing on USA Network, which will show the United States vs. China in women's basketball live.

And on NBC, later at 10AM, swimming preliminaries, beach volleyball and USA vs. China in women's water polo.

Currently Going On/Coming Up...
- Gold Medal Bouts in judo, specifically in the women's 57kg and men's 73kg weight classes.
- Coming up at 7AM, the Men's 62kg weight class takes part in the weightlifting final.
- Women's Individual Foil in Fencing semifinals and finals.
- Swimming Preliminaries
- Women's Basketball, Men's Field Hockey, Handball and Tennis Preliminary Rounds

LATEST NEWS *SPOILERS*(links below)
- Men's 10m Synchronized Diving Final (Can be seen in Primetime on NBC)
The Chinese continued to dominate at the Water Cube as Lin Yue and Huo Liang won gold in the Men's 10m Synchronized platform final, finishing with a total of 468.18 points. Germany placed second while Russia settled for the bronze medal. This is China's second straight gold medal in diving here in Beijing after winning gold yesterday in the women's 3m synchronized springboard.

- Women's 56kg Weightlifting Final (Can be seen later on MSNBC)
Chinese weightlifter Chen Yanqing won gold in weightlifting, giving China their third gold medal in the sport. Maria Shainova of Russia was a distant second and North Korea’s O Jong Ae sneaked into third place with her final lift in a close race for the other medals. The Men's 62kg final will be contested at 7AM ET.

- American Wins Bronze in Women's Trap Shooting
Finland's Satu Makela-Nummela won gold in the women's trap final while a four-way tie led to a shootout to determine the bronze medal. American Corey Cogdell hit her target while others didn't to give the United States a rare shooting medal.

- South Korea Wins Team Gold in Archery
After their win in the women's team final yesterday, South Korea celebrated another victory in archery by capturing gold in the men's team final, an event that came down to the final arrows. Korea defeated Italy after Mauro Nespoli of Italy scored a seven in their final arrow.

South Korea wins men's archery team competition 5:56 am EDT (AP)
Moose hunting helps American win bronze 5:52 am EDT (Reuters)
Weightlifting-Tough girl Chen wins China gold 5:45 am EDT (Reuters)
China divers go 2-for-2 at Beijing Olympics 5:40 am EDT (AP)
Finland's Makela-Nummela wins women's trap 5:14 am EDT (AP)
Nadal, Serena Williams win Olympic singles debuts 4:57 am EDT (AP)
Russia edges South Korea 77-72 5:00 am EDT (AP)