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Olympic News - Pro Sports Wrap

Beijing Olympic Gardens Pictures

July 7th 2008 10:51

A friend sent me some pictures of the Beijing Olympic Gardens. There are some amazing features. I do not know who to credit with these pictures, but thank you for sharing them with the world whoever you are.

What do you think of the Olympic Gardens in Beijing?

In case you missed me asking before, what do you think of the Beijing Olympic Gardens?

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Posted By: Two Guys Sports - Category: Olympics, Olympic News, Miscellaneous Sports

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100meter Record Struck by a Lightning Fast Bolt

June 1st 2008 05:28

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is now The World's Fastest Man. . . till June?

100meter Record Struck by a Lightning Fast Bolt

6-foot-4 Jamaican runner Usain Bolt was thought to be too tall to run the 100meters. He concentrated mainly on the 200m and 400m instead. To get some work in he has been running the 100meters as of late. Last month at a meet he ran the world’s second fastest time in the 100m, with a time of 9.76 seconds, just .04 off the record pace.

Fast forward to this Saturday night at the Reebok Grand Prix in Randall’s Island, New York. Tyson Gay, the fastest American, and thought to be the fastest in the field was expected to win. No one expected much from Bolt who was just getting in speed work. They would all quickly be surprised, the key word being quickly. Bolt finished the 100m a shocking .13 ahead of Gay (9.85 seconds), with a time of 9.72. That time beat the old world record of 9.74 seconds which was held by his fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell.

It marked the first time the world record has been broken on American soil since Donovan Bailey posted a 9.84 at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

After the race and his celebration while carrying he Jamaican flag around the track, Bolt commented, "Just coming here, knowing a lot of Jamaicans were here giving me their support, it meant a lot. I just wanted to give them what they wanted."

Gay who had the best view of Bolt’s race said, "He ran a perfect race. I've got to take my hat off to him." Bolt did however have a little help. There was a 1.7 meters-per-second tailwind blowing. If the wind is 2.0meters-p-s a record cannot be set.

Powell should get a chance to get the record back at the end of June when he and Bolt will most likely be racing one another at the Jamaican nationals.

At this time it is unsure just what races Bolt will be running in Beijing this summer. It would be hard to believe if the world record holder did not compete in the 100m while still competing at the games.

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Posted By: Two Guys Sports - Category: Olympic News

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Pistorious Victorious in Appeal

May 17th 2008 03:46

Olympic hopeful Oscar Pictorious picture

Oscar Pictorious pare-athlete and Olympic hopeful.

Most people have probably never heard the name Oscar Pistorious. He is a South African track & field runner who, thanks to winning an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), is once again an Olympic hopeful. You see, Pistorious is nicknamed "Blade Runner", a name he has because of the Ossur Cheetah Flex Foot Prosthetics he must use. He was born with no fibula bones in his legs and at 11 months old had to have both legs amputated below the knees.

In school, he had competed in rugby, water polo, tennis, and wrestling. He didn't start running competitively until January 2004 after he injured a knee while playing rugby. The Blade Runner went on to win the gold in the 200 meters and a bronze in the 100 meters at the Paralympic Games in Athens just a few months later. He also set the Paralympic world records in the 100M, 200M, and 400M.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in January ruled that the artificial legs he uses give him an unfair advantage over "able-bodied" athletes he would be competing against. Professor Gert-Peter Bruggemann had done the testing for the IAAF and ruled that the prosthetics were "energy efficient" and gave him a mechanical advantage. Pistorius appealed the ruling in February.

The CAS has now overturned that decision on the strength of independent evidence showing that Pistorius gains no mechanical advantage when using his prosthetic legs. He commented on the decision, "I'm ecstatic. I was really confident that we had a great, watertight case we had put in front of CAS, but you still go into it with some nerves. We have the opportunity once again to compete at an Olympics, if not in 2008, then in London in 2012. For me, this has also become a human rights issue."

Pistorius's battle isn't over yet; he still must qualify for the South African Olympic Team. The minimum Olympic qualifying time for the 400 Meters is 45.95 seconds, or 45.55 if another South African runs less than 45.95. However, if he fails to qualify, the South African team could pick him to be on their 4 X 400 meter relay team. He would not need to qualify for that event.

Regardless of whether or not he qualifies or competes in the relay, Pistorious is making great strides (and the CAS has made it official, with no mechanical advantage) for para-athletes everywhere. If he does compete at the 2008 Beijing games, it would surely be the feel-good story of the event.

Oscar Pistorious's Times in Comparison:

100M
Pistorious - 10.91 sec (Paralympic World Record)
Asafa Powell - 9.74 sec (World Record)

200M
Pistorious - 21.58 sec (Paralympic World Record)
Michael Johnson 19.32 sec (World Record)

400M
Pistorious - 46.34 sec (Paralympic World Record)
Michael Johnson - 43.18 sec (World Record)

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Posted By: Two Guys Sports - Category: Olympic News

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Watson Tells the Rocket to Stay Home This Summer

May 9th 2008 01:50

Bob Watson, USABaseball's general manager for professional baseball operations, says he is not considering Roger Clemens a viable option for the team's roster this summer in Beijing. Watson says he has not discussed this with anyone above him, but he says, "I just think the distraction that he's [Clemens] carrying right now, from my standpoint, we don't need that."

Prior to all the drama that the Mitchell report created, Clemens's agent, Randy Hendricks, had hinted that pitching in the Olympics was "something to consider."

Watson went on to comment on Clemens's performance: "The other thing, too, you've got to remember, his last three or four outings, he had to take injections in his elbow, he had to take injections in his groin area. He wasn't the healthiest guy on the team." He also pointed out that they can get twelve younger guys who are pitching much better than Clemens was in his most recent outings.

Former Major League pitcher Roger Clemens

Clemens has not given any indication that he was even considering the Olympics. He is probably still concentrating on the accusations of using performance-enhancing substances and the recent New York Daily News report that links him to affairs with multiple women. Those same women are now expected to be questioned by federal investigators about whether or not The Rocket had used steroids or human growth hormone.