Beijing Olympic Games

Top eight American moments of 2008 Olympic Games

By Bill Bernardi PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

Why eight, you ask? Well, the number is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture, so therefore it was no coincidence that the 2008 Olympic Games began on August 8, 2008 - 8 p.m. to be precise.

And while the Games may have come and gone, left in their wake rests a myriad of memories for many Americans to fondly recall during their two-week summer sojourn in Beijing. Here is a look at the top eight American moments of the 2008 Olympic Games:

No. 8—FRENCH KISS-OFF: Jason Lezak’s feverish finish in the 400 freestyle relay.

Reason: Without Lezak’s heroics, a certain someone (who shall go nameless for the time being) wouldn’t have secured his second gold medal in Beijing. Fueled by Frenchman Alain Bernard’s boast - “The Americans? We’re going to smash them. That’s what we came here for.” - Lezak responded to the challenge. The three-time Olympian notched the fastest relay split in history, touching in at 46.06 on the anchor leg to cap a miraculous comeback as he chased down Bernard. Lezak’s triumphant finish not only brought tears to the eyes of the American faithful, but also Bernard - who openly wept after failing to secure the gold.

Medal count: Gold (men’s 400-meter freestyle relay, 3:08.24); Bronze (men’s 100-meter freestyle, 47.67); Gold (men’s 400-meter medley relay, 3:29.34).

Did you know: At 32 years of age, Lezak was the oldest male on the United States swim team (Note: the oldest member of the American swim team appears later on this list). Also, “Lezak” means lounge/lawn chair in Polish. Not sure if we can print what it means in French, according to Bernard.

He said it: “I knew I was going to have to swim out of my mind. I had more adrenaline going than I’ve ever had in my life.” - Lezak, on his finish in the 400 freestyle relay

No. 7—NOTHING BUT(T) THE TRUTH: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh still queens of the beach.

Reason: After making a good-natured point during a practice session with the defending beach volleyball champions, President Bush was presented with an unusual proposal. May-Treanor promptly bent over and presented her bikini-clad posterior to the president. “Want to?” she asked. While it’s a time-honored tradition for players to slap one another’s backside after a successful point, Bush opted for a different attack and targeted her lower back. The exchange caused quite the stir, but in the end did nothing to deter May-Treanor and Walsh from running their win streak to 108 consecutive matches - and another gold medal to boot. Not to be outdone, the men’s beach volleyball team of Todd Rogers and Philip Dalhausser also claimed gold, besting Fabio Magalhaes and Marcio Araujo of Brazil in the final to join May-Treanor and Walsh as the first male-female compatriots to earn top honors in the same Games.

Medal count: Gold (defeated Mika Saiki and Chiaki Kusuhara of Japan, 21-12, 21-15; defeated Tamara Larrea and Dalixia Fernandez of Cuba, 21-15, 21-16; defeated Nila Haakedal and Ingrid Toerlen of Norway, 21-12, 21-15; defeated Liesbeth Mouha and Liesbet van Breedam of Belgium, 24-22, 21-10 in the Round of 16; defeated Larissa Franca and Ana Paula Connelly of Brazil, 21-18, 21-15, in the quarterfinals; defeated Renata Ribeiro and Talita Rocha of Brazil, 21-12, 21-14, in the semifinals; defeated Tian Jia and Wang Jie of China, 21-18, 21-18 in the championship match)

Did you know: May-Treanor’s tattoo on her lower back is of a Roman numeral “V”. It is a tribute to Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Kidd, who wore No. 5 on his jersey for the majority of his NBA career.

She said it: “This is just another reason why we play in bathing suits” - May-Treanor, on playing the final in a downpour.

No. 6—NOT TOO SHABBY WITHOUT ABBY: Without its leader, the United States women’s soccer team repeats as gold-medal champion.

Reason: With prolific scorer Abby Wambach sustaining a broken leg during the team’s final friendly, the Americans were merely supposed to give a good showing before bowing out gracefully at the Games. Guess again. Angela Hucles picked up the slack with a team-high four goals, Carli Lloyd netted the lone tally in the gold-medal game and Hope Solo came up big when it counted as the Americans reeled in their third gold in four Olympic Games.

