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UCLA Athletes, Coaches Excel At 2008 Olympics
Aug. 26, 2008 UCLA ranked amongst the nation's most successful universities at the recently completed Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Thirty-nine current and former Bruins participated in the Olympics, with 15 athletes winning medals, including four gold. In addition, five Bruins led their teams to medals as Olympic coaches. The first Bruin gold medalist of the Games was assistant rowing coach Mark Hunter, who captured Great Britain's first ever gold medal in lightweight double sculls with partner Zac Purchase on Aug. 17. Two days later, hurdler Dawn Harper became the second consecutive Bruin to win the 100m hurdles at the Olympics, running a lifetime best 12.54. Bruin junior Lauren Cheney played the final 49 minutes of the contest in the gold medal match, helping the U.S. women's soccer team capture the gold with a 1-0 overtime win over Brazil. And on the eve of the closing ceremonies, Monique Henderson won her second consecutive gold medal in the 4x400m Relay. Two Bruins were assistant coaches on gold medal-winning squads - current UCLA women's soccer head coach Jillian Ellis and men's volleyball alumnus John Speraw. UCLA women's track and field coach Jeanette Bolden served as head coach of the USA women's track and field squad, which won nine medals, the most since the 1992 Olympics and the third-most in U.S. history. Nine Bruins won silver medals - one individual (Sheena Tosta in the 400m hurdles) and eight team medals. Winning team silver were the U.S. softball team (Andrea Duran, Tairia Flowers, Stacey Nuveman and Natasha Watley), the U.S. women's water polo team (Natalie Golda, Jaime Hipp and head coach Guy Baker), and the U.S. men's water polo team (Brandon Brooks and Adam Wright). A pair of bronze medals were earned by U.S. swimmer Kim Vandenberg in the 4x400 Free Relay and Australian softball pitcher Tanya Harding, who won her fourth career Olympic medal. Overall, UCLA has won 236 Olympic medals - 119 gold, 62 silver and 55 bronze. The Bruins have had at least one competitor in every Olympics since 1928 and have won a gold medal in every Olympics since 1932, with the exception of the U.S.-boycotted Olympics in 1980. Over the past nine decades, 372 athletes and coaches have represented UCLA in the Summer Olympic Games. With eight career Olympic medals (2 gold, 6 silver), Shirley Babashoff remains UCLA's all-time medal winner. Swimmer Tom Jager has the most Olympic medals by a Bruin man with seven (5 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze). Jager also has the distinction of having won the most gold medals by any UCLA athlete. Final 2008 Olympic Games Medal Count Gold - 4 (Lauren Cheney, w. soccer; Dawn Harper, track & field, 100m hurdles; Monique Henderson, track & Field, 4x400m relay; Mark Hunter, rowing, lightweight double sculls) Silver - 9 (Brandon Brooks, m. water polo; Andrea Duran, softball; Tairia Flowers, softball; Natalie Golda, w. water polo; Jaime Hipp, w. water polo; Stacey Nuveman, softball; Sheena Tosta, track & field, 400m hurdles; Natasha Watley, softball; Adam Wright, m. water polo) Bronze - 2 (Kim Vandenberg, swimming, 4x200m free relay; Tanya Harding, softball) Note: Jeanette Bolden, Jillian Ellis, Guy Baker, John Speraw and Bob Alejo coached teams to medals. Bolden was the head coach of the U.S. women's track and field team, which won nine medals. Ellis was an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning U.S. women's soccer team. Baker was the head coach of the silver medal-winning U.S. women's water polo team. Speraw served as an assistant coach with the gold-medal winning U.S. men's volleyball team. Alejo was the coach of beach volleyball gold medalists Todd Rogers/Phil Dalhausser. Coaches are not awarded medals at the Olympic Games.
UCLA's 2008 Olympians |
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