Medal Picks Here's the outlook for all 301 events, as well as the U.S. prospects and a gallery of international stars
ARCHERY
U.S. OUTLOOK: No medals are likely, though Jennifer Nichols could
pull off a surprise in the women's individual. The men's and
women's teams are aiming for bronzes.
Men
Individual
Gold--Michele Frangilli, Italy
Silver--Im Dong Hyun, South Korea
Bronze--Wietse van Alten, Netherlands
Frangilli defeated Im 113-112 at the 2003 world finals in New
York City.
Team
Gold--South Korea
Silver--Italy
Bronze--Ukraine
The U.S. trio needed extra arrows to break a tie with Russia for
2000 bronze.
Women
Individual
Gold--Yun Mi Jin, South Korea
Silver--Park Sung Hyun, South Korea
Bronze--Natalia Valeeva, Italy
Yun led the Koreans to a medal sweep in Sydney.
Team
Gold--South Korea
Silver--Ukraine
Bronze--Poland
In 2000 South Korea broke world records in the prelims and
finals.
BADMINTON
U.S. OUTLOOK: No American has won an Olympic medal in this sport;
the doubles team of Kevin Han and Howard Bach is 20th in the
world.
Men
Singles
Gold--Lin Dan, China
Silver--Chen Hong, China
Bronze--Wong Choong Hann, Malaysia
Flashy "Super Dan" gives military salutes after victories.
Doubles
Gold--Paaske & Rasmussen, Denmark
Silver--Fu & Cai, China
Bronze--Eriksen & Lundgaard-Hansen, Denmark
Asian teams have won every medal in this event since it was added
in 1992.
Women
Singles
Gold--Gong Ruina, China
Silver--Zhang Ning, China
Bronze--Mia Audina, Netherlands
Gong and Zhang were both world champions.
Doubles
Gold--Yang & Zhang, China
Silver--Gao & Huang, China
Bronze--Lee & Ra, South Korea
Chinese pairs swept the medals at the Sydney Games.
Mixed
Doubles
Gold--Ra & Kim, South Korea
Silver--Gao & Zhang, China
Bronze--Emms & Robertson, Great Britain
Ra Kyung Min and Kim Dong Moon are 12-0 since winning the 2003
worlds.
BASEBALL
U.S. OUTLOOK: In a stunning upset the defending Olympic champs
failed to qualify, losing to Mexico in regional play. Some U.S.
faces will be on hand, as the Greek team, financed by Baltimore
Orioles owner Peter Angelos, has 22 North Americans on its
roster, including former New York Yankees utilityman Clay
Bellinger.
Gold--Cuba
Silver--Japan
Bronze--Canada
Three of the eight teams in the field come from Europe.
BASKETBALL
U.S. OUTLOOK: Two golds are expected, though the men are in more
danger of being upset, having placed sixth at the 2002 worlds. On
a break from the WNBA season, the women are fighting injuries and
fatigue.
Men
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Serbia & Montenegro
Bronze--Lithuania
The U.S. is 109-2 in Olympic play since basketball was added in
1936.
Women
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Russia
Bronze--Australia
The U.S. is 31-1 in Olympic play dating back to 1976.
BOXING
U.S. OUTLOOK: Bleak. Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward are the only
fighters with a serious shot at a gold medal. An aberration? The
U.S. didn't win gold in the ring in Sydney, either.
48 kg (106 lbs.)
Gold--Sergei Kazakov, Russia
Silver--Yan Bartelemy, Cuba
Bronze--Harry Tanamor, Philippines
Bronze--Zou Shiming, China
This would be China's first medal in boxing.
51 kg (112 lbs.)
Gold--Georgi Balakshin, Russia
Silver--Jerome Thomas, France
Bronze--Yuriolkis Gamboa, Cuba
Bronze--Somjigt Jongjohor, Thailand
Two-time European champion Balakshin is making his Olympic debut.
54 kg (119 lbs.)
Gold--Guillermo Rigondeaux, Cuba
Silver--Agassi Mamedov, Azerbaijan
Bronze--Gennady Kovalev, Russia
Bronze--Ali Hallab, France
Mamedov represented Turkey at the 2000 Games.
57 kg (126 lbs.)
Gold--Galib Jafarov, Kazakhstan
Silver--Vitaly Tajbert, Germany
Bronze--Jo Seok Hwan, South Korea
Bronze--Abdusaalom Khasanov, Tajikistan
Sydney champ Bekzat Sattarkhanov, a Kazakh, died in a 2000 car
crash.
60 kg (132 lbs.)
Gold--Mario Kindelan, Cuba
Silver--Dimitar Stilianov, Bulgaria
Bronze--Pichai Sayotha, Thailand
Bronze--Aydyn Selcuk, Turkey
Mario's cousin is Orestes Kindelan, Cuba's alltime home run king.
64 kg (141 lbs.)
Gold--Alexander Maletin, Russia
Silver--Willy Blain, France
Bronze--Rock Allen, U.S.
Bronze--Juan de Dios Navarro, Mexico
Allen was DQ'd at the 2000 trials after his brother Tiger weighed
in for him.
69 kg (152 lbs.)
Gold--Oleg Saitov, Russia
Silver--Lorenzo Aragon, Cuba
Bronze--Sherzod Husanov, Uzbekistan
Bronze--Kim Jung Joo, South Korea
Saitov could become the fourth boxer to win three Olympic titles.
75 kg (165 lbs.)
Gold--Gennady Golovkin, Kazakhstan
Silver--Yordanis Despaigne, Cuba
Bronze--Andre Dirrell, U.S.
Bronze--Gaiderbek Gaiderbekov, Russia
Thanks to his upbringing, Dirrell rarely has a meal without milk.
81 kg (178 lbs.)
Gold--Yevgeny Makarenko, Russia
Silver--Andre Ward, U.S.
Bronze--Ali Ismailov, Azerbaijan
Bronze--Beibut Shumenov, Kazakhstan
Ward has tattooed the name of his late father, Frank, on his
forearms.
91 kg (201 lbs.)
Gold--Odlanier Solis, Cuba
Silver--Alexander Alekseyev, Russia
Bronze--Vugar Alakparov, Azerbaijan
Bronze--Viktor Zuyev, Belarus
Solis replaces three-time champ Felix Savon, 34, who is a year
over the age limit.
91+ kg (201+ lbs.)
Gold--Alexander Povetkin, Russia
Silver--Roberto Cammarelle, Italy
Bronze--Jason Estrada, U.S.
Bronze--Rustam Saidov, Uzbekistan
Estrada sports a tattoo on his left arm that reads: LIGHTS OUT.
CANOE/KAYAK
U.S. OUTLOOK: Former Israeli Rami Zur (kayak singles 500 meters)
and 2002 world champ Rebecca Giddens (slalom) could both reach
the podium.
Men
Canoe singles 500 meters
Gold--Maxim Opalev, Russia
Silver--Andreas Dittmer, Germany
Bronze--Martin Doktor, Czech Republic
Doktor was DQ'd for encroaching on Dittmer in a 2000 heat, then
reinstated.
Canoe singles 1,000 meters
Gold--Andreas Dittmer, Germany
Silver--David Cal Figueroa, Spain
Bronze--Maxim Opalev, Russia
Defending champ Dittmer works 20 hours a week as a bank teller.
Canoe pairs 500 meters
Gold--Kozmann & Kolonics, Hungary
Silver--Baraszkiewicz & Jedraszko, Poland
Bronze--Popescu & Simiocencu, Romania
The Polish pair placed second by .25 of a second in Sydney.
Canoe pairs 1,000 meters
Gold--Sliwinski & Woszczynski, Poland
Silver--Kovalev & Kostoglod, Russia
Bronze--Popescu & Simiocencu, Romania
Florin Popescu won the gold medal in Sydney with another partner.
Canoe singles slalom (whitewater)
Gold--Tony Estanguet, France
Silver--Michal Martikan, Slovakia
Bronze--Stefan Pfannmoller, Germany
Martikan received a presidential pardon in 2000 after killing a
pedestrian.
Canoe pairs slalom (whitewater)
Gold--Hochschorner & Hochschorner, Slovakia
Silver--Volf & Stepanek, Czech Republic
Bronze--Becker & Henze, Germany
Twins Pavol and Peter Hochschorner are defending champions.
Kayak singles 500 meters
Gold--Nathan Baggaley, Australia
Silver--Lutz Altepost, Germany
Bronze--Akos Vereckei, Hungary
Baggaley was once a national champion in surf lifesaving.
Kayak singles 1,000 meters
Gold--Ben Fouhy, New Zealand
Silver--Eirik Veras Larsen, Norway
Bronze--Nathan Baggaley, Australia
Fouhy used his savings to pay his way to the 2003 worlds, which
he won.
Kayak pairs 500 meters
Gold--Rauhe & Weiskotter, Germany
Silver--Duonela & Balciunas, Lithuania
Bronze--Piatrushenka & Makhnev, Belarus
Three rain stoppages and 40-mph winds delayed the Sydney final by
five hours.
Kayak pairs 1,000 meters
Gold--Ferguson & Fouhy, New Zealand
Silver--Larsen & Fjeldheim, Norway
Bronze--Oscarsson & Nilsson, Sweden
Steven Ferguson's father, Ian, won three flatwater golds at the
1984 Games.
Kayak fours 1,000 meters
Gold--Slovakia
Silver--Hungary
Bronze--Germany
The Germans and Hungarians have gone gold-silver at the last
three Olympics.
Kayak singles slalom (whitewater)
Gold--Fabien Levevre, France
Silver--Thomas Schmidt, Germany
Bronze--Campbell Walsh, Great Britain
Walsh has a mathematical physics degree from Nottingham
University.
Women
Kayak singles 500 meters
Gold--Katalin Kovacs, Hungary
Silver--Caroline Brunet, Canada
Bronze--Aneta Pastuszka, Poland
In 2000 Brunet's second straight Olympic silver ended her
two-year winning streak.