Medal count: Gold (lost to Norway, 2-0; defeated Japan, 1-0; defeated New Zealand, 4-0; defeated Canada, 2-1 (OT), in the quarterfinals; defeated Japan, 4-2, in the semifinals; defeated Brazil, 1-0, in the gold-medal match).

Did you know: Nobody on the team played for the United States when it won its first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. In addition, Kate Markgraf and Christie Pearce were the only representatives on the 1999 World Cup championship side.

She said it: “I have to say that after the first game (a 2-0 loss to Norway), I didn’t know the gold medal would be possible. But, we took it one game at a time and kept believing in ourselves. My focus this whole tournament was just to work hard and things will come.” - Lloyd.

No. 5.—TURNING TRIUMPH INTO TRAGEDY: Americans claim gold, honor coach who lost father-in-law to stabbing death.

Reason: Prior to the start of the Olympics, an unspeakable tragedy befell the family of Hugh McCutcheon, the United States men’s indoor volleyball coach. A lone assailant killed McCutcheon’s father-in-law and badly wounded his mother-in-law before taking his own life. Back on the court, the team competed without McHutcheon’s guidance for the its first three matches, before the coach bravely returned to the sideline. The Americans outlasted their foes in a pair of five-set thrillers in the knockout round before besting the top-ranked Brazilians in the final.

Medal count: Gold (defeated Venezuela, 25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10; defeated Italy, 24-26, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21; defeated Bulgaria, 27-29, 25-21, 25-14, 26-24; defeated China, 25-22, 25-12, 25-18; defeated Japan, 25-18, 25-12, 25-21; defeated Serbia, 20-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 15-12, in the quarterfinals; defeated Russia, 25-22, 25-21, 25-27, 22-25, 15-13; defeated Brazil, 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 , in the championship match).

Did you know: The members of the team marked their shoes with the initials of Todd and Barbara Bachman during the Games. … Also, McCutcheon is a native of Christchurch, New Zealand, and represented his home country’s national team in 1996 and on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour in 1997.

He said it: “I mourn the loss of my father-in-law, greatly. My heart aches for my wife and for our family for their loss. On the other hand, I am extremely proud and happy for my team. Those are the two emotions I have and they are a little bit conflicted, obviously. I cannot change what happened in either sphere, I can just embrace what’s occurred and try to deal with it accordingly.” - McCutcheon.

No. 4—ONE FOR THE AGES: Dara Torres claims three silvers, bests swimmers half her age

Reason: Participating in her fifth Olympic Games, what more did the ageless wonder have to prove? As it turned out, Torres gave Father Time a run for his money while defeating the majority of the field in her events. Torres’ personal best time netted her a silver in the women’s 50-meter.freestyle - just .01 seconds short of German Britta Steffen. The oldest swimming medalist in Olympic history, Torres also swam the anchor leg in the relay, finishing second only to Australia. Quite the finish considering she has twice retired and has a 2-year-old daughter.

Medal count: Silver (women’s 50-meter freestyle, 24.07); Silver (women’s 400 freestyle relay, 3:43.33); Silver (400 medley relay, 3:53.30).

Did you know: When she’s not in the pool, Torres has worked as reporter and announcer on NBC, ESPN, TNT, OLN and Fox News Channel. She now hosts the golf show “The Clubhouse”, which can be found on the Resort Sports Network.

She said it: “I guess I shouldn’t have clipped my fingernails.” - Torres on falling shy of the gold in the 50-meter freestyle.

No. 3—HOOP DREAMS: “Redeem Team” makes amends after 2004 flop; women claim fourth consecutive gold

Reason: Considering that the members of the men’s basketball team have had as much air time as Seinfeld re-runs, you’d wonder if ESPN actually realized there were any other sports in the Olympics. In retrospect, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and company could have played without the constant glare of the spotlight - after all, their opponents hardly seemed worthy of the attention. The Americans breezed through their first seven contests - with their 20-point victory over Argentina in the semifinals being their slimmest margin of victory - before surviving a scare from Spain in the finals. Not to be outdone, the United States women’s basketball team was never seriously challenged as it cruised to its fourth consecutive gold medal by downing Australia. No reason to “redeem”, Lisa Leslie captured her fourth Olympic title while the women upped their winning streak in the Games to 32 in a row.

