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2008-08-25 1:52 PM

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Melon Presser
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Subject: Quiet Olympic Heroes

It was unbelievable to watch the U.S. boys in the 4x100 free relay, and Usain Bolt blow the 100m off the track, but there are some Olympians who got somewhat less press, but who are no less amazing athletes or heroes. Here are a few of mine.

Oksana Chusovitina, a 33-year-old gymnast and mom who won a silver medal for Germany, where she emigrated to in order to get medical care for her son with leukemia (none was available in Uzbekistan).

Natalie du Toit, the amputee from South Africa who competed in the marathon swim.

Dara Torres (though of course she did get a lot of press, but deservedly so!)

Who else deserves to be on the A list?

2008-08-25 2:12 PM
in reply to: #1626287

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Sneaky Slow
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Herndon, VA,
Subject: RE: Quiet Olympic Heroes
Matthew Mitcham, who scored 4 perfect 10s on his final dive in the mens' platform final, the most difficult dive in his repertoire, to be the only non-Chinese gold medal winner in mens' or womens' diving.  And he knew he had to perform the dive at that level to overtake Zhou Luxin of China... talk about clutch.
2008-08-25 2:24 PM
in reply to: #1626287

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Master
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A Prairie Home
Subject: RE: Quiet Olympic Heroes
This guy has faithfully compiled a list of athletes who finished DFL. Because they were there, you were not.

http://www.mcwetboy.net/dfl/
2008-08-25 4:14 PM
in reply to: #1626287

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Regular
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Auckland, New Zealand
Subject: RE: Quiet Olympic Heroes
The Evers-Swindell twins who won gold for New Zealand in the rowing (and carried the flag at the closing ceremony!). They were former world champiuons, former olympic champions, but had bad form coming into the Olympics and were written off. In the end, they came from behind in the final and won by...0.01 of a second! Gutsy effort girls!
2008-08-25 5:06 PM
in reply to: #1626287

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Champion
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Sydney
Subject: RE: Quiet Olympic Heroes

Anna Meares - silver medallist in the womens sprint (track cycling) and Australias only cycling medallist in the Olympic games

Earlier this year at the world championship she had a crash on the track which fractured her neck... 2mm more and she would have been a quadrplegic.

Still wanted to compete at the olympics so did everything to be there including proving to selectors she had the form. In fact once she was allowed she and her husband set up a rack over her bike trainer so she could sit upright in her neck brace and ride.

Absolute legend!

2008-08-25 5:35 PM
in reply to: #1626287

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Extreme Veteran
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Glendora, CA
Subject: RE: Quiet Olympic Heroes
In a war torn country that needs a small thread of hope-

Afghanistan won its first Olympic medal on Wednesday, when Rohullah Nikpai defeated world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain to take the bronze medal in the men’s under 58-kilogram taekwondo competition.

Nikpai, a flashy kicker who has been practicing the Korean martial art since he was 10, defeated Ramos easily in their bronze medal contest, outscoring the limping Spaniard.

Afghanistan sent four athletes to the Olympics-two 100m sprinter who finished last and another taekwondo ahtlete that didnt medal.


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