Kayak pairs 500 meters
Gold--Szabo & Pota, Hungary
Silver--Portillo & Rivas, Spain
Bronze--Fischer & Leonhardt, Germany
Birgit Fischer, 42, has won two medals at each of four Olympics.
Kayak fours 500 meters
Gold--Hungary
Silver--Poland
Bronze--Germany
Germany's Fischer won the first of her seven Olympic gold medals
in 1980.
Kayak singles slalom (whitewater)
Gold--Elena Kaliska, Slovakia
Silver--Mandy Planert, Germany
Bronze--Stepanka Hilgertova, Czech Republic
Hilgertova bathed in a bathtub filled with champagne after her
2000 win.
CYCLING
U.S. OUTLOOK: Tyler Hamilton is the top hope, if he can overcome
a back injury sustained in the Tour de France.
Men
Road race
Gold--Paulo Bettini, Italy
Silver--Erik Zabel, Germany
Bronze--Robbie McEwen, Australia
Lance Armstrong declined a spot on the U.S. team last month.
Individual time trial (road)
Gold--Jan Ullrich, Germany
Silver--Tyler Hamilton, U.S.
Bronze--Michael Rogers, Australia
No U.S. rider, male or female, has won an Olympic time trial.
One-km time trial (track)
Gold--Stefan Nimke, Germany
Silver--Theo Bos, Netherlands
Bronze--Arnaud Tournant, France
Nimke missed gold in 2000 by .122 of a second.
4,000-meter individual pursuit
Gold--Sergi Escobar Roure, Spain
Silver--Brad McGee, Australia
Bronze--Bradley Wiggins, Great Britain
McGee won bronze in Sydney despite riding with a broken left
collarbone.
4,000-meter team pursuit
Gold--Australia
Silver--Great Britain
Bronze--Netherlands
The Aussies have won three consecutive world championships.
Sprint
Gold--Laurent Gane, France
Silver--Theo Bos, Netherlands
Bronze--Ryan Bayley, Australia
Gane hails from the French territory of New Caledonia in the
South Pacific.
Olympic sprint
Gold--Great Britain
Silver--France
Bronze--Germany
France edged Britain in the 2000 final by .342 of a second.
Points race
Gold--Juan Llaneras Rossello, Spain
Silver--Franck Perque, France
Bronze--Juan Esteban Curuchet, Argentina
Rossello lapped the field to win gold in Sydney.
Madison
Gold--Curuchet & Perez, Argentina
Silver--Marvulli & Risi, Switzerland
Bronze--Rybin & Yakovlev, Ukraine
None of these countries had duos in the top six in 2000.
Keirin
Gold--Jobie Dajka, Australia
Silver--Laurent Gane, France
Bronze--Florian Rousseau, France
At press time, Dajka was awaiting word on a drug investigation.
Mountain bike
Gold--Filip Meirhaeghe, Belgium
Silver--Julien Absalon, France
Bronze--Bart Brentjens, Netherlands
Meirhaeghe's physique has earned him the nickname Popeye.
Women
Road race
Gold--Oenone Wood, Australia
Silver--Mirjam Melchers, Netherlands
Bronze--Susanne Ljungskog, Sweden
The word oenone means "wood nymph" in Greek.
Individual time trial (road)
Gold--Judith Arndt, Germany
Silver--Joane Arrola Somarriba, Spain
Bronze--Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli, France
Longo-Ciprelli, 45, is a six-time Olympian who's won four medals.
500-meter time trial (track)
Gold--Yvonne Hijgenaar, Netherlands
Silver--Jiang Yong Hua, China
Bronze--Anna Meares, Australia
Jiang holds the world record of 34.000 seconds.
3,000-meter individual pursuit
Gold--Sarah Ulmer, New Zealand
Silver--Leontien van Moorsel, Netherlands
Bronze--Katie Mactier, Australia
Ulmer broke van Moorsel's world record in May with a time of
3:30.604.
Sprint
Gold--Svetlana Grankovskaya, Russia
Silver--Victoria Pendleton, Great Britain
Bronze--Anna Meares, Australia
World champ Grankovskaya is a brilliant strategist.
Points race
Gold--Olga Slusareva, Russia
Silver--Belem Guerrero Mendez, Mexico
Bronze--Lyudmila Vypyraylo, Ukraine
Slusareva is married to her coach, Mikhail Rostovsev.
Mountain bike
Gold--Gunn-Rita Dahle, Norway
Silver--Alison Sydor, Canada
Bronze--Sabine Spitz, Germany
Dahle has won 10 straight World Cup races.
DIVING
U.S. OUTLOOK: Once a power in the sport, the U.S. could fail to
win a medal for the first time since 1912. Brothers Justin and
Troy Dumais have a shot in synchro 3-meter, and Laura Wilkinson
will try to repeat her 10-meter victory.
Men
Springboard
Gold--Wang Feng, China
Silver--Alexandre Despatie, Canada
Bronze--Ken Terauchi, Japan
Despatie, the world 10-meter champ, stands 5'1" and weighs 130
pounds.
Platform
Gold--Tian Liang, China
Silver--Alexandre Despatie, Canada
Bronze--Rommel Pacheco, Mexico
Tian's parents keep all his medals but have never seen him
compete in person.
Synchronized springboard
Gold--Peng & Wang, China
Silver--Dobroskok & Sautin, Russia
Bronze--Barnett & Newbery, Australia
Peng's given name, Bo, means "full of vigor" in Mandarin.
Synchronized platform
Gold--Tian & Yang, China
Silver--Taylor & Waterfield, Great Britain
Bronze--Dobroskok & Galperin, Russia
Leon Taylor played the role of an injured diver on the British
soap Hollyoaks.
Women
Springboard
Gold--Guo Jingjing, China
Silver--Yulia Pakhalina, Russia
Bronze--Wu Minxia, China
Wu Minxia should not be confused with 2000 champ Fu Mingxia.
Platform
Gold--Emilie Heymans, Canada
Silver--Li Ting, China
Bronze--Lao Lishi, China
Belgian-born Heymans edged Lao on her last dive to win worlds by
two points.
Synchronized springboard
Gold--Guo & Wu, China
Silver--Ilyina & Pakhalina, Russia
Bronze--Lashko & Newbery, Australia
Vera Ilyina graduated from Texas and once worked for Enron.
Synchronized platform
Gold--Lao & Li, China
Silver--Espinosa & Luna, Mexico
Bronze--Folauhola & Tourky, Australia
Israeli-born Loudy Tourky won synchro silver at worlds after
tearing a triceps.
EQUESTRIAN
U.S. OUTLOOK: This is the most balanced team the U.S. has fielded
in international competition. Medals are likely in every
discipline and possible in each event.
Individual three-day event
Gold--William Fox-Pitt, Great Britain
Silver--Pippa Funnell, Great Britain
Bronze--Linda Algotsson, Sweden
This competition includes a round of night jumping, a new twist
for eventing horses.
Team three-day event
Gold--Great Britain
Silver--France
Bronze--U.S.
The U.S. squad won gold at the 2002 world championships.
Individual dressage
Gold--Anky van Grunsven, Netherlands
Silver--Ulla Salzgeber, Germany
Bronze--Debbie McDonald, U.S.
The U.S. last won an individual dressage medal at the 1932
Olympics.
Team dressage
Gold--Germany
Silver--Netherlands
Bronze--U.S.
The Germans have won gold at the last five Olympics.
Individual jumping
Gold--Ludger Beerbaum, Germany
Silver--Marcus Ehning, Germany
Bronze--Beezie Madden, U.S.
Madden's husband, John, doubles as her trainer.
Team jumping
Gold--Germany
Silver--U.S.
Bronze--France
Despite France's 2002 world title, Germany enters as a strong
favorite.
FENCING
U.S. OUTLOOK: This is America's strongest Olympic team ever. Yale
junior Sada Jacobsen should be the first U.S. woman to win a
fencing medal, and the men's sabre squad could make the podium
for the first time since 1948.
Men
Individual epee
Gold--Alfredo Rota, Italy
Silver--Marcel Fischer, Switzerland
Bronze--Fabrice Jeannet, France
Rota scored the decisive points in Italy's 2000 team win.
Team epee
Gold--Russia
Silver--France
Bronze--Germany
The Russians failed to crack the final eight in Sydney.
Individual foil
Gold--Salvatore Sanzo, Italy
Silver--Andrea Cassara, Italy
Bronze--Wu Hanxiong, China
Sanzo could be the fifth Italian since 1976 to win this event.
Team foil
Gold--Italy
Silver--Germany
Bronze--China
The top three ranked foilists in the world are Italian.
Individual sabre
Gold--Stanislav Pozdniakov, Russia
Silver--Mihai Covaliu, Romania
Bronze--Aldo Montano, Italy
Pozdniakov has won five straight European titles.
Team sabre
Gold--Russia
Silver--Hungary
Bronze--Ukraine
The Russians have won each of the last three gold medals.
Women
Individual epee
Gold--Laura Flessel-Colovic, France
Silver--Adrienne Hormay, Hungary
Bronze--Li Na, China
Flessel-Colovic, the 1996 champ, served a three-month doping
suspension in 2002.
Team epee
Gold--France
Silver--Germany
Bronze--China
The Hungarians and the world champs from Russia are also in the
mix.
Individual foil
Gold--Valentina Vezzali, Italy
Silver--Sylwia Gruchala, Poland
Bronze--Giovanna Trillini, Italy
Defending champ Trillini is trying to win a medal at her fourth
straight Olympics.
Individual sabre
Gold--Sada Jacobsen, U.S.
Silver--Elena Nechaeva, Russia
Bronze--Anne-Lise Touya, France
Jacobsen is the first U.S. woman fencer to be ranked No. 1 in the
world.