Medal count: Gold (defeated China, 101-70; defeated Angola, 97-76; defeated Greece, 92-69; defeated Spain, 119-82; defeated Germany, 106-57; defeated Australia, 116-85, in the quarterfinals; defeated Argentina, 101-81, in the semifinals; defeated Spain, 118-107, in the championship game).

Did you know: Ever the philanthropist, Kidd will not hold on to his well-earned gold medal. Instead, he will do what all millionaires do - give away one of their most-prized possessions to the wife of a billionaire. Kidd, who stayed with Team USA at the Wynn Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for three weeks last summer, told the Arizona Republic that he will pay back the establishment’s owner, Steve Wynn, by bestowing his wife, Elaine, with the golden medallion. According to Kidd in the newspaper, he and Elaine met at a banquet, got to talking and she “really understands the game.” Besides, he already has a gold - from the Sydney Games in 2000 - anything extra would just be clutter.

He said it: “They say NBA players can’t play together. They can … it’s not about the name on the back of the jersey - it’s the three letters on the front.” - Dwyane Wade.

No. 2—GYM DANDIES: Roommates Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson claim nine medals at Games.

Reason: A product of two championship-caliber gymnasts, Liukin certainly lived up to her lofty expectations. The daughter of Olympic gold medalist Valeri Liukin and world champion rhythmic gymnast Anna Kotchneva, Nastia struck gold in the women’s all-around. By virtue of her triumph, Liukin became the third American woman - joining Mary Lou Retton and Carly Patterson - to win the gold medal in the event in the Olympics. Johnson, who had recorded three silver medals heading into the event, earned her gold medal after her stunning effort on the women’s balance beam.

Medal count: Liukin - Gold (women’s all-around); Silver (women’s uneven bars); Silver (women’s balance beam); Silver (women’s uneven bars); Bronze (women’s floor); Johnson - Gold (women’s balance beam); Silver (women’s all-around); Silver (women’s all-around); Silver (women’s floor).

Did you know: At 4-9, Johnson is the same height as American gymnast Kerri Strug, who captured both the gold and the nation’s attention with her courageous performance in the vault in the women’s team competition during the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.

She said it: “I couldn’t have been here without my parents. Both of my parents have been a big influence on my life. My dad is in the gym with me every day. He’s the reason I am an Olympic champion. My mom is on my side, providing emotional support. It’s an equal effort. I couldn’t have achieved this without either of them, so I’m very thankful and I give them a lot of credit.” - Liukin

No. 1—EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD: Michael Phelps captures unprecedented eight gold medals.

Reason: Were you watching the Olympics? Was your television on the fritz? Did you spill coffee on your newspaper for two weeks straight? Sarcastic answers aside, the American phenom claimed eight gold medals in as many events in Beijing to pass countryman Mark Spitz for the most in a single Olympiad. The 23-year-old Phelps also extended his record of career gold medals to 14, easily surpassing the nine won by Spitz, Carl Lewis, Paavo Nurmi and Larissa Latvnina. Any questions? We did think so.

Medal count: Gold (men’s 400-meter individual medley, 4:03.84); Gold (men’s 400-meter freestyle relay, 3:08.24); Gold (men’s 200-meter freestyle, 1:42.96); Gold (men’s 200-meter butterfly, 1:52.03); Gold (men’s 800-meter freestyle relay, 6:58.56); Gold (men’s 200-meter individual medley, 1:54.23); Gold (men’s 100-meter butterfly, 50.58); Gold (men’s 400-meter medley relay, 3:29.34).

Did you know: In his youth, Phelps was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). With the influence of his sisters, Phelps elected to put his toe in the water and try swimming as an outlet for his energy. The rest is history.

He said it: “I guess it’s a lucky number for me now, too. Seeing eight in ‘08, and opening ceremonies starting at 8:08, I guess it was maybe meant to be.” - Phelps.