olympic sports

APEX, N.C. -- Lunch was barely under way Thursday when Evan Morgenstein's phone buzzed with a call from Dara Torres, who recently made history with three Olympic silver medals in swimming at age 41.

The most interesting person I met while in China for the 2008 Olympics wasn't an athlete or a coach or a journalist.

He wasn't even all that keen on the Games.

He was a young man sitting across the aisle from me on a bus headed for the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China. He was, as much as anyone, the face of China I will remember.

So now that the Beijing Olympics are history, the question must be asked: Did China accomplish its mission?

BEIJING -- The days of Dream Team dominance are likely gone forever, but in the new world basketball order the United States once again resides on top.

After a disastrous 2004 that totally reshuffled how international basketball is done in the U.S., the Americans here set things right with a bruising 118-107 victory over Spain in the championship game Sunday.

BEIJING -- Hugh McCutcheon watched the celebration and put his hands to his head and, suddenly, started to weep. He left the court, tears streaming down his cheeks, the joy of victory overcome by the pain of real life.

Two weeks earlier, his father-in-law had been stabbed to death in Beijing. Now his United States men's volleyball team was celebrating Olympic gold.

BEIJING -- As the world's spotlight turns away from Beijing, several vexing Olympic questions remain.

Will the 29th Summer Olympics be remembered for their spectacular venues and efficiently run Games or did the glitzy architecture and meticulous precision overshadow a sinister display of state power and abuse?

BEIJING -- After taking big steps, the United States men's water polo team ended up on the second step on the podium.

After losing 14-10 to Hungary in the gold medal game at the Beijing Olympics Sunday, that felt more like a disappointment than the achievement it was. But in time, coach Terry Schroeder and his players know that will change.

BEIJING -- BEIJING -- It was well worth the wait.

Sixteen days after the Opening Ceremony - and four years after dropping out of the 10,000 meters at the Athens Olympics -- Dathan Ritzenhein finished ninth in the marathon, the final track event at the Beijing Olympics.

BEIJING -- They can take down that dang bronze medal now.

The United States women's basketball team rolled to its fourth consecutive gold medal Saturday night and advanced their streak of consecutive Olympic wins to 33 with a 92-65 win over Australia.

BEIJING -- The United States baseball team will leave Beijing with a bronze medal as a parting gift, for itself and its sport.

The U.S., in its final Olympic appearance for the foreseeable future, earned that medal by defeating Japan, 8-4, Saturday at Wukesong Baseball Field.