FIELD HOCKEY
U.S. OUTLOOK: The U.S. women missed qualifying for Athens by one
spot. The U.S. men--ranked 24th in the world and 0-28-1 in
Olympic history--missed by much more.
Men
Gold--Netherlands
Silver--Australia
Bronze--Pakistan
The Australian men have won six medals, none of them gold.
Women
Gold--Australia
Silver--Netherlands
Bronze--Argentina
The Aussie women are two-time defending Olympic champs.
GYMNASTICS
U.S. OUTLOOK: Both U.S. teams are deep, but Blaine Wilson, Jason
Gatson and Morgan Hamm are hobbled, which could jeopardize the
men's chances. A women's medal is assured with Carly Patterson
and Courtney Kupets leading the way for the Magnificent Six.
Men
Team
Gold--China
Silver--Japan
Bronze--U.S.
U.S. men have never won team gold at a nonboycotted Olympics.
Individual all-around
Gold--Paul Hamm, U.S.
Silver--Yang Wei, China
Bronze--Hiroyuki Tomita, Japan
No U.S. man has won an all-around medal at a nonboycotted Games.
Floor exercise
Gold--Kyle Shewfelt, Canada
Silver--Paul Hamm, U.S.
Bronze--Marian Dragulescu, Romania
Team officials reprimanded Shewfelt in '01 when he took leave to
finish school.
Pommel horse
Gold--Xiao Qin, China
Silver--Marius Urzica, Romania
Bronze--Teng Haibing, China
A Canadian judge gave gold medalist Xiao the only 10.0 at the
2003 worlds.
Rings
Gold--Dimosthenis Tampakos, Greece
Silver--Jordan Jovtchev, Bulgaria
Bronze--Matteo Morandi, Italy
Blaine Wilson could have won this event had he not torn a biceps
in February.
Vault
Gold--Li Xiaoping, China
Silver--Huang Xu, China
Bronze--Yevgeny Sapronenko, Latvia
Li's signature vault is a round-off to the board, half on, 2 1/2
twist.
Parallel bars
Gold--Li Xiaopeng, China
Silver--Marian Dragulescu, Romania
Bronze--Jason Gatson, U.S.
Dragulescu started gymnastics as a boy in order to get out of
karate class.
Horizontal bar
Gold--Vlasios Maras, Greece
Silver--Paul Hamm, U.S.
Bronze--Ivan Ivankov, Belarus
Away from gymnastics, Maras is an avid snowboarder.
Women
Team
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Romania
Bronze--China
U.S. coaches left three individual world champions off the Mag 6.
Individual all-around
Gold--Svetlana Khorkina, Russia
Silver--Carly Patterson, U.S.
Bronze--Daniela Sofronie, Romania
At 25, Khorkina would be the first nonteen to win all-around gold
since '68.
Vault
Gold--Monica Rosu, Romania
Silver--Oksana Chusovitina, Uzbekistan
Bronze--Yelena Zamolodchikova, Russia
Chusovitina, 29, unretired to earn cash for her son's leukemia
treatments.
Uneven bars
Gold--Svetlana Khorkina, Russia
Silver--Courtney Kupets, U.S.
Bronze--Beth Tweddle, Great Britain
Khorkina has 13 European, world and Olympic titles on bars.
Balance beam
Gold--Fan Ye, China
Silver--Carly Patterson, U.S.
Bronze--Catalina Ponor, Romania
Look for Patterson's dismount, an Arabian double front.
Floor exercise
Gold--Daiane dos Santos, Brazil
Silver--Cheng Fei, China
Bronze--Catalina Ponor, Romania
In 2003, dos Santos became the first Brazilian gymnast to win a
world title.
Rhythmic
Individual all-around
Gold--Alina Kabaeva, Russia
Silver--Anna Bessonova, Ukraine
Bronze--Irina Chashina, Russia
Kabaeva played a circus contortionist in the Japanese film Red
Shadow.
Group
Gold--Russia
Silver--Greece
Bronze--Spain
Russia needed tie-breaking criteria to edge Belarus for Sydney
gold.
Trampoline
Men
Gold--Yuri Nikitin, Ukraine
Silver--David Martin, France
Bronze--Alexander Moskalenko, Russia
Trampolinists must be at least 18 in the calendar year (16 for
artistic gymnasts).
Women
Gold--Irina Karavaeva, Russia
Silver--Karen Cockburn, Canada
Bronze--Anna Dogonadze, Germany
Scoring errors gave Karavaeva world gold; she presented it to the
runner-up.
JUDO
U.S. OUTLOOK: Jimmy Pedro returns from two years of retirement
and could add to his '96 bronze. Ronda Rousey, 17, a future star
at 63 kg, takes after her mom, AnnMaria, a 1984 world champ.
Men
60 kg (132 lbs.)
Gold--Tadahiro Nomura, Japan
Silver--Anis Lounifi, Tunisia
Bronze--Craig Fallon, Great Britain
Bronze--Ludwig Paischer, Austria
Nomura would be the first judoka to win three Olympic titles.
66 kg (145 lbs.)
Gold--Arash Miresmaeili, Iran
Silver--Larbi Benboudaoud, France
Bronze--Elchin Ismaylov, Azerbaijan
Bronze--Yordanis Arencibia, Cuba
Miresmaeili, 23, has been on Iran's national team since age 15.
73 kg (161 lbs.)
Gold--Lee Won Hee, South Korea
Silver--Vitali Makarov, Russia
Bronze--Daniel Fernandes, France
Bronze--Jimmy Pedro, U.S.
In their only match Pedro defeated Lee at the 2003 Korean Open.
81 kg (178 lbs.)
Gold--Sergei Aschwanden, Switzerland
Silver--Alexei Budolin, Estonia
Bronze--Ilias Iliadis, Greece
Bronze--Florian Wanner, Germany
Sergei's Kenyan mom chose the Russian name, though he has no
Russian blood.
90 kg (198 lbs.)
Gold--Zurab Zviadauri, Georgia
Silver--Carlos Honorato, Brazil
Bronze--Hwang Hee Tee, South Korea
Bronze--Mark Huizinga, Netherlands
Sydney champ Huizinga is an officer in the Royal Dutch Air Force.
100 kg (220 lbs.)
Gold--Kosei Inoue, Japan
Silver--Ihar Makarau, Belarus
Bronze--Mario Sabino Junior, Brazil
Bronze--Ghislain Lemaire, France
Here's a superstition: Inoue cleans his room before every
tournament.
100+ kg (220+ lbs.)
Gold--Dennis van der Geest, Netherlands
Silver--Keiji Suzuki, Japan
Bronze--Tamerlan Tmenov, Russia
Bronze--Daniel Hernandes, Brazil
Suzuki upset world champ Yasuyoki Muneta at the Japanese trials.
Women
48 kg (106 lbs.)
--Ri Kyong Ok, North Korea
--Ryoko Tani, Japan
--Alina Dumitru, Romania
--Frederique Jossinet, France
Ryoko Tamura's wedding to baseball star Yoshitomo Tani was on
national TV.
52 kg (114 lbs.)
Gold--Amarilis Savon, Cuba
Silver--Xian Dongmei, China
Bronze--Annabelle Euranie, France
Bronze--Lee Eun Hee, South Korea
Savon moved up in weight to win 2003 worlds after becoming a
mother.
57 kg (125 lbs.)
Gold--Yurisleidis Lupetey, Cuba
Silver--Kye Sun Hui, North Korea
Bronze--Yvonne Boenisch, Germany
Bronze--Deborah Gravenstijn, Netherlands
No North Korean athlete struck gold at the Sydney Olympics.
63 kg (139 lbs.)
Gold--Driulis Gonzalez, Cuba
Silver--Ylenia Scapin, Italy
Bronze--Daniela Krukower, Argentina
Bronze--Anna Von Harnier, Germany
In three Olympics, Gonzalez has won gold, silver and bronze.
70 kg (154 lbs.)
Gold--Masae Ueno, Japan
Silver--Anaisis Hernandez, Cuba
Bronze--Qin Dongya, China
Bronze--Edith Bosch, Netherlands
World No. 2 Regla Zulueta is ineligible after defecting to the
U.S. from Cuba.
78 kg (172 lbs.)
Gold--Noriko Anno, Japan
Silver--Yurisel Laborde, Cuba
Bronze--Ednanci Silva, Brazil
Bronze--Claudia Zwiers, Netherlands
Anno, a four-time world champ, has never won an Olympic medal.
78+ kg (172+ lbs.)
Gold--Sun Fuming, China
Silver--Tea Donguzashvili, Russia
Bronze--Maki Tsukada, Japan
Bronze--Karina Bryant, Great Britain
Sun, the champion in 1996, failed to make the Chinese team in
2000.
MODERN PENTATHLON
U.S. OUTLOOK: No medals are likely. Chad Senior, the leader after
three events in Sydney, returns. West Point grad Anita Allen
paces the women.
Men
Gold--Gabor Balogh, Hungary
Silver--Andrejus Zadneprovskis, Lithuania
Bronze--Lee Choon-Huan, South Korea
Zadneprovskis led the 2002 worlds before falling off his horse.
Women
Gold--Zsuzsanna Voros, Hungary
Silver--Georgina Harland, Great Britain
Bronze--Kate Allenby, Great Britain
Voros also trains a competitive show dog named Juice.
ROWING
U.S. OUTLOOK: Medal hopes ride with both eights. Last month coach
Mike Teti moved the hot men's four into the large boat to bolster
the team.
Men
Single sculls
Gold--Olaf Tufte, Norway
Silver--Marcel Hacker, Germany
Bronze--Vaclav Chalupa, Czech Republic
As a teenager, Tufte, now 28, was a motocross champ.
Double sculls
Gold--Galtarossa & Sartori, Italy
Silver--Spik & Cop, Slovenia
Bronze--Vieilledent & Hardy, France
The Italian duo won gold in the quadruple sculls in 2000.
