August 4, 2004
BY DAVID NIELSEN
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Every four years a fresh crop of star American athletes emerges at the Summer Olympics.
Here is a snapshot look at a few of the newcomers who could win medals -- and the hearts of the nation -- in Athens.
SWIMMING
Natalie Coughlin. The 21-year-old budding gourmet chef from Cal-Berkeley is a serious medal contender in the 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle, plus three relays. ''If the American women are on and can give her some support, I think she could be the dark-horse Cinderella of the Games,'' said Rowdy Gaines, former Olympic gold-medalist swimmer and NBC swimming analyst.
Katie Hoff. Seemingly every Olympics, a swimmer too young to have a driver's license sparkles for the U.S. In Athens, it could be this 15-year-old from Abingdon, Md., who won the 200- and 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. ''She's an amazing racer,'' said three-time Olympian Amanda Beard, who finished second to Hoff in the 200-meter IM at the trials. ''I don't mind being compared to someone like that.''
Brendan Hansen. Hansen narrowly missed qualifying for the 2000 Olympics when he finished third in both the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes at the Olympic trials. He made sure he wouldn't miss the trip to Athens by setting world records in both breaststroke events at last month's Olympic trials. ''I know going to Athens [that] there's a big bull's-eye on my chest,'' said Hansen, who turns 23 on Aug. 15. ''I don't dwell on it and don't worry what others are thinking.''
GYMNASTICS
Carly Patterson. The 16-year-old from Allen, Texas, is a leading contender for several medals, including the women's all-around. She won the silver medal in the all-around competition at last year's world championships.
Courtney Kupets. Rebounding from a torn left Achilles tendon in 2003, Kupets placed first at the Olympic trials in June, securing a place on her first Olympic team. The 18-year-old from Gaithersburg, Md., was the world champion on the uneven bars in 2002.
Jason Gatson. In 1997, at age 17, Gatson became the youngest man ever to make a U.S. men's world-championship team. But a series of devastating knee injuries killed his Olympic hopes in 2000. Now 24, Gatson hopes to make up for lost time in his Olympics debut.
TRACK AND FIELD
Justin Gatlin. Coming out of high school in Florida, Gatlin nearly accepted a scholarship to art school. Instead, he attended Tennessee on a track scholarship, winning six NCAA sprinting titles in two seasons before turning professional after his sophomore year in 2002. Gatlin, 22, finished second in the 100 meters to 2000 Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene at the recent Olympic trials.
Alan Webb. Webb, 21, burst on the track scene in 2001 when he broke Jim Ryun's 36-year-old high school record for the mile. He attended Michigan in 2002 but left after a star-crossed freshman season to turn professional and train with his high school coach in suburban Washington, D.C. After struggling through injuries last year, he has run some of the world's fastest times this year in the 1,500 meters, including a runaway victory at the Olympic trials.
Allyson Felix. The 18-year-old from Los Angeles turned down college scholarship offers, opting to turn professional directly after high school. She won her first national title by capturing the 200 meters at the Olympic trials.
OTHER SPORTS
Wrestling: Freestyle wrestler Cael Sanderson finished his college career at Iowa State in 2002 with his fourth consecutive NCAA championship. He became the first collegiate wrestler to finish his career undefeated (159-0). The 185-pounder (84 kg) won a silver medal at the 2003 world championships.
Diving: Kimiko Soldati, 30, will try to give the U.S. its first 3-meter springboard medal since 1988. If she wins a gold medal, she'll be the oldest female diving gold medalist. Her teammates call her ''Grandma.''
Fencing: Sada Jacobson, a native of Dunwoody, Ga., became the first American woman to be ranked No. 1 in the world in sabre. While training for the Olympics, Jacobson, 21, is taking time off from her studies at Yale, where she won two NCAA championships.
Archery: Jennifer Nichols started shooting at age 11 with a bow her father bought at Wal-Mart. Now 20, Nichols is the nation's top-ranked archer and won individual and team gold medals at the 2003 Pan American Games. Nichols was home-schooled by her mother in Cheyenne, Wyo. A devout Christian, she credits her strong faith for helping her relax while competing.
Scripps Howard News Service
