This Week at the Olympics :: August 15, 2008
Michael Phelps
The 2008 Summer Olympics are a week old, and so far it has been all about swimming sensation Michael Phelps. We got the scoop on everything going on in Beijing!
Phelps Dominating
In 2004, swimmer Michael Phelps made history by capturing eight medals including six golds. Michael's quest to top that performance has been going smooth so far, as he has already added six more golds to his collection this past week. Not only has he won all six of his events (400 m, 4 x 100 m, 200 m, 200 m Butterfly and 4 x 200 , Freestyle Relay, 200 m individual medley), but he has done so in dramatic fashion by breaking the world record in each of those events. Phelps has two more events: the 100 m butterfly and the 4 x 100 m medley race. If he wins one more, he will tie swimmer Mark Spitz for the single Olympics record of seven gold medals - which Spitz did in the 1972 Munich Olympics. If he wins eight gold medals, Michael could go down as the single greatest Olympian in history!Liukin Wins Gold in Gymnastics
Going into the Beijing Games, U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin was overlooked as all the attention was on teammate Shawn Johnson. On Thursday, Nastia dazzled the Beijing crowd on to her way to the gold medal in the all-around gymnastics final. Johnson took second while Yang Yilin of China took home the bronze. This is not the first time the Liukin family has won the Olympics. Her father was a double gold medalist for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Nastia finished with a 62.725 overall score.U.S. Basketball Off to Good Start
After failing to win gold in the 2004 Games in Athens, the U.S. Basketball team is on a mission to reclaim the top spot. With the additions of Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and Chris Paul, the team has a whole new look and identity this time around. So far in the Olympics, America is looking sharp - winning their first three games. The U.S. opened up the Olympics beating Yao Ming and the home country China by 31 points. Since then, they have easily defeated Angola and Greece. Dwyane Wade has been leading the U.S. in scoring with a 18.3 points per game average. The women's team has also looked sharp winning their first three games by an average margin of over 40 points per game.Notes Around Beijing
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