Lightweight double sculls
Gold--Luini & Pettinari, Italy
Silver--Touron & Dufour, France
Bronze--Hirling & Varga, Hungary
Slow starters Steve Tucker and Greg Ruckman of the U.S. could
take a medal.
Quadruple sculls
Gold--Poland
Silver--Australia
Bronze--Czech Republic
Germany, which has rowed poorly since winning the '03 worlds,
remains a threat.
Pairs without cox
Gold--Ginn & Tomkins, Australia
Silver--DiClemente & Cech, South Africa
Bronze--Skelin & Skelin, Croatia
James Tomkins is the only person to have won world titles in all
five sweep events.
Fours without cox
Gold--Canada
Silver--Great Britain
Bronze--Australia
Britain's Matthew Pinsent is eyeing his fourth gold medal.
Lightweight fours without cox
Gold--Italy
Silver--Canada
Bronze--Denmark
The Italians missed a medal by .26 of a second in Sydney.
Eights
Gold--Canada
Silver--U.S.
Bronze--Italy
The U.S. earned 11 of the 14 golds through 1964 but has won none
since.
Women
Single sculls
Gold--Ekaterina Karsten, Belarus
Silver--Rumyana Neykova, Bulgaria
Bronze--Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, Germany
The medal stand will look the same as it did in Sydney.
Double sculls
Gold--Evers-Swindell & Evers-Swindell, New Zealand
Silver--Boron & El Qalqili, Germany
Bronze--Winckless & Laverick, Great Britain
Kiwi twins Caroline and Georgina try for their nation's first
medal in this event.
Lightweight double sculls
Gold--Burcica & Alupei, Romania
Silver--Jones & Milne, Canada
Bronze--Reimer & Blasberg, Germany
Constanta Burcica has two golds, Angela Alupei one, in this
event.
Quadruple sculls
Gold--Great Britain
Silver--Germany
Bronze--U.S.
German scullers have won all four previous golds.
Pairs without cox
Gold--Grainger & Bishop, Great Britain
Silver--Andrunache & Susanu, Romania
Bronze--Bichyk & Helakh, Belarus
Cath Bishop has a Masters in politics and a Ph.D. in German
literature.
Eights
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Romania
Bronze--Netherlands
Fifth at the 2003 worlds, the U.S. has emerged in '04.
SAILING
U.S. OUTLOOK: Sailors could earn seven medals, their best haul
since '92, but they must master the meltemi, unpredictable winds
that are still tamer than the storms that canceled sailing at the
1896 Games.
Men
470
Gold--Wilmot & Page, Australia
Silver--Rogers & Glanfield, Great Britain
Bronze--Foerster & Burnham, U.S.
Kevin Burnham, 47, won a silver in '92, but with a different
skipper.
Finn
Gold--Ben Ainslie, Great Britain
Silver--Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Poland
Bronze--Jonas H√∏gh-Christensen, Denmark
Ainslie won medals in Atlanta and Sydney in the Laser class.
Star
Gold--Loof & Ekstrom, Sweden
Silver--Cayard & Trinter, U.S.
Bronze--Percy & Mitchell, Great Britain
Paul Cayard is a veteran of five America's Cups.
Mistral
Gold--Julien Bontemps, France
Silver--Przemyslaw Miarczynki, Poland
Bronze--Gal Fridman, Israel
Fridman's bronze was Israel's only medal in '96.
Women
470
Gold--Torgersson & Zachrisson, Sweden
Silver--Petitjean & Douroux, France
Bronze--Armstrong & Stowell, Australia
Jenny Armstrong hails from New Zealand, Belinda Stowell from
Zimbabwe.
Europe
Gold--Siren Sundby, Norway
Silver--Sari Multala, Finland
Bronze--Petra Niemann, Germany
Sundby was ISAF World Female Sailor of the Year in 2003.
Mistral
Gold--Alessandra Sensini, Italy
Silver--Faustine Merret, France
Bronze--Barbara Kendall, New Zealand
In 2000, Sensini won Italy's first sailing gold in 48 years.
Yngling
Gold--Denmark
Silver--Germany
Bronze--Great Britain
A keelboat with a crew of three, yngling replaces soling on the
program this year.
Open
49er
Gold--Martinez & Fernandez, Spain
Silver--Draper & Hiscocks, Great Britain
Bronze--Hestbaek & Andersen, Denmark
Tim Wadlow and Pete Spaulding of the U.S. could surprise.
Laser
Gold--Robert Scheidt, Brazil
Silver--Michael Blackburn, Australia
Bronze--Mark Mendelblatt, U.S.
Scheidt is a seven-time Laser world champion.
Tornado
Gold--Lange & Espinola, Argentina
Silver--Bundock & Forbes, Australia
Bronze--Lovell & Ogletree, U.S.
Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree use a revolutionary polyester
sail material.
SHOOTING
U.S. OUTLOOK: Matt Emmons (50-meter rifle) and Glenn Eller
(double trap) are medal favorites; past medalists Lance Bade
(trap) and Kim Rhode (double trap) are also threats.
Men
10-meter air pistol
Gold--Mikhail Nestruev, Russia
Silver--Franck Dumoulin, France
Bronze--Tan Zongliang, China
Sydney champ Dumoulin shot himself in the hand during practice in
1999.
25-meter rapid-fire pistol
Gold--Ralf Schumann, Germany
Silver--Iulian Raicea, Romania
Bronze--Sergei Alifirenko, Russia
Schumann's portrait hangs in rival Alifirenko's training room.
50-meter pistol
Gold--Vladimir Goncharov, Russia
Silver--Tan Zongliang, China
Bronze--Martin Tenk, Czech Republic
Tenk edged Goncharov 662.5 to 662.2 for the bronze medal in
Sydney.
10-meter running target
Gold--Manfred Kurzer, Germany
Silver--Miroslav Janus, Czech Republic
Bronze--Niklas Bergstrom, Sweden
Two-time gold medalist Yang Ling was left off the Chinese team.
10-meter air rifle
Gold--Jozef Gonci, Slovakia
Silver--Peter Sidi, Hungary
Bronze--Cheon Min Ho, South Korea
Omaha soldier Jason Parker holds the world record but won't win a
medal.
50-meter rifle, 3 positions
Gold--Rajmond Debevec, Slovenia
Silver--Artem Khadjibekov, Russia
Bronze--Matt Emmons, U.S.
Emmons pitched a perfect game in high school in Pemberton, N.J.
50-meter rifle, prone
Gold--Artur Aivazian, Ukraine
Silver--Rajmond Debevec, Slovenia
Bronze--Mario Knoegler, Austria
Debevec is a two-time international shooter of the year.
Trap
Gold--Michael Diamond, Australia
Silver--Massimiliano Mola, Italy
Bronze--Alexei Alipov, Russia
Defending Olympic champ Diamond nearly missed the Games because
of assault and firearms charges; he was exonerated.
Double trap
Gold--Daniele Di Spigno, Italy
Silver--Ahmed Al Maktoum, United Arab Emirates
Bronze--Glenn Eller, U.S.
The 22-year-old Eller trains on a steady diet of McDonald's.
Skeet
Gold--Ennio Falco, Italy
Silver--Tore Brovold, Norway
Bronze--Georgios Salavantakis, Greece
Falco won gold in Atlanta by hitting 149 of 150 clay pigeons.
Women
10-meter air pistol
Gold--Gundegmaa Otryad, Mongolia
Silver--Natalia Paderina, Russia
Bronze--Olga Kuznetsova, Russia
Mongolia has won 14 Olympic medals, but never a gold.
25-meter pistol
Gold--Maria Grozdeva, Bulgaria
Silver--Chen Ying, China
Bronze--Gundegmaa Otryad, Mongolia
Olympic champ Grozdeva has also won two medals in air pistol.
10-meter air rifle
Gold--Sonja Pfeilschifter, Germany
Silver--Liubov Galkina, Russia
Bronze--Katerina Kurkova, Czech Republic
Pfeilschifter is a seamstress for an upholstery company.
50-meter rifle, 3 position
Gold--Liubov Galkina, Russia
Silver--Tatiana Goldobina, Russia
Bronze--Natalia Kalnysh, Ukraine
After leading in Sydney, Goldobina ended up with silver.
Trap
Gold--Gao E, China
Silver--Roberta Pelosi, Italy
Bronze--Irina Laricheva, Russia
The favorite's given name, E, is not short for anything.
Double trap
Gold--Li Qingnian, China
Silver--Pia Hansen, Sweden
Bronze--Maria Quintanal, Spain
Hansen's quick-fire technique has transformed the event.
Skeet
Gold--Wei Ning, China
Silver--Maarit Lepomaki, Finland
Bronze--Svetlana Demina, Russia
China led shooting teams in Sydney with eight medals and three
golds.
SOCCER
U.S. OUTLOOK: The men failed to qualify--as in baseball, Mexico
eliminated them. On the women's side, veterans Tiffeny Milbrett
and Shannon MacMillan were dropped from the team after a loss to
Germany in the 2003 World Cup. Despite the addition of upcoming
star Heather O'Reilly, 19, Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Kristine
Lilly, Julie Foudy and Joy Fawcett will fall short in trying to
end their careers with their second Olympic gold medals.
Men
Gold--Argentina
Silver--Portugal
Bronze--Italy
Argentina has twice won the World Cup but never the Olympics.
Women
Gold--Sweden
Silver--Germany
Bronze--U.S.
An Italian men's team offered Sweden's Victoria Svensson a
contract; she passed.
SOFTBALL
U.S. OUTLOOK: The dominant U.S. team--led by pitchers Lisa
Fernandez and Jennie Finch--will enter the tournament with a
70-game winning streak, dating back to last August.
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Japan
Bronze--Australia
U.S. teams have outscored foes 66-15 in Olympic competition.
