Tomkins leads Australians as Games declared open
Saturday, August 9, 2008 - 2:15 AM

Australia's five-time Olympian James Tomkins led the Australian delegation into Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium before the 2008 Beijing Games were offically declared open after a spectacular opening ceremony this morning (Australian time).

"For a long time, China has dreamed of opening its doors and inviting the world's athletes to Beijing for the Olympic Games," said Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"Tonight that dream comes true. Congratulations, Beijing."

Chinese gymnastics champion and business supremo Li Ning lit the cauldron at the end of the ceremony, after he was lifted high off the ground by cables and swung around the stadium.

A final fireworks display followed the lighting of the cauldron, with explosions on the stadium and all around the city.

In an innovation for the Beijing Games, veteran rower Tomkins was followed by a group of five-time Olympians and the athletes followed according to how many Games they had attended.

A group of debutants brought up the rear for the Australian team.

There was widespread concern that rain would dampen the spirits of the 91,000-strong crowd at the opening ceremony but the weather stayed kind apart from the ever-present smog, which was reportedly threatening to delay today's men's cycling road race.

News Limited websites reported that Olympic organisers informed broadcasters around the world that there was a high chance of the event being delayed some hours or even until Sunday.

Cauldron-lighter Li is a national hero in China after winning three gold medals, two silver and one bronze at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He is also the founder of a popular sportswear company bearing his name.

The identity of the person who lights the cauldron is traditionally kept secret until the final moments of the ceremony, and Chinese authorities went to extraordinary lengths to keep details from the public.

But the website for media at the Olympics on this occasion published the details shortly after the nearly three-and-a-half hour ceremony began.

Chinese female table tennis star Zhang Yining and gymnastics referee Huang Liping took the Olympic oaths.

The two took the oaths on behalf of the more than 10,000 athletes who will be competing in the Games, Xinhua reported.

Zhang won two gold medals at the 2004 Athens Games and Huang is a former world champion gymnast, who will act as a referee in Beijing, the report said.

Dazzling ceremony


An army of 2,008 drummers pounded out the countdown to the Games, which mark among other things China's emergence from impoverished isolation to economic might.

Around 80 world leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and US President George W Bush, joined 91,000 excited spectators in the majestic Bird's Nest stadium for the opening show. The global television audience was expected to exceed one billion viewers.

Some 14,000 performers and 29,000 firework shells were primed for the show, with film director Zhang Yimou, whose work was once banned in China, offering up a sweeping, cinematic vision of 5,000 years of Chinese history.

According to Olympic tradition Greece kicked off the procession of athletes, with the rest of the nations following according to the Chinese alphabet.

A huge roar accompanied the entrance of the Chinese team into the Bird's Nest, led by basketball superstar Yao Ming.The crowd erupted with thousands of Chinese waving red cloths to welcome their team.

Sudanese refugee Lopez Lomong led the powerful US delegation.

The middle-distance runner was a controversial choice as China has come in for widescale criticism for its support of the Sudanese government in the buildup to the Games.

Iraq's five-strong delegation marched proudly into the stadium, led by rower Hamzah Al-Hilfi.

Iraqi participation at the Games had been in doubt up until the last minute over political interference in the running of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee.

History-making swimmer Natalie du Toit led the South African squad into the National Stadium in Friday's Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.

The Games of the 29th Olympiad run until August 24, with 10,500 athletes from a record 204 nations chasing 302 gold medals in 28 sports.

Multi bet - I was going to take a multi bet today, on the olympic tennis. But no money in the tab account. Too lazy, and too cold to venture down to the tab. So I won't be betting today. These were my tips -
1555 Essendon over 15 1/2 pts $1.72
44807 Blake $1.22
44865 CIlic $1.45
44832 Davydenko $1.53
44774 Robredo $1.60
44869 Ferrer $1.38
Odds of $10.27

Like Axe Handle to bounce back in the winners circle @ Port Pirie today also.

August 10, 2008 12:50pm

STEPHANIE Rice has won Australia's first gold medal of the Olympic Games, smashing the world record in the women's 400m individual medley final
Rice took it out hard and was under world record pace all the way, setting a new mark of 4min29.45sec.

It was more than 1.5sec under the record set by American Katie Hoff at the US trials in June.

Australia third in women's 4x100m freestyle relay
August 10, 2008 01:28pm

Australia's quartet started poorly but finished strongly for third.
AUSTRALIA have finished third in their defence of the women's 4x100m freestyle relay title won in Athens.
The Australian quartet of Cate Campbell, Alice Mills, Melanie Schlanger, Libby Trickett won the bronze medal behind the word record-holding Netherlands team and the United States.

Australia seemed unlikely to win a medal at the halfway point, but Schlanger produced an outstanding effort on the third leg to improve from seventh to third, and Trickett saw the team to a spot on the dais.

Monday, August 11, 2008 - 1:23 PM

Libby Trickett secured Australia's second gold medal of the Olympic Games with victory in the 100 metres butterfly at the Water Cube in Beijing.

Trickett won in a time of 56.73 after splitting the 50m in 26.77, while Jess Schipper, the world record holder in the 200m butterfly, finished third in 57.25 behind American Christine Magnuson (57.10).

