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Good fortune
Latest: Saturday September 30, 2000 04:17 AM
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By Albert Lin, CNNSI.com
SYDNEY, Australia -- The object of the pole vault is, obviously, to vault yourself over the bar. Yet American Nick Hysong claimed the gold medal Friday night without doing that very thing.
On Hysong's last two clearances -- at 5.80 meters and 5.90 -- he actually caught the bar on the way down. Both times the bar bounced on the support but stayed aloft, and both times Hysong beamed and exalted at his good fortune.
Little did he know how much extra celebrating he would get to do. Four vaulters cleared 5.90, and all four missed three times at 5.96. So Hysong won the gold -- leaving teammate Lawrence Johnson with silver -- because of fewer misses at lower heights.
What's that old saying about being lucky rather than good?
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The U.S. men should have no trouble winning the 4x100 and 4x400 relays Saturday night, but the women may not strike gold in either. Gail Devers and Inger Miller pulled out of the 4x100 Friday with hamstring injuries, and the 4x400 has never been a strong suit for U.S. women.
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Since missing out on gold in the Games' first three diving events, China has cleaned up, winning the next four. With Chinese seeded 1-2 headed into Saturday's men's platform final, China could make it five straight firsts.
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Russia could sweep the volleyball competition this weekend, with the women taking on Cuba on Saturday and the men facing Yugoslavia on Sunday for their respective gold medals.
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Marion Jones' quest for five gold medals came to an abrupt halt Friday night when 1992 Barcelona gold medalist Heike Drechsler of Germany returned to the top of the medal stand with a long jump of 6.99 meters. Jones landed well past the seven-meter mark on her final attempt, but she fouled by a couple inches.
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It really is about time we did away with the moniker Dream Team, because the Americans have been anything but over the last two weeks. The U.S. survived -- and we mean survived -- Lithuania to make Sunday's final, where it should have an easy time with surprise opponent France. Who knows, maybe the NBAers will play hard just to prove they can.
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Robert Korzeniowski of Poland became the first person to sweep the two walking events, adding the 50-kilometer gold to the 20K he won last week. This was, however, the only time he actually finished first: He crossed the line second in the 20K but was elevated when Mexico's Bernardo Segura was disqualified after the race.
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It was there for the taking, but instead Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj had the elusive 1,500-meter gold taken away from him by Kenya's Noah Ngeny. With countryman Youssef Baba acting as a rabbit through 700 meters before dropping back, El Guerrouj held the lead until the final straightaway. But Ngeny passed the world-record holder, who slowed over the final few meters, settling for silver, when he realized he had nothing left. It was his first loss at the distance since 1997.
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In Friday night's two men's running finals, Kenya asserted its middle-distance dominance, taking two of the three medals in each event. They almost swept the 3,000-meter steeplechase before Bernard Barmasai was edged for third place at the line, and they went 1-3 in the 1,500.
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In her last hurrah, 34-year-old Jackie Joyner-Kersee won
a bronze in the long jump, her sixth Olympic medal. -- Sports
Illustrated's Tim Layden
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| Today's Finals | SI's Brian
Cazeneuve: Daily Medal Picks |
|---|
| Basketball |
Women's |
| Boxing |
Light Flyweight (48 kg) | Bantamweight
(54 kg) | Lightweight (60 kg) | Welterweight (67 kg) | Middleweight (75 kg) |
Heavyweight (91 kg) |
| Canoe/Kayak |
Men's K1 1,000 Meters | C1 1,000
Meters | K2 1,000 Meters | C2 1,000 Meters | K4 1,000 Meters |
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Women's K4 500
Meters |
| Cycling |
Women's Individual Time
Trial |
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Men's Individual Time
Trial |
| Diving |
Men's
Platform |
| Field Hockey |
Men's |
| Handball |
Men's |
| Modern
Pentathlon |
Men's |
| Rhythmic
Gymnastics |
Women's Group |
| Sailing |
Open Three-Person Keelboat (Soling
class) | Open Double-Handed Keelboat (Star class) |
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Men's Single-Handed Dinghy
(Finn class) |
| Soccer |
Men's |
| Taekwondo |
Men's Over-80
kilograms |
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Women's Over-67
kilograms |
| Track and
Field |
Men's 4x100-Meter Relay | 4x400-Meter Relay | 5,000
Meters |
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Women's 4x100-Meter Relay |
4x400-Meter Relay | High Jump | Javelin throw | 1,500 Meters | 10,000
Meters |
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Anyone who has been in Sydney these past two weeks -- from athletes to fans to media -- has heaped mounds of praise on the quality of these Olympics. Now comes official word from above that these games are unmatched in Olympic annals. From IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch: "Something could still happen before Sunday. But if I had to close the Games today, I would say, 'Best Games ever.'"
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In a repeat of the 1996 men's water polo final, defending champion Spain edged Croatia 9-8 in a quarterfinal match behind two goals and three assists from Manuel Estiarte. The six-time Olympian is the all-time leading scorer in Olympic history with 125 goals. Croatia was undefeated in pool play and considered a medal favorite.
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The U.S. women's basketball team had another close call Friday with Korea, leading by only two point six minutes into the second half before pulling away for a 78-65 victory. Next up Saturday night in the gold-medal game, though, is Australia -- which will be backed by 18,000 screaming fans.
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