At the U. S. rowing trials, she and Sara Hendershot came from behind to win the women’s pair and the trip to London. “A million things go through your mind when it happens,” Zelenka said. “You think about everything you’ve been through, all the hard times. You look back and say, ‘Oh, my gosh, I did it.’ You realize that your dream is coming true.” Their first heats in London will be July 28.
There will be 269 women and 261 men competing for America in London. This is the first time the United State Olympic Committee will have more women than men. The 1972 TITLE-IX Gender Equity Law that dictated equal treatment for women sports in American colleges had the impact and influences that give young girls more opportunities today.
Another Olympian to watch is women’s field hockey player Katelyn Falgowski, 23. She helped the University of North Carolina win the NCAA title as a freshman in 2007. The midfielder will play a critical role. In 2008 she was the only collegian on the U.S. roster at the Beijing Olympics. She comes from a family of athletes, as her father Ken played football and ice hockey at the University of Delaware, while her sisters Kerry and Carly also played NCAA field hockey.
Other rowing participants are Ken Jurkowski and Tom Peszek. Jake Kamisnski, Steve Kasprzyk, Meghan Musnicki, Paige Selenski, and Dagmara Wozniak will also be representing the USA in their respective sports.
Daryl Szarenski, a veteran pistol shooter, from Saginaw, Michigan is making his fourth Olympic appearance for the United States in London. Szarenski, who has an Army background, won a gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico. He will be searching for a breakout performance in London as he has never finished better than 13th in any Olympic event.
Szarenski began shooting in 1979 when his dad enrolled him in a junior shooting program to introduce him to the sport. His brother Dan was an All-American rifle shooter at West Point from 1976-1979.
Injuries have been a major storyline with the selection process for the USA Basketball team. Final selections by head coach Mike Krzyzewski and committee at the Las Vegas training camp were made about team chemistry. There is plenty of talent but not enough ball time to go around. Therefore, unselfish play and team make-up is of the utmost importance.
Headlined by the trio of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant the NBA players will have competition for the gold from Spain. The medal games will be August 12 on NBC.
The Polish Olympic Committee announced their rosters for the 2012 London Olympics. With just over a week before the opening ceremonies, the Polish National teams are making final preparations. With only a few more additions expected, 216 Polish athletes from 22 different sports will be participating.
Tennis player Agnieszka Radwanska will carry the flag for Poland at the opening ceremonies. There will again be high expectations for shot putter Tomasz Majewski. Majewski won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a 21.51m. His biggest competition will come from Americans Reese Hoffa, Christian Cantwell and Ryan Whiting. Hoffa has hit for over 72 feet and 2 inches this year and it will be his third Olympics. The men’s shot-put field finals will be August 3.
Other potential medalists for Poland are discus thrower Piotr Malachowski and weightlifter Marcin Dolega. The men’s quadruple skulls rowing team will be in the hunt also.
The Olympic Torch Run can be seen live at:
http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/video/live.html