SWIMMING
U.S. OUTLOOK: The men's team, made up of Michael Phelps, Gary
Hall Jr. and half of Texas, hasn't been this solid since 1976.
Headed by vets Jenny Thompson and Amanda Beard, the women's team
has five members returning from a strong 2000 squad.
Men
50-meter freestyle
Gold--Gary Hall Jr., U.S.
Silver--Roland Schoeman, South Africa
Bronze--Alexander Popov, Russia
Watch for Hall to arrive at the pool deck in boxing trunks and a
boxing robe.
100-meter freestyle
Gold--Pieter van den Hoogenband, Netherlands
Silver--Alexander Popov, Russia
Bronze--Jason Lezak, U.S.
Pieter's mother, Astrid Verver, swam to silver at the '71
European championships.
200-meter freestyle
Gold--Ian Thorpe, Australia
Silver--Pieter van den Hoogenband, Netherlands
Bronze--Michael Phelps, U.S.
This event is the biggest question for Phelps, who could win it
or miss a medal.
400-meter freestyle
Gold--Ian Thorpe, Australia
Silver--Grant Hackett, Australia
Bronze--Klete Keller, U.S.
Aussie Craig Stevens ceded his spot to Thorpe, who false-started
at the trials.
1,500-meter freestyle
Gold--Grant Hackett, Australia
Silver--Larsen Jensen, U.S.
Bronze--David Davies, Great Britain
Hackett has won every major 1,500 race since 1999 by at least
five seconds.
100-meter backstroke
Gold--Aaron Peirsol, U.S.
Silver--Matt Welsh, Australia
Bronze--Lenny Krayzelburg, U.S.
Aaron's sister, Hayley, won a world silver in the non-Olympic
1,500 free last year.
200-meter backstroke
Gold--Aaron Peirsol, U.S.
Silver--Gregor Tait, Great Britain
Bronze--Simon Dufour, France
Phelps passed on this race (and a likely silver) after Peirsol
beat him at trials.
100-meter breaststroke
Gold--Brendan Hansen, U.S.
Silver--Kosuke Kitajima, Japan
Bronze--Darren Mew, Great Britain
Hansen's world record (59.30) broke the minute barrier for U.S.
swimmers.
200-meter breaststroke
Gold--Brendan Hansen, U.S.
Silver--Kosuke Kitajima, Japan
Bronze--Jim Piper, Australia
Hansen was third in both breaststroke events at the 2000 trials.
100-meter butterfly
Gold--Ian Crocker, U.S.
Silver--Michael Phelps, U.S.
Bronze--Andrii Serdinov, Ukraine
Crocker (gold) and Phelps (silver) both broke the world record at
'03 worlds.
200-meter butterfly
Gold--Michael Phelps, U.S.
Silver--Takashi Yamamoto, Japan
Bronze--Pawel Korzeniowski, Poland
Phelps, then 15, swam this as his only event at the Sydney Games.
200-meter individual medley
Gold--Michael Phelps, U.S.
Silver--Thiago Pereira, Brazil
Bronze--George Bovell, Trinidad & Tobago
Phelps has the seven fastest times in history.
400-meter individual medley
Gold--Michael Phelps, U.S.
Silver--Laszlo Cseh, Hungary
Bronze--Alessio Boggiatto, Italy
Phelps lowered his world record to 4:08.41 at last month's
Olympic trials.
4X100-meter freestyle relay
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Australia
Bronze--South Africa
It's wide open. Italy and world champion Russia could easily win
a medal.
4X200-meter freestyle relay
Gold--Australia
Silver--U.S.
Bronze--Italy
The Aussies drowned the Yanks by 5.59 seconds to win Sydney gold.
4X100-meter medley relay
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Australia
Bronze--Russia
Expect the U.S. to break its own world record, set last summer.
Women
50-meter freestyle
Gold--Inge de Bruijn, Netherlands
Silver--Libby Lenton, Australia
Bronze--Michelle Englesman, Australia
De Bruijn won four medals (three gold) in Sydney.
100-meter freestyle
Gold--Libby Lenton, Australia
Silver--Inge de Bruijn, Netherlands
Bronze--Jodie Henry, Australia
Lenton broke de Bruijn's world record at the Australian trials in
March.
200-meter freestyle
Gold--Alena Popchanka, Belarus
Silver--Yang Yu, China
Bronze--Melanie Marshall, Great Britain
Germany's Franziska van Almsick won medals in '92 and '96 and
could again.
400-meter freestyle
Gold--Hannah Stockbauer, Germany
Silver--Camelia Potec, Romania
Bronze--Eva Risztov, Hungary
Stockbauer admits to being the world's most nervous swimmer.
800-meter freestyle
Gold--Hannah Stockbauer, Germany
Silver--Sachiko Yamada, Japan
Bronze--Diana Munz, U.S.
Munz fractured three vertebrae in a 1999 car crash.
100-meter backstroke
Gold--Natalie Coughlin, U.S.
Silver--Antje Buschschulte, Germany
Bronze--Laure Manaudou, France
Coughlin won the 2001 worlds despite hitting the lane line for
most of the race.
200-meter backstroke
Gold--Stanislava Komarova, Russia
Silver--Katy Sexton, Great Britain
Bronze--Reiko Nakamura, Japan
Nobody is close to the 2:06.62 swum by Hungary's Krisztina
Egerszegi in 1991.
100-meter breaststroke
Gold--Leisel Jones, Australia
Silver--Amanda Beard, U.S.
Bronze--Luo Xuejuan, China
Beard, then 14, carried her teddy bear with her to the awards
stand in 1996.
200-meter breaststroke
Gold--Amanda Beard, U.S.
Silver--Qi Hui, China
Bronze--Leisel Jones, Australia
Jones's world record last month lasted three days before Beard
broke it.
100-meter butterfly
Gold--Petria Thomas, Australia
Silver--Inge de Bruijn, Netherlands
Bronze--Martina Moravcova, Slovakia
Thomas missed the 2003 season after shoulder reconstruction.
200-meter butterfly
Gold--Otylia Jedrzejczak, Poland
Silver--Petria Thomas, Australia
Bronze--Eva Risztov, Hungary
Jedrzejczak is a three-time European champion in this event.
200-meter individual medley
Gold--Yana Klochkova, Ukraine
Silver--Amanda Beard, U.S.
Bronze--Teresa Rohmann, Germany
Beard swam the year's fastest time (2:12.02) at the U.S. trials.
400-meter individual medley
Gold--Yana Klochkova, Ukraine
Silver--Katie Hoff, U.S.
Bronze--Eva Risztov, Hungary
Hoff trains at a satellite pool of Michael Phelps's Baltimore
club.
4X100-meter freestyle relay
Gold--Australia
Silver--U.S.
Bronze--China
Australia has won this race once, at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
4X200-meter freestyle relay
Gold--Australia
Silver--U.S.
Bronze--Germany
East Germany's world record of 7:55.47 has stood since 1987.
4X100-meter medley relay
Gold--Australia
Silver--U.S.
Bronze--China
This race could yield Jenny Thompson's ninth career Olympic
gold--all in relays.
SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING
U.S. OUTLOOK: Russian emigrant Anna Kozlova was fourth in duet at
the last two Games with different partners. She now teams with
Alison Bartosik; the pair placed fourth at the 2003 worlds. The
U.S. team was fifth in 2000 after winning in 1996.
Duet
Gold--Davydova & Ermakova, Russia
Silver--Tachibana & Takeda, Japan
Bronze--Mengual & Tirados, Spain
Tachibana and Takeda would be the first in the sport to win four
Olympic medals.
Team
Gold--Russia
Silver--Japan
Bronze--U.S.
The Russians are defending world and Olympic champions.
TABLE TENNIS
U.S. OUTLOOK: No American has won a medal, and that won't change.
Gao Jun won a '92 silver for her native China. Pairs Mark
Hazinski and Ilija Lupulesku and Whitney Ping and Jasna Reed are
ranked No. 25.
Men
Singles
Gold--Ma Lin, China
Silver--Ryu Seung Min, South Korea
Bronze--Wang Liqin, China
Asian players have won 15 of 16 Olympic table tennis golds.
Doubles
Gold--Kong & Wang, China
Silver--Lee & Ryu, South Korea
Bronze--Chen & Ma, China
Kong Linghui was the singles champion in Sydney.
Women
Singles
Gold--Wang Nan, China
Silver--Zhang Yining, China
Bronze--Niu Jianfeng, China
Chinese-born women represented 12 countries in Sydney.
Doubles
Gold--Wang & Zhang, China
Silver--Lee & Suk, South Korea
Bronze--Guo & Niu, China
Chinese teams have finished 1-2 in three straight Games.
TAEKWONDO
U.S. OUTLOOK: The U.S. qualified two Houston-area athletes.
Steven Lopez will be a slight favorite to repeat and Nia
Abdallah, 20, will have an outside chance at 57 kg.
Men
58 kg (128 lbs.)
Gold--Chu Mu Yen, Chinese Taipei
Silver--Juan Antonio Ramos, Spain
Bronze--Michalis Mouroutsos, Greece
Sydney champ Mouroutsos has an arena named for him in his
hometown.
68 kg (150 lbs.)
Gold--Lee Won Jae, South Korea
Silver--Hadi Saeibonehkohai, Iran
Bronze--Carlo Molfetta, Italy
Saeibonehkohai auctioned his Sydney medal to help Iran's
earthquake victims.
80 kg (176 lbs.)
Gold--Steven Lopez, U.S.
Silver--Yousef Karami, Iran
Bronze--Bahri Tanrikulu, Turkey
Steven's brother Mark and sister Diana are also on the U.S.
national team.
80+ kg (176+ lbs.)
Gold--Pascal Gentil, France
Silver--Moon Dae Sung, South Korea
Bronze--Nguyen Van Hung, Vietnam
Gentil has acted in three films, including one called Laughter
and Punishment.
Women
49 kg (108 lbs.)
