Aug. 4, 2012

Photo Gallery

UCLA's All-Time Olympic Medal-Winners

Former UCLA Rowing assistant coach Mark Hunter became UCLA's first 2012 Olympic medalist, winning silver in the lightweight double sculls. UCLA has now totaled 242 Olympic medals - 119 Gold, 64 Silver, 59 Bronze.

Rowing
Former UCLA Rowing assistant coach Mark Hunter and his partner Zac Purchase won a silver medal in the lightweight double sculls, crossing the finish line in a time of 6:37.78, just six-tenths of a second behind gold medalists Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist of Denmark (6:37.17). Hunter and Purchase won gold in Beijing and are now two-time Olympic medalists for Great Britain. The duo nearly didn't get a chance to even contend for a medal. At the start of the race, Purchase's seat came off. Officials allowed a restart since it occured inside the first 100 meters.

In the women's lightweight double sculls B Finals, UCLA Ph.D student Julie Nichols and her partner Kristin Hedstrom finished fifth in a time of 7:23.31. Their overall finish at the Olympics is 11th.

Men's Basketball
Two days after blowing out Lithuania by 83 points, the U.S. faced a stiff challenge from Lithuania but prevailed, 99-94. With the U.S. trailing 82-80 in the fourth quarter, LeBron James scored nine of his 20 points in the last four minutes of the contest to keep the U.S. undefeated in the tournament at 4-0. UCLA's Kevin Love led all players with eight rebounds and added seven points. Russell Westbrook also added seven points. The U.S. will wrap up preliminary round play on Monday against Argentina at 2:15pm PT.

Men's Water Polo
Gold medal favorite Serbia jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and never looked back, defeating Team USA, 11-6, on Saturday at London's Water Polo Arena. Former UCLA player and current head coach of the Bruins' men's water polo team, Adam Wright, had an assist, a steal and a field block in 23 minutes of action. Former UCLA goalkeeper Chay Lapin did not play. Team USA (3-0-1) is currently in second place in Group B standings with six points, one point behind Serbia. The Americans wrap up group play with defending Olympic champion Hungary (2-0-2) on Monday, Aug. 6 at 7:30am PT.

Men's Volleyball
The sixth-ranked USA men's volleyball team lost, 3-2, to second-ranked Russia in Pool B play on Saturday. The United States took the first two sets 29-27 and 25-19 and had match point in the third set before falling 24-26, 16-25, 8-15. The USA, with UCLA men's coach John Speraw working as an assistant coach and women's coach Mike Sealy serving as chief scout, will meet Tunisia in its final match of Poll B on Monday.

Track & Field
Ireland's Tori Pena, who was competing in her first Olympic Games, did not clear the opening height of 13-5.25 in the pole vault as she competed in Group B of the event. Pena ended her career at UCLA in 2010 after finishing third at the NCAA Championships.

London Log-In
UCLA Men's Volleyball head coach John Speraw describes the diverse food choices at the Olympic Village, and UCLA Associate AD Mike Sondheimer addresses the empty seating issues at the venues in Saturday's London Log-In.

On Friday evening, UCLA Gymnastics head coach Valorie Kondos Field wrote about unwelcome commentary inside the arena during the gymnastics competition and meeting a fellow Bruin, and Sondheimer shared more insight into being a media member at the Games. Read Friday's blogs here.

News Links
U.S. soccer player Sydney Leroux was told to "just go crazy" when she entered the game late against New Zealand. She did just that, writes ESPN.com.

Dawn Harper ran in the 2008 Olympics in borrowed shoes from fellow UCLA alum Michelle Perry and surprised many with her win in the 100m hurdles. This time around, she has a sponsor for shoes and high expectations. Read more in the Washington Post and in the Indianapolis Star.

Amy Acuff talks healthy living with Huffington Post.

Former UCLA track and field athlete Brittany Borman is juggling graduation, an upcoming wedding to former Bruin Boldiszar Kocsor, and the Olympics. Read more in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Coming Up Sunday
Women's Water Polo - The knockout stage begins with the U.S. facing 2012 European champion Italy in the quarterfinals. The match will take place at 11:00am PT and will be televised live on NBC. Watch live online at NBCOlympics.com.

Women's Volleyball - Team USA, which has UCLA alum Karch Kiraly on staff, plays Turkey at 12:00pm PT. NBC will televise the match live. Fans can also watch live online.