Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team (Photo by FIVB)

When the United States Olympic Committee named its SportsMan, SportWoman, Paralympian and Team of the Year on Thursday, some of the drama was missing.

Thanks, Michael Phelps, for making SportsMan of the Year a foregone conclusion. Just as he was in Beijing’s Water Cube, Phelps was unbeatable.

Thursday’s other winners weren’t shabby, either, chosen for excellence in and away from sports.

Swimmer Natalie Coughlin and gymnast Nastia Liukin are co-winners of SportsWoman of the Year.

Swimmer Erin Popovich is Paralympian of the Year.

And the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball squad is Team of the Year.

U.S. Swimming's tribute to its award winners.

Phelps set an Olympic record by going 8-for-8 at Beijing, setting seven world records, as well as American and Olympic records in all eight events. The eight golds brought his career total to 16 Olympic medals (14 gold), a record for a male Olympian. He also was USOC SportsMan of the Year in 2004.

Earlier, Phelps set two world, American and U.S. Open records at the U.S. Olympic Trials.  

Nastia Liukin (U.S. Gymnastics)

Liukin won five medals at Beijing, where she became the third American to win Olympic gold in the women’s all-around. Five medals at one Olympics ties the U.S. gymnastics record set by Mary Lou Retton at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and match by Shannon Miller in 1992 at Barcelona.

Besides a gold, Liukin took silvers on balance beam, uneven bars and in team competition, with a bronze in floor exercise.

Coughlin became the first American woman in any sport to win six medals at one Olympiad. Along the way, she set five American records and one Olympic record, increasing her career total to 11 Olympic medals.

At Beijing, Coughlin won the 100-meter backstroke, took second as part of the 400 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay, and third in the 200 individual medley, 100 freestyle and on the 800 freestyle relay.

Popovich, who also won USOC Paralympian of the Year in 2004, earned four gold medals and two silvers at Beijing. She won the 100-meter freestyle (S7), 400 free (S7), 100 breaststroke (SB7) and 200 individual medley (SM7), and placed second in the (S7) 50 butterfly and 50 free. Her Paralympics medal career total is 14 golds and five silvers.

The men’s volleyball team (Lloy Ball, Gabe Gardner, Kevin Hansen, Tom Hoff, Rich Lambourne, David Lee, Ryan Miller, Reid Priddy, Sean Rooney, Riley Salmon, Clay Stanley and Scott Touzinsky) had an undefeated run en route to winning gold at Beijing, although ranked No. 3 heading into the Games. Team USA whipped No. 1 Brazil, No. 2 Russia, No. 4 Bulgaria and No. 5 Serbia. The gold served as an emotional tribute to Todd Bachman, the father-in-law of Coach Hugh McCutcheon, who was murdered while sight-seeing in Beijing shortly after the Games opened.

Earlier, Team USA qualified for Beijing by winning the NORCECA Continental Qualifier last January in Puerto Rico.

Beijing is beautiful.

China’s coming out party was magnificent, start to finish. Great competition, amazing venues, meticulous organization and warm people. (Poor London. Talk about an act that’s impossible to follow!)

China also got a dose of something it didn’t want: international criticism. While the Olympics were an unqualified success, the Games also served as a sounding board for China’s major ills. From the oppression of Tibet and Falun Gong to censorship and China’s involvement in Darfur, the Olympics led to more thought and discussion than if the Games had been held elsewhere.

As for Team USA, it was no match for China’s gold rush. However, the Americans did collect more total medals (110 — 36 gold, 38 silver, 36 bronze) than any other nation for a fourth consecutive Olympics. (Thanks, Michael Phelps, for eight golds!) The medal total also is a record for the U.S. in a non-boycotted Olympics, breaking the record of 108 set at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Team USA had 203 top-eight finishes, 34 more than runner-up China.

The U.S. medaled in nine of 11 team sports in which it qualified. There were golds in men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer and men’s volleyball. Women’s volleyball, softball and both men’s and women’s water polo earned silver. And baseball came away with a bronze. Only men’s soccer and women’s field hockey — both returning to the Games after not qualifying in recent years — did not earn medals.

More than 120 Olympic records and 40 world records fell in Beijing.

It pays to push on a bobsled track

Now comes the winter season, with athletes keeping an eye on the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver.

The U.S. Bobsled Push Championships wrapped up Wednesday at the Ice House, an indoor push-start facility north of the border — at Calgary, Alberta.

Justin Olsen of San Antonio had the best push time among men’s brakemen, with Steve Langton of Melrose, Mass., the best side-pusher. Todd Hays of Del Rio, Texas, led the drivers.

The women pushers were Elana Meyers of Douglasville, Ga., on brake, Erin Pac of Farmington, Conn., driver.

           BEIJING –  Elaine Breeden tied for sixth in her semifinal heat of the women’s 100-meter butterfly Sunday morning (Saturday night EDT), before a Water Cube sellout crowd of 17,000. So now she has another day to rest for the 200 ’fly at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

            “Not my best. I was a little disappointed with the time,” the Lexington swimmer said of her 58.55-second finish. “But my butterfly’s feeling good, so I’m just going to rest up and look forward to the 200, which is my best event.”

            Preliminaries in the 200 begin Tuesday night (Beijing)/morning (EDT).