Gold--Chen Chih Hsin, Chinese Taipei
Silver--Yanelis Labrada Diaz, Cuba
Bronze--Wangsa Putri Juana, Indonesia
Chinese Taipei failed to win a gold medal at the Sydney Games.
57 kg (126 lbs.)
Gold--Areti Athanasopoulou, Greece
Silver--Iridia Salazar, Mexico
Bronze--Jang Ji Won, South Korea
Athanasopoulou's coach, Oh Joung Jo, hails from rival South
Korea.
67 kg (148 lbs.)
Gold--Wei Luo, China
Silver--Kim Yeon Ji, South Korea
Bronze--Nina Solheim, Norway
Wei swept to a convincing gold medal at the 2003 worlds.
67+ kg (148+ lbs.)
Gold--Natasa Vezmar, Croatia
Silver--Chen Zhong, China
Bronze--Sarah Stevenson, Great Britain
Nigeria's entry in this weight class is named Princess Dudu.
TEAM HANDBALL
U.S. OUTLOOK: No U.S. team has won an Olympic medal in this
sport. Neither squad qualified for Athens.
Men
Gold--Germany
Silver--Croatia
Bronze--France
None of these teams earned medals in Sydney; Russia went home
with the gold.
Women
Gold--France
Silver--Hungary
Bronze--Ukraine
World-champion France has never placed higher than sixth at the
Olympics.
TENNIS
U.S. OUTLOOK: Solid. Besides Andy Roddick, the Williams sisters
and the Bryan brothers, the team boasts Martina Navratilova, 47,
competing in her first Olympics.
Men
Singles
Gold--Roger Federer, Switzerland
Silver--Andy Roddick, U.S.
Bronze--Carlos Moya, Spain
Swiss officials gave Federer an 1,800-pound cow after he won '03
Wimbledon.
Doubles
Gold--Bryan & Bryan, U.S.
Silver--Llodra & Santoro, France
Bronze--Bjorkman & Johansson, Sweden
U.S. duos have failed to reach the quarters in three straight
Olympics.
Women
Singles
Gold--Serena Williams, U.S.
Silver--Amelie Mauresmo, France
Bronze--Venus Williams, U.S.
Venus won gold in 2000, besting Elena Dementieva of Russia in the
final.
Doubles
Gold--Williams & Williams, U.S.
Silver--Kuznetsova & Likhovtseva, Russia
Bronze--Raymond & Navratilova, U.S.
The Williams sisters lost just one set in romping to Sydney gold.
TRACK AND FIELD
U.S. OUTLOOK: Mired under a cloud from the BALCO drug scandal,
the strong team still includes 28 members who have won world or
Olympic individual titles.
Men
100 meters
Gold--Maurice Greene, U.S.
Silver--Shawn Crawford, U.S.
Bronze--Francis Obikwelu, Portugal
Obikwelu ran in the 2000 Olympics for his native Nigeria.
200 meters
Gold--Shawn Crawford, U.S.
Silver--Konstadinos Kederis, Greece
Bronze--Usain Bolt, Jamaica
The cat-quick Crawford calls himself Cheetah Man.
400 meters
Gold--Alleyne Francique, Grenada
Silver--Jeremy Wariner, U.S.
Bronze--Otis Harris, U.S.
Americans have won medals in this at every nonboycotted Olympics
since '24.
800 meters
Gold--Wilfred Bungei, Kenya
Silver--Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Russia
Bronze--Wilson Kipketer, Denmark
Kipketer began his running career in his native Kenya.
1,500 meters
Gold--Hicham El Guerrouj, Morocco
Silver--Rashid Ramzi, Bahrain
Bronze--Bernard Lagat, Kenya
Two of El Guerrouj's rare losses between 1996 to 2003 came at the
Olympics.
3,000-meter steeplechase
Gold--Brimin Kipruto, Kenya
Silver--Ezekiel Kemboi, Kenya
Bronze--Saif Saaeed Shaheen, Qatar
Kenyans have won 14 steeple medals, all by different runners,
since 1968.
5,000 meters
Gold--Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia
Silver--Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya
Bronze--Sileshi Sihine, Ethiopia
Bekele, 22, set the 5,000 (12:37.35) and 10,000 (26:20.31) world
marks this spring.
10,000 meters
Gold--Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia
Silver--Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopia
Bronze--Sileshi Sihine, Ethiopia
Ethiopia's Miruts Yifter pulled off the last 5-10 Olympic double,
in 1980.
Marathon
Gold--Paul Tergat, Kenya
Silver--Gert Thys, South Africa
Bronze--Jaouad Gharib, Morocco
Amazingly, no Kenyan has ever won an Olympic marathon.
110-meter hurdles
Gold--Allen Johnson, U.S.
Silver--Terrence Trammell, U.S.
Bronze--Xiang Liu, China
Trammell beat four-time world champion Johnson at the U.S.
trials.
400-meter hurdles
Gold--Felix Sanchez, Dominican Republic
Silver--James Carter, U.S.
Bronze--Ockert Cilliers, South Africa
No Dominican athlete has won an Olympic gold medal.
4X100-meter relay
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Jamaica
Bronze--Nigeria
U.S. quartets have won this event 15 times at the Olympics.
4X400-meter relay
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Jamaica
Bronze--Great Britain
U.S. teams have won the four-by-four at five straight Games.
20-km walk
Gold--Jefferson Perez, Ecuador
Silver--Vladimir Stankin, Russia
Bronze--Francisco Javier Fernandez, Spain
Perez received a lifetime supply of yogurt after winning in
Atlanta.
50-km walk
Gold--Robert Korzeniowski, Poland
Silver--Denis Nizhegorodov, Russia
Bronze--Vladimir Potemin, Russia
Korzeniowski won both walks at the Sydney Olympics.
High jump
Gold--Stefan Holm, Sweden
Silver--Andriy Sokolovskiy, Ukraine
Bronze--Jacques Freitag, South Africa
Holm's dad, Johnny, was a goalkeeper for a Swedish League soccer
team.
Long jump
Gold--Dwight Phillips, U.S.
Silver--Hussein Taher Al-Sabee, Saudi Arabia
Bronze--Bogdan Tarus, Romania
In 2000 the U.S. failed to win a medal for the first time at a
nonboycotted Games.
Triple jump
Gold--Christian Olsson, Sweden
Silver--Kenta Bell, U.S.
Bronze--Melvin Lister, U.S.
World champ Olsson surpassed 56 feet in 22 of 23 meets last year.
Pole vault
Gold--Dmitri Markov, Australia
Silver--Toby Stevenson, U.S.
Bronze--Timothy Mack, U.S.
Stevenson is easily recognizable because of his hockey-style
helmet.
Shot put
Gold--John Godina, U.S.
Silver--Adam Nelson, U.S.
Bronze--Janus Robberts, South Africa
Godina also made two Olympic teams in the discus throw.
Discus
Gold--Virgilijus Alekna, Lithuania
Silver--Robert Fazekas, Hungary
Bronze--Gerd Kanter, Estonia
Alekna once worked as a presidential bodyguard in Lithuania.
Hammer throw
Gold--Adrian Annus, Hungary
Silver--Koji Murofushi, Japan
Bronze--Krisztian Pars, Hungary
The world record (284' 7") set by Yuri Sedykh of Russia has stood
since 1986.
Javelin
Gold--Alexander Ivanov, Russia
Silver--Breaux Greer, U.S.
Bronze--Sergei Makarov, Russia
Greer wore face paint while competing at the Olympic trials.
Decathlon
Gold--Roman Sebrle, Czech Republic
Silver--Tom Pappas, U.S.
Bronze--Bryan Clay, U.S.
Sebrle eyed a soccer career until taking up track after high
school.
Women
100 meters
Gold--Christine Arron, France
Silver--LaTasha Colander, U.S.
Bronze--Ivet Lalova, Bulgaria
Unheralded Lalova ran a world-leading 10.77 on home soil in June.
200 meters
Gold--Veronica Campbell, Jamaica
Silver--Allyson Felix, U.S.
Bronze--Kim Gavaert, Belgium
If Torri Edwards is cleared of a possible drug violation, she
will win a medal.
400 meters
Gold--Ana Guevara, Mexico
Silver--Tonique Williams-Darling, Bahamas
Bronze--Monique Hennagan, U.S.
Hennagan was an all-state volleyball player in South Carolina.
800 meters
Gold--Maria Mutola, Mozambique
Silver--Kelly Holmes, Great Britain
Bronze--Jolanda Ceplak, Slovenia
A national holiday was declared in 2000 after Mutola won her
country's first gold.
1,500 meters
Gold--Tatiana Tomashova, Russia
Silver--Yelena Zadorozhnaya, Russia
Bronze--Olga Yegorova, Russia
No nation has ever swept a women's race this long at the
Olympics.
5,000 meters
Gold--Elvan Abeylegesse, Turkey
Silver--Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopia
Bronze--Jane Wanjiku, Kenya
Abeylegesse, a former Ethiopian, is the first Turk to hold a
world track record.
10,000 meters
Gold--Berhane Adere, Ethiopia
Silver--Werknesh Kidane, Ethiopia
Bronze--Derartu Tulu, Ethiopia
Ethiopia made Tulu, a double Olympic champ, an 11th-hour roster
addition.
Marathon
Gold--Paula Radcliffe, Great Britain
Silver--Catherine Ndereba, Kenya
Bronze--Elfinesh Alemu, Ethiopia
Radcliffe's name aptly anagrams to: Full pace ... afraid?
100-meter hurdles
Gold--Gail Devers, U.S.
Silver--Perdita Felicien, Canada
Bronze--Brigitte Foster, Jamaica
Devers has won the U.S. hurdles title 10 times but never the
Olympic crown.
400-meter hurdles
Gold--Lashinda Demus, U.S.
Silver--Sheena Johnson, U.S.
