07:24 PM EDT 04/13/2013
Olympics Summer 2008
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Nicole Kidman Call Inspires Gold Medal Win
Originally posted 08/19/2008 07:00PM
Nicole Kidman has turned her screen performances into Oscar gold – and now she has inspired the Australian men's sailing team to bring home Olympic gold as well.
Malcolm Page and Nathan Wilmot of the Australian men's 470 sailing team won a gold medal on Tuesday after receiving a good luck call from the Hollywood star, who hails from Australia.
Page told reporters that at first he rejected "the unknown number" on his cell phone before he realized it was Kidman calling, according to Melbourne's Herald Sun.
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Nastia Liukin Ties Shannon Miller's, Mary Lou Retton's Medal Haul
Originally posted 08/19/2008 04:05PM
Never in a non-American summer Games has USA Gymnastics won so many
medals – and most of them belong to Texan Nastia Liukin.
By getting the silver on the balance beam Tuesday, Liukin tied
gymnastic greats Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Miller with five medals
in a single Olympics, including the gold in the all-around, three silver
and one bronze.
"I'm just on cloud nine," Liukin said after winning a silver on the
balance beam. "To say I have five medals at my first Olympic Games
means the world to me. And just having one gold is OK because it is
the one that means the most."
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Olympic Stabbing Victim's Recovery a 'Miracle'
Originally posted 08/19/2008 01:35PM
The woman severely injured in an Olympic stabbing attack that also killed her husband is making an "incredible" recovery – and is now walking and talking in the hospital, her family says.
"The daughters have referred to her as a miracle," the family of Barbara Bachman say in a statement posted on the Internet.
"She is able to sit in a chair for a couple of hours a day and is starting to walk short distances. Fortunately, she is in a condition where she is comfortable to hold conversations so we can cope and grieve together."
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PHOTO: Michael Phelps's Sports Illustrated Cover Revealed!
Originally posted 08/19/2008 12:55PM
Michael Phelps has already celebrated his record-breaking Olympic performance with his family in Beijing – and now the swimmer is celebrating his historic achievement by gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated, adorned with his eight gold medals.
The athlete has won the most gold medals of any Olympian ever – famously beating out swimmer Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
Al Roker & Matt Lauer (Try To) Go for the Gold in Beijing
Originally posted 08/19/2008 12:00PM
Give them an A (as in "award") for effort – but Al Roker and Matt Lauer should probably give up their dreams of Olympic gold.
In a segment from Tuesday's Today show, the manly hosts hit the mats in Beijing with Olympian Alexandra Orlando and give rhythmic gymnastics a whirl. Literally.
The result? The hula-hoops and ribbons go flying as the anchors struggle with coordination.
But while the sport proves initially difficult, the duo eventually grow into it, revealing a routine – and a sense of humor – that should impress even the toughest of judges. See for yourself.
– Brian Orloff
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Debbie Phelps Named 'Mom of the Games'
Originally posted 08/19/2008 10:35AM
Now that he's won his eight gold medals, Michael Phelps is officially the "greatest Olympian of all time." Now the swimmer's mom, Debbie, has an impressive title of her own.
Johnson's Baby has dubbed Debbie their "Mom of the Olympic Games" – and the company will donate money in her name to children's causes. (She'll also film a commercial for Johnson's on Wednesday.) The award came as a nice surprise for the middle school principal, who tells PEOPLE, "I am so honored."
But Debbie has a cause of her own: She is the national spokesperson for the Facebook group ADHD Moms. "I just felt I had a voice to be able to share with the moms online community about ADHD," she says. "We do podcasts and articles."
Next For Phelps: Going Home to Dog, Cars & New House
Originally posted 08/18/2008 08:30AM
Michael Phelps said he was happily anticipating downtime Monday, after winning his record eighth gold medal Sunday in the 4x100 medley relay – making him the single most-winning athlete in any one Olympiad.
"The biggest thing I'm looking forward to," the 23-year-old "Baltimore Bullet" told Monday's Today show, "is getting back, seeing my dog, seeing my cars and setting up my new house."
But others, intent on keeping Phelps busy, see even more gold in the swimmer's future – of the kind that has lined the jaw-dropping bank accounts of such sports superstars as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
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Phelps Wins Eighth Gold, Breaks Spitz's Record
Originally posted 08/17/2008 10:15AM
It looks like eight is enough for golden boy Michael Phelps.
The Olympian scored yet another gold medal Sunday in the 4x100 medley relay, bringing his grand total to eight since the games in Beijing began. It is the most golds won by any athlete at a single Olympics.
The US men's 4x100-meter medley relay team, again on the strength of an anchor leg swim by Jason Lezak, broke a world record with a time of 3:29.34.
After the victory, Phelps led the team (which included Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Lezak) in a long poolside embrace.
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Kerri Walsh's B-Day Wish: A Gold Medal!
Originally posted 08/16/2008 06:00PM
So what does an Olympic champion wish for on her birthday – just ask beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh, who celebrated turning the big 3-0 in Beijing.
Walsh, who along with partner Misty May-Treanor is a defending Olympic champion in beach volleyball, celebrated her birthday with 80 friends and family Saturday night in Beijing and, before cutting her cake, rhetorically asked, “Hmm. What should I wish for?”
“It’s got to be gold,” Walsh told PEOPLE after a toast. “We want to win a gold medal by beating the best in the world.”
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Jamaica’s Usain Bolt Becomes the World’s Fastest Man
Originally posted 08/16/2008 02:00PM
With America’s Tyson Gay out of the 100-meter dash and teammate Asafa Powell his only major rival, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt was going to make like his name and explode off the blocks.
And what would his time be if he didn’t take a split second to do a chest pump before crossing the finish line?
Bolt ran 100 meters in a staggering 9.69 seconds, making him the fastest man on Earth. He bested his own world record mark of 9.72 seconds, which he set in New York just two months ago.
“I am going to celebrate this,” Bolt said after the race. “I want to say, I came here to prove I am the best. I have trained for years for this and prepared for this.”
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