It is Trickett's second Olympic gold medal after winning with the women's 4x100m freestyle relay team in Athens in 2004, and she becomes the third Australian gold medallist in the event following Lyn McClements (1968) and Petria Thomas from Athens.

Trickett says her victory was a dream come true, but followed some extremely nervous moments.

"It's more than I could have dreamed," she said. "I just feel probably more than anything relieved.

"Before the race I felt like I was going to vomit, I was probably that nervous!

"But then just before I walked out I had an amazing sense of calm."

The 23-year-old world champion was under world record pace at the 50m and finished just .12 of a second outside the world record set by Dutch swimmer Inge de Bruijn at the Sydney Olympics.

Trickett punched the water in frustration when she looked at the screen and saw that she had just missed out on breaking the eight-year world record, but then the realisation of her first Olympic gold medal sunk in.

Suit trouble


After the race Schipper told the media she had had trouble doing up her suit in the lead-up to the race and had to switch to an alternative suit.

Trickett, who was a favourite at the Athens Games but failed to produce her best when it counted most, said she just wanted to do her best.

"I just said to myself, more than anything I want to walk away with absolutely no regrets.

"And you know, to come up with not only a gold medal but a personal best time in these sorts of circumstances, honestly it's more than I could have dreamed and hoped for."

She paid tribute to her team-mate, Schipper.

"I'm just so happy, and I get to share the medal presentation with Jess [Schipper] which is really special for me, because I wouldn't be here without her.

"So that's really important for me as well."

Schipper was happy with her efforts.

"I just came in here wanting to go better than I did in Athens and get an individual medal," she said.

"So I'm pretty happy with the way it all turned out."

"I had a bit of a problem in marshalling, my suit wouldn't zip up," she said.

Swimming officials said an alternative suit had to be found for Schipper just minutes before the race started.

Trickett qualified fastest for the final with a time of 57.05 seconds in yesterday's first semi-final, while Schipper posted a time of 57.43 seconds to win the second semi.

Monday, August 11, 2008 - 1:52 PM

Eamon Sullivan set a new world record with a stunning lead-off leg as Australia took bronze behind America in the 4x100m relay.

Sullivan broke the 100m world record with a time of 47.24 seconds to hand the Australians an early lead, but they could not maintain the pace in the final three legs and finished third in 3:09.91.

Sullivan bested the 47.50 set by France's Alain Bernard in Eindhoven on March 22.

Michael Phelps's bid for eight gold medals is still alive after the United States came from behind to win the event in world record time ahead of France and Australia.

Jason Lezak overhauled Bernard in the final 25 metres of the race to secure gold for America in a time of 3:08.24, with France second in 3:08.32.

The Australian team of Sullivan, Ashley Callus, Andrew Lauterstein and Matt Targett were off the pace in the heats and semi-finals, but stepped up to claim the bronze on the back of Sullivan's stunning opening leg.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 - 2:28 PM

Leisel Jones claimed her first individual Olympic gold medal and Australia's third in Beijing with a thumping victory in the women's 100 metres breaststroke final at the Water Cube.

Jones went into the final as a red-hot favourite after swimming more than a second faster than her nearest rival in the semi-final, and comfortably took gold in an Olympic record time of 1:05.17.

Jones says all that mattered today was to hit the wall first, something she could not manage as an individual in an Olympic event at either the Sydney or Athens Games.

"A little bit of shock, and probably more relief I guess," she said.

"It has been a long journey. It's been a long eight years.

"And I think just a lot of relief that the training was definitely worth it. I couldn't care less about the time.

"An Olympic gold is an Olympic gold. It really didn't matter how it went, how I raced I couldn't care less."

Jones says she was excited before the race.

"I had a pretty bad sleep last night," she said.

"I woke up and I was just so excited. I think I was excited about racing.

"I was almost skipping out there I was so excited. I really enjoyed it."

Aiming for London


Jones suggested she would keep swimming with London in 2012 in mind.

"I think I've enjoyed it so much, I think I would hate to finish and know there was still a flame burning inside," she said.

"I think I've still got so much more growing to do, and so much more learning.

"Amanda Beard's on her fourth Olympics, so it's certainly not out of the question."

Jones emerged from the blocks at the head of the field slightly in front of compatriot Tarnee White, and split the 50m inside world record time.

She powered away in the final 50m to finish well ahead of American Rebecca Soni (1:06.73) and Austrian Mirna Jukic (1:07.34).

White faded towards the back end of the race to finish in sixth position in a time of 1:07.63.

While she was happy with the gold, Jones says it was her win at the World Championships in Canada in 2005 that remains her proudest achievement.

"Olympic golds are important, but in terms of personal experience and in terms of personal growth I think that was my most important swim.

"Olympic gold is really nice, it's what we all come here for.

"But certainly Montreal was more about my personal experience.

"And I think that will still reign over this Olympic gold, because I found out so much of myself.

"After Athens I learned so much. And that was my first individual World Championship [gold].

"I think that one probably still is more important to me than this."

After bursting onto the scene with a silver medal in the 100m in Sydney as a 14-year-old, Jones could not crack gold in the 100m or 200m in Athens.

Jones swam 1:05.80 to comfortably win the second semi, ahead of second-fastest qualifier Soni. Jukic started from lane three after recording 1:07.27 in the semis.