            Breeden’s swim came moments after Michael Phelps snagged the first of what he hopes will be eight gold medals.

            His time of 4:03.84 destroyed both his day-old Olympic record of 4:07.82 and his world record of 4:05.25, set in June at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

            “Afterwards, I looked up and saw President Bush giving me a thumbs up and holding the American flag,” Phelps said. “That was pretty cool.”

            Breeden’s heat was won by reigning world champion Lisbeth Trickett of Australia in 57.05. Christine Magnuson, out of the University of Tennessee, placed second in an American-record 57.08, advancing to the finals. The former American record of 57.34 was set last year by Natalie Coughlin.

            Breeden touched sixth, tied with Alena Popchanka of France.

            Australia’s Jessica Schipper, world record-holder in the 200 ’fly, won the second heat in  57.43.

            Finals are set for Monday morning in Beijing (Sunday night EDT).

            Breeden agreed that her semifinal exit might be a blessing in disguise when the 200 comes around.

            “Yeah, we’ll see how it turns out,” she said. “But I thought it was a really good race yesterday and a pretty good showing today. That would have been my best time before the (U.S.) Trials, so I can’t be too disappointed with that. I’m just going to sit back and cheer for Christy.”

            Phelps led a 1-3 American finish in the IM.

            Laszlo Cseh of Hungary took the silver medal in a European-record 4:086.16. Ryan Lochte won the bronze in 4:08.09.

            Three other events were decided, with the U.S. gaining a relay silver medal and a pair of individual bronzes:

·    A Netherlands team of Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Fmke Heemskerk and Marleen Veldhaus churned out an Olympic-record 3:33.76 in the women’s 4-by-100 freestyle relay. The U.S., with Coughlin, Lacey Nymeyer, Kara Lynn Joyce and 41-year-old Dara Torres took the silver medal in 3:34.33. Australia, anchored by Trickett, earned the bronze (3:35.05).

·    Katie Hoff of Towson, Md., took bronze in the women’s 400 indidual medley (4:31.71). Australia’s Stephanie Rice won, breaking Hoff’s world record in 4:29.45. Hoff’s record, set at the U.S. Trials, was 4:31.12. Rice was followed by South Africa’s Kirsty Coventry in an African-record 4:28.89. Elizabeth Beisel of Saunderstown, R.I., placed fourth.

·    Larsen Jensen of Bakersfield, Calif., beat his own American record in the men’s 400-meter freestyle to win a bronze. His time of 3:42.78 beat his 3:43.53, set at the U.S. Trials. Taehwan Park of South Korea won in an Asian-record 3:41.86. China’s Lin Zhang netted silver in 3:42.44. Peter Vanderkaay of Rochester, Mich., finished fourth.

           Team USA advanced both its swimmers to the finals of the men’s 100-meter breaststroke – world record-holder Brendan Hansen and Mark Gangloff. Hansen qualified fifth (59.94), Gangloff seventh (1:00.44). Norway’s Alexander Dale Oen was quickest (59.16), clipping his day-old Olympic record.

BEIJING — Elaine Breeden did what was necessary in her first Olympic race Saturday, easily advancing to the semifinals of the women’s 100-meter butterfly.

Michael Phelps, chasing a possible eight gold medals, did more than necessary in his first race at the National Aquatics Center, nicknamed “The Water Cube.” He broke his own Olympic record in the men’s 400-meter individual medley.

Breeden, a graduate of Lexington’s Trinity Christian Academy, placed third in her heat and sixth overall in a field of 49.

Teammate Christine Magnuson won the heat in 57.70 seconds. Brazil’s Gabriella Silva touched the wall in 58 seconds flat. Then came Breeden in 58.06.

“It was really good. I was happy with the swim,” said Breeden, a Stanford University junior. “It was good to get one race under. It’s been a long process since (last month’s U.S. Olympic Team) Trials and, hopefully, there are more good ones to come.”

Australia’s Jessica Schipper led all qualifiers in 57.58. Magnuson’s time held up for second, tied with China’s Zhou Yafei. Defending Olympic champion Otylia Jedrzaejczak of Poland was 17th in 58.53.

Breeden said she was spurred by loud encouragement from her teammates, a distinct minority in the sold-out Cube.

“I’ve got those 40 other swimmers from America I’m swimming for,” she said. “And no matter how many people are in the stands, when I hear them cheering for me I get the same feeling.”

Breeden said her parents and two sisters also were on hand after arriving a day or so ago. “I haven’t been able to contact them yet,” she said, “but I know they’re up there.”

Semifinals are set for Sunday morning (Saturday night EDT), with finals Monday morning (Sunday night EDT).

Phelps blew away the field in the IM. His time of 4:07.82 beat the Olympic record he set four years ago, 4:08.26.

Hungary’s Laszio Cseh had the second-fastest qualifier, 4:09.26. Ryan Lochte of the U.S. won his heat in 4:10.33, ranking fourth overall.

“I’m pretty satisfied with the time,” Phelps said. “I didn’t think I’d swim that fast in the preliminaries.

“All I know is I wanted to be in the middle (lane) of the pool tomorrow.”

Team USA’s Larsen Jensen led 400-meter freestyle qualifiers (3:43.10). Teammate Peter Vanderkaay ranked sixth (3:44.22).