Bronze--Jana Pittman, Australia
Fight fan Pittman bought a boxer pup named Cassius before winning
worlds.
4X100-meter relay
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Jamaica
Bronze--France
East Germany's world record (41.37 seconds) has stood since 1985.
4X400-meter relay
Gold--Russia
Silver--U.S.
Bronze--Jamaica
The U.S. has never held the world record in this event heading
into an Olympics.
20-km walk
Gold--Yelena Nikolayeva, Russia
Silver--Hongjuan Song, China
Bronze--Gillian O'Sullivan, Ireland
O'Sullivan is known as the Firewoman because of her flaming red
hair.
High jump
Gold--Hestrie Cloete, South Africa
Silver--Yelena Slesarenko, Russia
Bronze--Venelina Veneva, Bulgaria
Cloete tied for the best Sydney jump, but took silver with more
misses.
Long jump
Gold--Marion Jones, U.S.
Silver--Irina Simagina, Russia
Bronze--Tatyana Lebedeva, Russia
Jones's technique is vastly improved under new coach Dan Pfaff.
Triple jump
Gold--Tatyana Lebedeva, Russia
Silver--Magdelin Martinez, Italy
Bronze--Anna Pyatykh, Russia
Cuban-born standout Yamile Aldama is now representing Sudan.
Pole vault
Gold--Svetlana Feofanova, Russia
Silver--Yelena Isinbaeva, Russia
Bronze--Stacy Dragila, U.S.
Defending champ Dragila still harbors thoughts of pursuing the
heptathlon.
Shot put
Gold--Irina Korzhanenko, Russia
Silver--Svetlana Krivelyova, Russia
Bronze--Astrid Kumbernuss, Germany
Soviet/Russian women have never failed to win a medal in this
event.
Discus
Gold--Ekaterini Voggoli, Greece
Silver--Anastassia Kelesidou, Greece
Bronze--Natalia Sadova, Russia
The stadium will erupt if Stiliani Tsikouna gives the hosts a
medal sweep.
Hammer throw
--Yipsi Moreno, Cuba
--Irina Sekachova, Ukraine
--Wenxiu Zhang, China
Nine of the 11 best throws in the world this year belong to
Moreno.
Javelin
Gold--Osleidys Menendez, Cuba
Silver--Mirela Manjani, Greece
Bronze--Nikola Brejchova, Czech Republic
Menendez has the five longest throws in the world this year.
Heptathlon
Gold--Carolina Kluft, Sweden
Silver--Svetlana Sokolova, Russia
Bronze--Kelly Sotherton, Great Britain
Kluft, 21, was the most downloaded Swede after her 2003 victory
at worlds.
TRIATHLON
U.S. OUTLOOK: Hunter Kemper is a medal threat. Susan Williams
could make it a U.S. women's sweep. She finished sixth while
pregnant with daughter Sydney at the 2000 trials.
Men
Gold--Bevan Docherty, New Zealand
Silver--Dmitry Gaag, Kazakhstan
Bronze--Ivan Rana, Spain
Docherty's father, Ray, competes in the Ironman's 55-59 age
division.
Women
Gold--Sheila Taormina, U.S.
Silver--Loretta Harrop, Australia
Bronze--Barb Lindquist, U.S.
Taormina swam to gold in the 4¥200-meter free relay at the '96
Games.
VOLLEYBALL
U.S. OUTLOOK: The U.S. won't win a medal indoors, but any beach
pair could reach the podium.
Men
Indoor
Gold--Brazil
Silver--Italy
Bronze--Serbia & Montenegro
Yugoslavia won gold in Sydney, defeating Russia in three straight
games.
Beach
Gold--Ricardo & Emanuel, Brazil
Silver--Insfran & Araujo, Brazil
Bronze--Holdren & Metzger, U.S.
Emanuel Rego was twice favored with other partners but didn't
win.
Women
Indoor
Gold--China
Silver--Brazil
Bronze--Cuba
The Cubans have won gold at the last three Olympics.
Beach
Gold--McPeak & Youngs, U.S.
Silver--May & Walsh, U.S.
Bronze--Behar & Shelda, Brazil
Misty May's abdominal injury leaves her Olympic status in doubt.
WATER POLO
U.S. OUTLOOK: The women, led by attacker Brenda Villa, are
reigning world champions. The men finished sixth in last year's
worlds and were last of six in this summer's World League final.
Men
Gold--Hungary
Silver--Serbia & Montenegro
Bronze--Greece
The Hungarians have won the Olympic water polo tournament seven
times.
Women
Gold--U.S.
Silver--Italy
Bronze--Hungary
Australia beat the U.S. 4-3 on a last-second goal in the Sydney
final.
WEIGHTLIFTING
U.S. OUTLOOK: Don't expect any of the five lifters to win a
medal. No American man has reached the podium since 1984. Tara
Cunningham and Cheryl Haworth were Sydney medalists.
Men
56 kg (123 lbs.)
Gold--Wu Meijin, China
Silver--Sedat Artuc, Turkey
Bronze--Vitali Derbeniev, Belarus
Turkey's Mutlu won gold at this class in Sydney before moving up
in weight.
62 kg (137 lbs.)
Gold--Halil Mutlu, Turkey
Silver--Shi Zhiyong, China
Bronze--Yue Maosheng, China
Bulgarian-born Mutlu is one of four men ever to lift three times
his body weight.
69 kg (152 lbs.)
Gold--Zhang Guozheng, China
Silver--Ekrem Celil, Turkey
Bronze--Lee Bae Young, South Korea
Olympic champ Galabin Boevski of Bulgaria was banned for a drug
violation.
77 kg (170 lbs.)
Gold--Sergei Filimonov, Kazakhstan
Silver--Taner Sagir, Turkey
Bronze--Plamen Jeliazkov, Bulgaria
Filimonov was fourth in Sydney despite competing in the B group.
85 kg (187 lbs.)
Gold--Yuan Aijun, China
Silver--Izzet Ince, Turkey
Bronze--Pyrros Dimas, Greece
Albanian-born Dimas could become history's first four-time champ.
94 kg (207 lbs.)
Gold--Milan Dobrev, Bulgaria
Silver--Bakhytbek Akhmetov, Kazakhstan
Bronze--Kakhi Kakiasvilis, Greece
Georgian-born Kakiasvilis also could become history's first
four-time champ.
105 kg (231.5 lbs.)
Gold--Alan Tsagaev, Bulgaria
Silver--Saaed Saif Asad, Qatar
Bronze--Igor Razoyonov, Ukraine
Qatar bought eight lifters, including Asad (ne Angel Popov), from
Bulgaria.
105+ kg (231.5+ lbs.)
Gold--Hossein Rezazadeh, Iran
Silver--Viktor Scherbatichs, Latvia
Bronze--Velichko Cholakov, Bulgaria
Wildly popular Rezazadeh represents a car company in a
weightlifting league.
Women
48 kg (106 lbs.)
Gold--Li Zhuo, China
Silver--Nan Aye Khine, Myanmar
Bronze--Devi Kunjarani, India
Tara Cunningham (nee Nott) won this class in Sydney.
53 kg (117 lbs.)
Gold--Polsak Udompron, Thailand
Silver--Ri Song Hui, North Korea
Bronze--Junpim Kuntatean, Thailand
Ri lost a chance for Sydney gold at 58 kg because of a time
violation.
58 kg (128 lbs.)
Gold--Aylin Dasdelen, Turkey
Silver--Chen Yanqing, China
Bronze--Alexandra Klejnowska, Poland
Klejnowska gave up a career in dance to take up weightlifting.
63 kg (139 lbs.)
Gold--Natalia Skakun, Ukraine
Silver--Hanna Batsiushka, Belarus
Bronze--Gergana Kirilova, Bulgaria
Kirilova, fifth at the 2003 worlds, won the European title in
April.
69 kg (152 lbs.)
Gold--Liu Chunhong, China
Silver--Pawina Thongsuk, Thailand
Bronze--Valentina Popova, Russia
Liu set a world record last year, lifting a total of 595 pounds.
75 kg (165 lbs.)
Gold--Nahla Ramadan, Egypt
Silver--Tatiana Khromova, Kazakhstan
Bronze--Svetlana Podobedova, Russia
Ramadan's father, Mohamed, was a national champion.
75+ kg (165+ lbs.)
Gold--Tang Gonghong, China
Silver--Albina Khomich, Russia
Bronze--Agata Wrobel, Poland
Cheryl Haworth is history's heaviest female Olympian (307
pounds).
WRESTLING
U.S. OUTLOOK: No wrestler is a gold medal favorite, but several
could win. All three heavyweights--Kerry McCoy, Rulon Gardner and
Toccara Montgomery--are strong.
Men
Freestyle
55 kg (121 lbs.)
Gold--Roberto Montero, Cuba
Silver--Dilshod Mansurov, Uzbekistan
Bronze--Amiran Kartanov, Greece
This class has had three world champs in three years.
60 kg (132 lbs.)
Gold--Yandro Quintana Ribalta, Cuba
Silver--Arif Abdullaev, Azerbaijan
Bronze--Murad Umakhanov, Russia
Abdullaev's brother Namig won gold at 55 kg in Sydney.
66 kg (145.5 lbs.)
Gold--Serafim Barzakov, Bulgaria
Silver--Elbrus Tadeev, Ukraine
Bronze--Serguei Rondon, Cuba
Russia's Irbek Farniev beat Barzakov in overtime of the 2003
world finals.
74 kg (163 lbs.)
Gold--Bouvaissa Saitiev, Russia
Silver--Mehdi Hadjizadeh, Iran
Bronze--Gennady Laliev, Kazakhstan
Saitiev's younger brother Adam won gold in 2000 at a higher
weight class.
84 kg (185 lbs.)
Gold--Sajid Sajidov, Russia
Silver--Yoel Romero, Cuba
Bronze--Cael Sanderson, U.S.
Former college superstar Sanderson lost 4-3 to Sajidov in the
2003 world finals.
96 kg (211.5 lbs.)
Gold--Eldar Kurtanidze, Georgia
Silver--Ali Reza Heidari, Iran
Bronze--Daniel Cormier, U.S.
Cormier's three-month-old daughter, Kaedyn, died in a car
accident last year.
120 kg (264.5 lbs.)
Gold--Artur Taimazov, Uzbekistan
Silver--Kerry McCoy, U.S.
Bronze--Kouramagomed Kouramagomedov, Russia
At press time, Russia was still tinkering with its loaded lineup.
Greco-Roman
55 kg (121 lbs.)
Gold--Lazaro Rivas, Cuba
Silver--Dariusz Jablonski, Poland
Bronze--Hassan Rangraz, Iran
Rivas was named international Greco-Roman wrestler of the year in
1999.
60 kg (132 lbs.)
Gold--Armen Nazarian, Bulgaria
Silver--Roberto Monzon, Cuba
Bronze--Eusebiu Diaconu, Romania
Nazarian won Armenia's first Olympic gold in '96, then won for
Bulgaria in '00.
66 kg (145.5 lbs.)
Gold--Manuchar Kvirkelia, Georgia
Silver--Vaghinak Galustyan, Armenia
Bronze--Armen Vardanyan, Ukraine
Oscar Wood knocked out 2000 U.S. Olympian Kevin Bracken at the
trials.
74 kg (163 lbs.)
Gold--Varteres Samurgashev, Russia
Silver--Filiberto Azcuy, Cuba
Bronze--Volokymyr Shats'kykh, Ukraine
In picking Samurgashev, the world champ in 2002, Russia left
behind Alexei Glushkov, 2003 world champ.
84 kg (185 lbs.)
Gold--Gotcha Tsitsiashvilly, Israel
Silver--Aza Arahamian, Sweden
Bronze--Mukhran Vakhtangadze, Georgia
Georgian-born Tsitsiashvilly is the fourth Israeli men's world
champ in any sport.
96 kg (211.5 lbs.)
Gold--Karam Gaber, Egypt
Silver--Mehmet Ozal, Turkey
Bronze--Martin Lidberg, Sweden
Wisconsinite Garrett Lowney, a surprise medalist in Sydney, could
be again.
120 kg (264.5 lbs.)
Gold--Khassan Baroev, Russia
Silver--Xenofon Koutsioubas, Greece
Bronze--Rulon Gardner, U.S.
Gardner snapped Alexander Karelin's 14-year winning streak in
Sydney.
Women
48 kg (105.5 lbs.)
Gold--Irina Melnik, Ukraine
Silver--Chiharu Icho, Japan
Bronze--Lyndsay Belisle, Canada
Chiharu, 22, is two years older than sister Kaori, the 63 kg
favorite.
55 kg (121 lbs.)
Gold--Saori Yoshida, Japan
Silver--Natalia Golts, Russia
Bronze--Sun Dongmei, China
Yoshida's father, Eikatsu, was a national champion in the 1970s.
63 kg (138.5 lbs.)
Gold--Kaori Icho, Japan
Silver--Sara McMann, U.S.
Bronze--Meng Lili, China
Icho edged McMann 4-3 in overtime to win gold at the 2003 worlds.
72 kg (158.5 lbs.)
Gold--Kyoko Hamaguchi, Japan
Silver--Toccara Montgomery, U.S.
Bronze--Wang Xu, China
Montgomery's father, Paul, is in an Ohio prison for double
murder.
COLOR PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY HOWARD SCHATZ
COLOR PHOTO: CHUCK SOLOMON (YUN)
COLOR PHOTO: CHRISTOF KOEPSEL/BONGARTS (DITTMER)
COLOR PHOTO: MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (ULMER)
COLOR PHOTO: NICK LAHAM/GETTY IMAGES (DONNERS)
COLOR PHOTO: CHRISTOF KOEPSEL/BONGARTS (ZEEVI)
COLOR PHOTO: SIGI TISCHLER/KEYSTONE/AP (CANADA EIGHTS)
COLOR PHOTO: NATACHA PISARENKO/AP (TEVEZ)
COLOR PHOTO: SANDRA BEHNE/BONGARTS (KLOCHKOVA)
COLOR PHOTO: JEFF HAYNES/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (SANCHEZ)
COLOR PHOTO: DOPPAGNE-ANSOTT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (MUTOLA)
COLOR PHOTO: MICHAEL STEELE/GETTY IMAGES (RADCLIFFE)
COLOR PHOTO: MANNY MILLAN (REZAZADEH)
Projected Medal Count
The U.S. will surpass its goal of 100 medals, and China, Japan
and Great Britain will also see significant gains from
Sydney.
COUNTRY GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL 2000 TOTAL
U.S. 38 37 36 111 97 (rank: 1st)
RUSSIA 34 26 25 85 88 (2nd)
CHINA 31 19 24 74 59 (3rd)
AUSTRALIA 19 12 19 50 58 (4th)
GERMANY 14 16 18 48 57 (5th)
FRANCE 9 17 15 41 38 (6th)
GREAT BRITAIN 7 11 16 34 28 (9th)
ITALY 12 9 9 30 34 (7th)
CUBA 12 9 4 25 29 (8th)
JAPAN 7 13 4 24 18 (14th)
South Korea
YUN MI JIN Archery
Trained at the DMZ
1 To hone her concentration, the Sydney gold medalist has stood
sentry at the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South
Korea and trained in stadiums filled with fans brought in to jeer
her. Such practices are common for archers in South Korea, which
reveres--and dominates--the sport. Yun, 21, could lead her
nation's female archers to a medal sweep.
Germany
ANDREAS DITTMER Canoeing
Family Powered
The two-time gold medalist, 32, has not lost a singles race in
four years. He is the product of an East German sports school and
athletic bloodlines: His father, Klaus, was a World Cup rower and
his mother, Karin, a track standout. His sister Anja, a European
triathlon champ, will compete in Athens, making the Dittmers
Germany's first family of the Games.
New Zealand
SARAH ULMER Cycling
No More Aussie Bike
A two-time Olympian with no medals to show for it, the
28-year-old North Islander recently traded her Australian-made
bike for an ultralight, superstiff model custom-built for her in
New Zealand. The move not only tweaked her nation's archrival but
also helped Ulmer set a world record and win the world
3,000-meter individual pursuit title in May.
Netherlands
MIJNTJE DONNERS Field Hockey
Dutch Dynamo
The 2003 world women's player of the year (above, left) is
easygoing--except when playing. "I talk, I yell, with my players,
with the referee," says Donners, 30. "I don't stop. I always want
to win." The fierce, speedy striker hopes she and men's world
player of the year Teun de Nooijer, a dazzling shooter, can lead
both Dutch squads to gold.
Israel
ARIK ZEEVI Judo
Hope for a First Gold
By winning his third European title in May, the 220-pounder
from Benei Beraq gave his terrorism-plagued country a rare gift.
Israelis are always "worried about disasters," says Zeevi (white,
below), "but they finally had something to celebrate." The
27-year-old could provide his nation with an even bigger gift in
Athens: its first gold medal in any sport.
Canada
MEN'S EIGHTS Rowing
The Glamour Event
The favorite (above, center) in rowing's most prestigious race
has many reasons to be confident, from its perfect 2004 record to
its new aerodynamic hooded uniforms. But the eight's biggest
strength is its 66-year-old British coach, Mike Spracklen, who
left after guiding it to gold in '92 but returned in 2001. This
team, he says, is "as good a group as I've
coached."
Argentina
CARLOS TEVEZ Soccer
A Young Maradona?
The 20-year-old striker has already made his mark, winning the
2003 South American player of the year award and leading Boca
Juniors to the continent's club championship. With Tevez
reminding his countrymen of another stocky, cocky star from their
nation (Maradona, anyone?), look for the Argentines to bag the
only major title they've never won.
Ukraine
YANA KLOCHKOVA
The Female Phelps
At first she wanted to be a synchronized swimmer. Instead she
took to the lap pool and became the world's most versatile female
racer. The 21-year-old daughter of track athletes is the world
and Olympic champ in the 200 and 400 individual medleys. After
Sydney she was voted Ukraine's athlete of the year--an honor she
might win again in 2004.
Dominican Republic
FELIX SANCHEZ Track and Field
Wrestler to Speedster
Track and field's international athlete of the year found his
calling by accident. When the New York-born, San Diego-reared
Sanchez broke his wrist while wrestling in high school, a coach
suggested he try running. The world champ has won 38 straight
400-meter hurdles races over two years while competing for his
parents' homeland.
Mozambique
MARIA MUTOLA Track and Field
Champion Of the Poor
The queen of the 800 has a commanding presence off the track
too. Mutola, 32, uses some of her track winnings to provide
scholarships and training funds to young athletes in her
impoverished homeland because, she says, "I am very lucky."
Ambitious too. At her fifth Olympics the defending 800 champ may
double by entering the 1,500, a race she has run once in the last
two years.
Great Britain
PAULA RADCLIFFE Track and Field
Going the Extra Mile
The 30-year-old from Cheshire, England, who last year lowered
the women's world marathon record to an astounding 2:15:25
(faster than the winning men's time at the 1968 Olympics) has
also made her mark speaking out against doping. She has called
for lifetime bans for first-time offenders, and while in the
stands at the 2001 worlds in Edmonton, she held up a banner that
read: epo cheats out.
Iran
HOSSEIN REZAZADEH Weightlifting
World's Strongest Man
At 26 he is the Olympic superheavyweight champ, and he has
hoisted a record 579.8 pounds overhead in the clean and jerk (a
standard refrigerator weighs one third of that). Turkey offered
him $20,000 a month to switch countries and join its team for
Athens, but he proclaimed his loyalty to his homeland--thus
preserving his nickname, the Iranian Hercules.